Sweet Potato Nutrition And Pregnancy

Although sweet potatoes would be a nutritious addition to anyone’s diet, pregnant women might find them particularly beneficial. Sweet potatoes naturally contain several of the nutrients women need during pregnancy, including protein, fiber, folate, vitamin A and vitamin C. Sweet potatoes also are low in calories and fat and do not contain any cholesterol.

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts

Medium sweet potatoes baked with the skin have about 103 calories, 0.17 g of fat and 0.039 g of saturated fat. They also contain 2.3 g of protein, 23.6 g of total carbohydrates, 2.8 g of fiber and 7.4 g of sugar. Sweet potatoes do not contain cholesterol. They are an excellent source of several vitamins and minerals. A medium baked sweet potato contains 438 percent of the daily value of vitamin A. It also provides good amounts of vitamins B-6, C, E and K, as well as pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamin, folate and niacin. Minerals in sweet potatoes include manganese, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, phosphorus, copper and zinc.

Nutrition During Pregnancy

When you are pregnant, you require about 75 to 100 g of protein, which helps your unborn baby grow properly and plays a role in increasing your blood supply. You also need to get more vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin B-12, copper, magnesium, manganese and zinc than women who are not pregnant. Iron intake should increase from 18 g to 27 g a day during pregnancy. Although higher iron consumption could lead to constipation, getting at least 25 g to 30 g of fiber each day should help prevent this. Sweet potatoes are a good source of almost all of these nutrients. You might find it easier to meet your nutritional needs, without getting excess calories or fat, if sweet potatoes are a part of your pregnancy diet.

Considerations

Although sweet potatoes are healthy when eaten plain, adding ingredients or toppings significantly alters the nutrition facts. Brown sugar, cinnamon and butter don’t change the amounts of vitamins and minerals you consume, but they substantially add to your overall calorie intake. Women generally only need about 300 additional calories during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, so keep an eye on your calorie intake to avoid unintentionally consuming too many.

Misconceptions

You might have heard that getting too much vitamin A during pregnancy is dangerous. Excessive amounts of preformed vitamin A, which is the kind found in supplements and animal products, might harm your unborn baby. Getting large amounts of vitamin A through fruits and vegetables is not associated with any adverse reactions to pregnant women or their unborn babies. The vitamin A in plant sources comes from carotenoids, which are converted to vitamin A in the body. Your body only converts carotenoids to vitamin A as needed, so restricting your consumption of sweet potatoes or other plant foods rich in vitamin A is unnecessary.