Question

Anna is 28 years old. she and her husband plan to start a family soon. because anna is overweight and knows she will put on more weight during her pregnancy, she begins a low carbohydrate diet to slim down before she gets pregnant. she eliminates breads, grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, and fruit from her diet. what vital nutrients important early in pregnancy would be lacking in this diet? what could anna add to her diet to increase her intake of the nutrient(s)? will taking a prenatal vitamin supplement prescribed after her first prenatal visit be good enough?

Answer 1

Apparently, the starchy vegetables like beets, carrots, and corn that she excluded from her diet are rich in folacin also known as folic acid or folate. This is essentially needed in a baby's early development in a mother's womb. She wouldn't have enough to support the baby. Although, there are supplements to take folic acid, it wouldn't replace food as the main source where she can completely have folacin.