Sara Stroud

What are essential fatty acids (EFAs) and what crucial role do they play during pregnancy? If you do not know the very first thing about EFAs, you may want to read this work. For all you know, this may be the only thing you need to make certain you and your baby stay safe and healthy during and following your pregnancy.

Necessary trans-acids are the “good fats”. They're wanted to sustain certain body functions but our bodies just don’t have the power to produce them. And that is the reason why we want to get them from other nutritional sources.

There are two sorts of EFAs “omega 3 and omega 6. Some of the best sources of omega 3 include seafood such as salmon, sardines, herring, tuna, halibut and anchovies, and vegetable oils. Omega 6, on the other hand, can be discovered in most plant-based oils (corn oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil), eggs and birds.

Therefore why do you need to have them in your diet? Latest studies reveal that omega 3s play a vital part in decreasing the risk of early delivery and low birth weight. It could also significantly decrease the risk of type 1 diabetes and the commonness of high blood pressure later in your baby's life. Still other studies suggest that omega 3 is critical in your baby's proper brain, scared and immune system development. Now, do you understand why you need to enhance your EFA intake during pregnancy? I bet you do!

To get the right amount of EFAs in your typical diet, you should:

• Add nuts, seeds and green leafy veggies to your diet. Hempseed, flaxseeds, sunflower and sesame seeds, and their oil derivatives are all rich sources of omega 3 EFAs. Likewise, nuts (including walnuts), green leafy vegetables (such as collards, kale, spinach and watercress) and plant-based oils (unrefined canola oil, soybean oil and wheat germ oil) are all rich sources of omega 3. Pistachio nuts and olive oil, on the other hand, contains elevated quantities of omega 6s.

• Consider fish. Salmon, sardines, herring, tuna and anchovies are all rich sources of omega 3 EFAs. If you are concerned about the toxicity levels in your seafood, you'll opt to take good quality fish oil supplements as an alternative.

Therefore do not forget to take your EFAs to help with a safe and healthy pregnancy.

Kitty Baker provides more helpful and easily read articles at this link on pregnancy. You can also learn more about achieving a healthy pregnancy diet here.