Usana & Pregnancy

It has been long time since I update about Usana. As I mentioned in one of my post, I stop taking Essentials during my first trimester and now am consuming it back (for about a week now) :) and of course after consulting my obgyn. She said not a problem at all to consume Essentials during pregnancy! Yay!

Here’s some info on Usana & Pregnancy; (do consult with your physician/obgyn first before start consuming any supplement!)

Part of a program of lifelong nutrition is recognizing that we all have different nutritional needs, and that our individual needs change as we move from one life stage to the next. For each one of us, a unique combination of age, sex, lifestyle, and other considerations demand a nutritional program that is both customized and flexible.

USANA nutritionals comprise both the Essentials and Optimizers to successfully meet this challenge.

A healthy baby begins with a healthy mom, so start as soon as possible to prepare your body and mind for motherhood. Pregnancy is one of the most nutritionally demanding times in a woman’s life. The Essentials ™ products provide the foundation of Usana’s nutritional system. The optimizers allow you to customize that nutritional system for your individual needs.

Essentials™

The USANA Essentials™ supplements provide a broad range of essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other micronutrients to maintain long-term health and well-being.

Tablets / Box: 224

BiOmega™

BiOmega is produced from cold water deep sea fish and contains two important omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). BiOmega is a convenient pure option to provide your daily complement of EPA and DHA in capsule form. Supplementing EPA and DHA fatty acids can help support health, promote optimal growth and development.

• An excellent way to ensure healthful omega-3 fatty acids in the diet
• Provides pure fish oil which is free from heavy metals and organic contaminants

Capsules / Bottle:120

Active Calcium Plus

Active Calcium Plus is a carefully formulated, clinically tested bone-building formula, not just calcium supplementation. Active Calcium Plus contains high amounts of calcium citrate and carbonate, magnesium, and vitamin D to optimize bone mineralization and to ensure proper calcium use. Active Calcium Plus is more than a calcium supplement; it is an aid in the maintenance of healthy bones. In addition to the important cofactors for bone health – magnesium, Vitamin D and silicon – Active Calcium Plus contains an optimal dosage of calcium, in bio-available forms for the promotion of bone health.
• Calcium reduces the risk of osteoporosis
• Provides comprehensive support for bone health
• Contains sufficient calcium, magnesium, silicon, and vitamin D to meet nutritional needs in only 4 tablets per day
• Clinically tested formula

Tablets/Bottle: 120

(Source from: http://www.supplements-natural.com/Pregnancy.php and https://www.usana.com/dotCom/index.jsp)

Other note;

A diet consisting of nutrient rich foods coupled with proper supplementation can help guard against dietary deficiencies during pregnancy. More calories, protein, vitamins and minerals are needed to support the nutritional demands of both mother and baby.

Folate (folic acid) plays a crucial role in the development of the central nervous system during the early weeks of fetal development. Low folate increases the risk of neural tube defects. Many physicians now recommend that women take 1000 mg of folate per day, starting three months before conception.

Iron needs increase due to a higher blood volume and the demands of the fetus and placenta.
Iron requirements vary between individuals; it is recommended that pregnant women receive an individual assessment of their iron status, nutritional guidance, prenatal care, and iron supplementation as needed from their physicians, to decrease the risk of poor pregnancy outcome.

Iodine is an essential mineral needed for proper thyroid function. During pregnancy the placenta will extract iodine from the mother; fetal levels of iodine are usually several times higher than those of the mother. A maternal iodine deficiency can cause significant irreversible mental retardation in the fetus.

Low maternal zinc levels have been associated with low infant birth weight.

Newborns from a selenium deficient mother can suffer from muscular weakness.

During pregnancy, women need additional protein to support tissue growth in the fetus, placenta and maternal tissues.

Vitamin D is needed for fetal growth, bone ossification, tooth enamel formation and neonatal calcium homeostasis.

The mother’s diet should contain extra calcium from the beginning of pregnancy until the end of lactation. Early accumulation of calcium provides a reserve for later use when it becomes difficult to consume enough to meet the needs of mother and baby.

Numerous studies have shown that calcium supplementation can reduce the incidence of pregnancy induced hypertension.

Magnesium levels decrease during pregnancy; there is also evidence that magnesium levels are further decreased in women who later develop pre-eclampsia.

Oral magnesium supplementation is therapeutic in treating pregnancy related leg cramps.

Pyridoxine (B6) is an important coenzyme in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters GABA, dopamine, and serotonin. It is required for normal perinatal development of the central nervous system. Studies show that a neonatal deficiency of B6 can cause behavioural abnormalities, motor disorders and low birth weight.

(Source from: http://www.healthierlifestyles.co.uk/Pregnancy.htm)

Ok, the good news is… Essentials contains most of the minerals, vitamins that mother needs during pregnancy. How cool is that? Best bile tahu Essentials ni ada itu dan ini. Tak payah telan banyak-banyak pills. Dahla saya jenis yang perlukan air banyak nak telan sebiji pill. Kalau berbiji-biji, mahu kembung perut penuh air! Hihiii… So, I will update more on this from time to time. Meantime, is you guys have any questions on Usana and pregnancy or Usana, do email me at coffeemaker[at]thecoffeeaddicts[dot]com.

Till then, take care!