Low iron levels in pregnancy are a common problem for women of childbearing age across the world. Many times if a woman’s iron levels are low, her doctor or midwife will prescribe an iron supplement for her to take during pregnancy.

There have been some studies done over the past few years which suggest that low iron levels in a mother during pregnancy can affect the child’s mental development in negative ways. Children who are born to anemic mothers tend to score lower on a series of tests given to them, than the children who were born to mothers that had normal or high iron levels in their blood.

Besides the iron suppllement pills, a woman can eat more foods that are naturally high in iron during her pregnancy in order to increase the iron levels. Foods high in iron include meats, egg yolks, dried beans or peas, green leafy vegetables, dried fruits, nuts and grains.

If you are trying to get pregnant and have low iron levels, or are afraid that you will have low iron levels, there are things you can do prior to pregnancy to try to increase your iron. If you are planning on getting pregnant, you should start taking prenatal pills immediately, versus waiting till you are already pregnant. Also, start eating more iron-rich foods, remembering that foods coming from animals (the meat and eggs) have higher levels of iron in them than the foods coming from vegetables. If you are not a big meat eater, eating just a small amount of meat with your iron-rich vegetables will dramatically increase the amount of iron that is absorbed from those vegetables.

Adding Vitamin C to your meals will also help increase the amount of iron that is absorbed into your body. If you are consuming mostly vegetables to get your iron, avoid tea while eating them because the tea can prevent or reduce iron absorption. Also, try cooking food in an iron skillet, as the iron from the skillet adds to the iron levels in the food.

If you are worried or unsure about your iron levels during your pregnancy, be sure to ask your doctor or midwife if they have any additional suggestions for you to help you raise the levels while you are pregnant.

When shopping for your family, you should consider that per pound of body weight, babies consume about 60 times more fruits and vegetables than adults. This fact combined with undeveloped digestive and immune systems, put young children at the greatest health risk for pesticide residues. To minimize the effects, you might consider buying organic for those foods that your children eat regularly.

Produce: Pesticides levels vary in produce. Here is a list of common fruits and veggies that are high in pesticide residues*. Because of the naturally high levels, you might consider buying organic for these foods:

Apples
Bell peppers
Celery
Cherries
Grapes (imported)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Potatoes
Red Raspberries
Spinach
Strawberries

On the flip side, these fruits and veggies are commonly found to have the lowest levels of pesticide residues*

Asparagus
Avocados
Bananas
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Corn (sweet)
Kiwi
Mangos
Onions
Papayas
Pineapples
Peas (sweet)
*Source: The Environmental Workers Union

Healthier Eating
You should try to stay away from foods that are high in fat and sugar content. Look for more healthy choices and eating more vegetables and items that will not only help you be healthy but will give your baby a better shot at being healthy. Try to buy foods that are organic and pesticide free, as well as hormone free dairy products.

You should try to stay away from uncooked fish, meat and poultry, as well as cooked fish such as swordfish, shark, and king mackerel which may contain large mercury counts which would not be good for your baby if you were to get pregnant. A woman should also stay away from raw eggs, including batters and dough made with them, as well as unpasteurized milk and certain soft cheeses. You should always make sure you clean and cook raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them.

Folic Acid
Folic acid is a big ingredient to getting pregnant, staying pregnant and having a healthy baby. Before trying to conceive a woman should make sure that she is getting enough folic acid a day either from prenatal vitamins or from foods including leafy green vegetables, fortified cereals, breads and orange juice.

Beverages
You should cut back on all beverages including coffee and soda, while trying to drink more water daily. It is recommended that a person drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day, while some say that a person should drink half of their body weight in ounces of water a day is a good rule of thumb.

Caffeinated beverages will only help to dehydrate you. Studies have shown that a large intake of caffeine can lead to it taking longer to conceive (International Food Information Council Foundation). However when these studies looked at smoking and alcohol use while drinking caffeinated beverages the results were inconclusive. It is best for a woman to just steer clear from caffeinated beverages before and during pregnancy.

The most vital time of a baby’s development often occurs before a woman even knows she is pregnant, between 3 and 8 weeks. Because of this and the damage that alcohol can do to a fetus, it is suggested that a woman should stay away from all alcohol leading up to and during the time she is trying to get pregnant, as well as while she is pregnant.

The most important thing for a woman to remember is that everything she eats or consumes while trying to conceive is in her body when she is trying to conceive and can affect her baby. While many of us will eat and do things that we know are not good for us, would we willing give our child something that we know is not good for them? The best time to start developing healthy habits for your child is before you conceive that child.

According to the Environmental Working Group, everyone should buy the following produce only when grown by organic means, since these are the most contaminated fruits and veges when grown conventionally:

• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Imported Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Red Raspberries
• Spinache
• Strawberries

Why is the above produce the worst of the bunch? Because their thin skins allow for the most absorption of pesticides, sewer sludge, and other poisons used to grow them by conventional means.

Since we’re making lists, here’s another group of foods you should consider buying organically if you want to avoid consuming chemicals that were banned in the 1970s but are still lingering around.

• Butter
• Cantaloupe
• Cucumbers / Pickles
• Meatloaf
• Peanuts (including peanut butter!)
• Popcorn
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Summer Squash
• Winter Squash

These foods are thought to be contaminated with pollutants that persist in the environment for decades and are linked to very serious developmental disorders, disease, and cancer.

Are you ready for a little good news? Here’s a list of foods that you can feel reasonably safe in purchasing conventionally grown:

• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Bananas
• Kiwi
• Sweet peas – frozen
• Asparagus
• Mango
• Pineapples
• Sweet Corn – frozen
• Avocado
• Onions

I try to buy everything organic but sometimes my budget just doesn’t allow it. It’s good to know I can take advantage of lower priced fruits & veges once in a while without exposing my family to too many poisons.