A nutritious diet during your pregnancy helps increase your chances for a healthy baby. Dietary proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals all contribute to an optimal growth environment for your developing child. Fats in your diet provide essential fatty acids that help keep your cell membranes healthy and maintain your nervous system and vision. Both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, meaning you must obtain them from your diet because your body cannot synthesize them.
Background
Flaxseed oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. In addition to their role in visual and neurological development, omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation in your body, while omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation. An optimal dietary balance of omega-3s to omega-6s assists in keeping inflammation in check. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that your diet should contain two to four times as many omega-3 fatty acids as omega-6 fatty acids. However, the eating habits of many Americans results in a diet that provides a higher ratio of omega-6s compared to omega-3s. When you are pregnant, maintaining an optimal dietary ratio of these essential fatty acids may be especially important.
Fatty Acids in Pregnancy
The Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University reports on the effect of essential fatty acids in pregnancy. The Institute states that in pregnant women with low dietary omega-3 fatty acids, supplementation increases the length of pregnancy but has no effect on pregnancy-related high blood pressure, preeclampsia or gestational diabetes. In certain high-risk pregnancies, supplementation with essential fatty acids lowers the incidence of premature births. According to the Institute, pregnant women should consume at least 200 mg of DHA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid, each day to promote the development of a healthy baby.
Sources
Because the average American diet provides more omega-6 and fewer omega-3 fatty acids than required for optimal health, adding more sources of omega-3s to your diet may improve your pregnancy nutrition. Flaxseed oil, whether from supplements or from ground flaxseed, provides essential omega-3 fatty acids. Fish and fish oils are also abundant in this nutrient. Other foods high in omega-3s include walnuts, walnut oil and canola oil. You may choose to decrease your consumption of foods containing high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, such as sunflower seeds, pine nuts, pecans, safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil and soybean oil.
Considerations
Because certain species of oily fish, although rich in omega-3s, may show elevated levels of mercury contamination, avoid these sources of essential fatty acids when you are pregnant. However, caution is needed if you decide to add food supplements to your diet. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the supplement industry, and therefore essential fatty acid supplements may not be as safe as whole foods during your pregnancy.
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