After 3.5 years of extensive research, the government (Health Council) has formulated a clear recommendation for pregnant women. It discusses the following essential nutrients: folic acid, fish fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, iodine and iron. Fish twice a week or a daily fish fatty acid supplement is the Health Council' s new advice for pregnant women.
The Nutrition Center has translated the advice into a consumer-friendly version. For fish fatty acids, it boils down to the following:
So the advice is that if you do not want to or cannot eat fish, take a daily supplement. The amount of fish fatty acids should be at least 250 to 450 mg of DHA. This may be a good fish oil containing DHA and EPA, just as the fish fatty acids are found in fish. Of course, it may also be an algae oil that contains DHA or be an algae oil that contains DHA and EPA. Actually, the extra EPA in a supplement is a bonus because, EPA is also an important nutrient for a variety of other functions. In addition, some of the EPA is also converted to DHA.
Fish and omega-3 when pregnant
When you are pregnant, the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA from fish (oil) are needed. The mother's intake of DHA contributes to the normal development of the (unborn) baby's eyes and brain function during pregnancy. And besides your baby, DHA also helps keep your brain function normal(pregnancy brain).
Fish oil during pregnancy
Are you pregnant and want to take omega 3 fish oil? Fish oil is a good addition to your diet during pregnancy. Because unfortunately, farmed salmon from the supermarket today contains several times less omega 3 than it used to. In addition, farmed salmon unfortunately contains much more omega 6 than omega 3 fats. It may also be that you dislike the taste or smell of fish. If so, fish oil for pregnant women is a great alternative as a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids. The advantage of liquid fish oil (from a bottle) during pregnancy is that 1 spoonful of fish oil is equivalent to the omegas of over half a herring! By using fresh fish from Norway, the fish oil has a nice smooth taste, which means it can even be put in yogurt, smoothie or shake. So it's ideal if you are also less tolerant to fish oil during your pregnancy. Depending on the brand, the purity of fish oil is also perfect for pregnant women. Arctic Blue MSC Fish Oil, for example, is at least 75x cleaner* than tuna and 20x cleaner than herring or kibbeling, which are already listed as fairly clean (*measured by the amount of the heavy metal mercury found in these fish on average).
Can all fish oil during pregnancy?
Arctic Blue has several omega 3 products for use during pregnancy. All Arctic Blue products are suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women, except the anise-flavored salmon oil (because of the anise). Because of its nice dosage and built-in vitamin D, even by professionals, this is the most widely used. If you prefer a capsule (without vitamin D) this is the most used.
If you are pregnant and vegetarian or vegan, there are several plant-based algae oil products with the power of fish oil. They contain the same omega 3 fatty acids (omega 3-DHA and often EPA) as fatty fish. The algae are cultured and cannot contain environmental contaminants. This is the highest concentrated (and most widely used. If you prefer a capsule this is the most commonly used.
When to take fish oil when pregnant? Omega 3-DHA important for baby and mother
Wondering when is the best time to start taking fish oil when pregnant? It is important for the mother to start pregnancy in a good condition. So it is wise to supplement the amount of omega 3-DHA in your body before you want to get pregnant. When you are pregnant, DHA taken by you as a mother is an important building block for the fetus' brain and supports the development of vision. The construction of the nervous system begins early in pregnancy. And did you know that 60% of the brain is fat and as much as 1/6 is DHA? You can imagine why this omega 3 fatty acid is so necessary.
Fish oil pregnancy: when? Before, during and after pregnancy
In the last 3 months of pregnancy and in the first months after birth, your baby's brain grows proportionally a lot. The unborn child then withdraws this from the mother's body. So make sure you also continue to consume omega 3 during your pregnancy.
During breastfeeding, the child receives omega 3-DHA through breast milk. So it is a prime time to continue consuming plenty of omega 3-DHA especially, in the form of liquid fish oil or capsules (or liquid algae oil or capsules) after pregnancy.
Omega 3 pregnancy dosage
How much omega 3 / fish oil during pregnancy is recommended? How many mg of fish oil / omega 3 per day you should take if you are pregnant is no different than how much omega 3 / fish oil per day if you are not pregnant. The recommended daily intake of fish fatty acids for pregnant women is 250 - 400 mg of DHA per day.
In addition, the optimal omega 3 pregnancy dosage is also customized. We, at Arctic Blue, as Omega-3 specialists, believe that the daily dosage should depend on your current omega 3 status. That is the amount of omega 3 in your body. When can you definitely use omega 3?
- You eat little or no oily fish (herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines).
- You eat a lot of fast food, processed and cheap supermarket products.
- You eat vegetarian or vegan.
Actually, if you want to get pregnant, you should start with a good omega 3 status. This can be measured very simply these days with a self-test. An ideal result is an omega-3 status of between 8 and 11. This is the percentage of omega-3 fatty acids in all cell membranes. Of these, the DHA status should then be at least 5.
In practice, we see that most people fall far short of this. That is why some kind of catch-up dose should be taken first. You understand that this will have to be higher than the 250 - 400 mg DHA per day. That is why we generally recommend liquid products, because it is easier to take a high dose.
Which fish oil or algae oil during pregnancy?
What fish oil can you take during pregnancy? Is it still safe with the polluted oceans? Doctors still agree that eating oily fish offers more benefits for mother and child than leaving it out. The healthy effect of hardly polluted fish like sardines or cod or mackerel is many times greater than the few substances of pollution that definitely do not belong in them. This is a different story with fish species that can accumulate a lot of contaminants, such as tuna and eel: not recommended during pregnancy. The beauty of Arctic Blue fish oil is that it is made far away from the plastic soup, and also in the most modern factories in the world, in Norway. As a result, the contamination found can be pretty much taken out completely. All Arctic Blue fish oil (except those with anise) is therefore suitable for women who want to become pregnant, are pregnant or breastfeeding. Algae oil is always suitable because the algae do not come from the sea, but are grown on land in closed and controlled conditions.
Omega 3 and getting pregnant
On the package I see it says, "Consult an expert before use in case of pregnancy, lactation, illness or medication use." So can I use your product? How does fish oil affect wanting to get pregnant? I thought omega 3 was actually good for pregnant women? Yes, that is confusing. In the Netherlands it is compulsory on every food supplement to put this stipulation on the packaging. With this, the government wants vulnerable groups to think carefully when making decisions about their health.
In the case of a fish oil supplement, it is indeed strange, because in all cases it is a welcome addition to our omega 3-poor Western diet. So you can confidently take liquid omega 3 fish oil if you want to get pregnant or are pregnant! The same goes for fish oil omega 3 capsules, pills or tablets before and during pregnancy.
Buy fish oil pregnancy
At Arctic Blue you can buy fish oil before, during and after pregnancy. You can buy fish oil from us by the bottle or take a subscription. Ideal when your "pregnancy brain" keeps you forgetting to buy new fish oil! You can buy both liquid fish oil and omega 3 capsules. Do you have questions about pregnancy / getting pregnant in combination with omega 3 capsules or liquid fish oil? Feel free to contact us. We are happy to answer them!