Folate, iron, calcium and protein do the heavy lifting. Where to get them, and which supplements are genuinely worth taking.
Pregnancy nutrition advice tends to arrive as a long list of restrictions. It is more useful to know the four things you want more of.
Always confirm supplements with your own doctor. Requirements differ, and some conditions change the answer entirely.
1. Folate, before you even know
Folate lowers the risk of neural tube defects, and it matters most in the first weeks, often before a pregnancy is confirmed. That is why supplementation is usually advised from the point you start trying.
Food sources: dark leafy greens, lentils, chickpeas, citrus. Most doctors will still prescribe a folic acid supplement on top, because diet alone rarely reaches the target.
2. Iron, for two blood supplies
Blood volume rises sharply, and iron deficiency anaemia is genuinely common here. It shows up as exhaustion that sleep does not fix, breathlessness on stairs, and pallor.
Food sources: red meat, liver, lentils, spinach, fortified cereals.
Pair iron with vitamin C (a lemon squeezed over daal, an orange after the meal) and keep it away from tea and coffee, which block absorption significantly.
3. Calcium and vitamin D, together
Calcium builds the baby’s skeleton, and if intake falls short it is taken from yours. Vitamin D is what lets the body absorb it, and deficiency is widespread even somewhere as sunny as Lahore, largely because of how little skin gets direct sun.
Food sources: milk, yoghurt, cheese, paneer, sesame seeds, fortified products.
4. Protein, steadily across the day
Protein needs climb through the second and third trimesters. Spreading it across meals works better than one large serving.
Food sources: eggs, chicken, fish, daal, beans, yoghurt, nuts.
What to ask a pharmacist
Bring your prescription in and we will check that your supplements do not overlap or clash. It is common to end up on two products containing the same thing. We stock prenatal vitamins, iron with vitamin C, and vitamin D3, and can tell you which combinations are safe to take at the same time of day.