Zinc deficiency & ways to rebuild supply
In a normal pregnancy, when the placenta is birthed there is an imbalance in the favour of copper in the body, the antagonist to zinc. A pregnancy with good levels of zinc will combat this shift as well as ensuring there is plenty of zinc in a postnatal diet. Zinc supports mood, appetite and reproductive function in the body
It is worth mentioning that monitoring levels of zinc during preconception and pregnancy and supplementing if levels fall too low is an important preventative to zinc deficiency.
Stages of pregnancy for optimal nutrition support:
- preconception
- pregnancy
- postpartum
Zinc rich foods.
- seafood
- pumpkin
- sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
- almonds, Brazil nuts, pecan, peanuts
- ginger
- leafy greens
- legumes: split peas, lima beans
- buckwheat
