Beli Prenatals are HSA/FSA eligible!

Why DHA Doesn’t Belong in Your Prenatal Vitamin

The more, the merrier may be the old saying, but that’s really not what you want happening in your prenatal vitamin. When it comes to this sort of specialized nutritional support, what’s not included is just as key as what is. Ideally, any prenatal brand you trust with something as important as your fertility, pregnancy, and growing baby has done its homework. In our eyes, that means thoroughly researching their ingredients, investigating which nutrients are typically accessible through diet alone, and double checking how all of this stuff interacts. That’s exactly what we did here at Beli, and that’s exactly why you won’t find DHA (among other ingredients) in our prenatal vitamin.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • As supplements, prenatal vitamins are designed to shore up the nutritional gaps in your diet – not serve as a replacement for poor nutrition.
  • While DHA is essential during pregnancy, it’s not shelf stable when combined with other ingredients and is best accessed via food or as a separate supplement.
  • Vitamin A is another essential nutrient during pregnancy, but it can be harmful in high doses and is easily accessed in the typical American diet.
  • Iron and calcium are essential minerals that compete for absorption, which means reduced bioavailability. Since calcium is another nutrient you can pick up in your diet, Beli prioritizes iron in its prenatal vitamin formulation.

Let’s first clarify that a prenatal vitamin is a supplement, and by definition, it’s intended to supplement your nutrition. Multivitamins and prenatal vitamins aren’t designed to replace a mindful diet – they simply help shore up the nutritional gaps that inevitably occur. 

Any dietitian will tell you that your diet can and should be the main source of all the essential vitamins and minerals you need not only to function, but to thrive. But pregnancy is its own little animal, and your needs for specific nutrients – folate, choline, vitamin D, and iron, among others – increase. Supplementing with a great prenatal vitamin is the best way to ensure that you’re getting everything you need.

But as mentioned, more isn’t necessarily better. In fact, when it comes to prenatal vitamins, more can actually be seriously problematic. So what don’t we include? Let’s get to it.

Why Beli Skips DHA

DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid. It’s found in salmon and tuna. It’s non-negotiable for the proper growth and functional development of the brain in babies, and adults use it for brain function too. If you’ve ever heard someone call salmon “brain food,” now you know why.

Here’s the thing about DHA. You absolutely need it during pregnancy. But our position here at Beli is that while you should certainly be getting adequate amounts, DHA has no place in your prenatal vitamin. Why? We have a few reasons.

  • It’s accessible in many foods. DHA is abundantly found in fish, including salmon, sardines, mackerel and herring. But you’ll also find a version of it in chia seeds, flaxseed, walnuts, edamame, kidney beans, and wheat germ. The daily recommendation is at least 200 mg before, during, and after pregnancy, and you can knock that out by eating 8 to 12 ounces of salmon in a week.
  • It’s not shelf stable when it’s combined with other ingredients in capsule form. Surprise – DHA is prone to oxidative degradation from light and heat, which means it smells bad and tastes worse. If you’re spending good money on your prenatal vitamins, how awful is it that a bottle might go bad before you get to it? And don’t just take our word for it. “I typically avoid prenatals with DHA in them since it's not supposed to be very stable when combined with other nutrients in supplement form,” says Brooke Boskovich, RD.
  • It’s personal. A DHA supplement should be a private decision. You may have a reason for avoiding a fish-based source, after all, or for deciding your DHA should only come from wild-caught fish.
  • Those fishy burps + morning sickness? Ugh. A prenatal vitamin that includes DHA can be hard on your stomach – the last thing you want if you’re already dealing with morning sickness. Taking a separate DHA supplement gives you a little more flexibility to decide when you can best stomach your pills.

Why Beli Skips Vitamin A, Calcium, and Riboflavin

Vitamin A is another important nutrient during pregnancy, helping your baby’s organs, bones, eyes all develop properly, along with supporting the respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems. But high doses of vitamin A can actually lead to birth defects, and the typical American diet provides all the vitamin A you need. It’s in all kinds of foods, including meat, dairy products, fish, eggs, fortified cereals, and most fruits and veggies.

Including vitamin A in your prenatal vitamin is a classic example of too much of a good thing. Oversupplying nutrients isn’t beneficial, and in this case, it’s downright harmful.

Then there’s the matter of iron and calcium, two compounds that compete for absorption. While both essential minerals are, well, essential, the combination in a prenatal vitamin means reduced bioavailability. In other words, you aren’t actually getting the amount indicated on the label. That’s particularly problematic when it comes to iron, since iron deficiencies are a slippery slope to anemia.

Since calcium is another nutrient you can pick up in your diet with adequate amounts of dairy, including milk, cheese, and yogurt, along with dark leafy greens and fortified cereals, we prioritize iron in our prenatal vitamin. We opt for a chelated version that’s tummy friendly, since iron is notoriously hard on the stomach.

Then there’s riboflavin, or vitamin B2. Your baby uses it for proper bone, muscle, and nerve development. But again, this is a vitamin best sourced in your foods, where it’s readily available. Riboflavin can be found in milk, meats, nuts, leafy greens, and fortified foods.

The Bottom Line

A good prenatal vitamin is supposed to support you from fertility to post-partum with all the right nutrients in all the right amounts. And that means being mindful of what isn’t included. Luckily, Beli has you covered. Instead of trying to kitchen sink your prenatal vitamin, we’ve calibrated a very precise blend of nutrients – it’s everything you need, and nothing you don’t.

Additional Resources

The role of a prenatal vitamin is to support the healthy growth and development of growing babies, and minimizing the risk of birth defects is front and center. But can your prenatal vitamins really reduce the risk of birth defects? Absolutely!

Read More

You think you know, but when it comes to male fertility and sperm health specifically, you probably have no idea. Here at Beli, we’ve had an education-first approach to male fertility since day one and today we’re breaking down fact from fiction, sperm edition. Let’s see how you do!

Read More

Between responsibilities at home and at work, commitments that just keep piling up, and a mile-long to-do list, sex may be on your mind, but only in a vague, wouldn’t-that-be-nice kind of way. It's normal! But men hoping to become fathers might be stressing that a waning sex drive is signaling a problem with their fertility (spoiler: not necessarily). Still, it’s true that a man’s fertility and his libido are linked, so let’s hop into all the details, including 4 ways to rev up that sex drive.

Read More

Medical science tells it like it is–a man’s health and his fertility are undeniably linked. But what role do genetics play in the fertility factor? It's a good question! In today's post, we're taking a deep dive into exactly how genetics affect male fertility.

Read More

Time and time again, men are an afterthought in the fertility conversation, and it’s setting couples up to fail. In light of recent research confirming–again–that sperm counts around the world are indeed declining, Beli wants to lead the charge. Join us, and let’s make March men’s fertility awareness month.

Read More

Knowing all the facts about sperm doesn’t just make you positively lethal on trivia night, it actually puts you in prime position to optimize your chances of a healthy conception, pregnancy and baby. So let’s get to it, with these 10 facts about sperm that will (probably) blow your mind.

Read More

Shilajit is finally getting the credit it’s due, and we’re proud to point out that our proprietary formula was the very first to include this powerful Ayurvedic compound. Here’s why shilajit is rapidly becoming the darling of the male fertility world–and what you’re missing if you’re skipping it.

Read More

Research shows that the overall health of both biological parents during the preconception window plays a huge role in everything from conception to pregnancy health to the lifetime health of their baby. Luckily, there are simple steps you can both take to improve your health together.

Read More

Supplementing with key nutrients in the right amounts not only improves sperm health — think sperm count and sperm motility — it also means optimal fertility health for men in general. And that means the best chance of a healthy conception, pregnancy, and baby. 

Read More

It’s resolution-making time, and a lot of folks have babies on the brain. We got you! We double checked with the experts for the best ways to support and promote fertility for the very best chances of a healthy conception, pregnancy, and bouncing baby.

Read More

Special thanks to Becca, a fertility dietitian at Little Life Nutrition, for today's post! Becca is passionate about helping moms and dads-to-be uncover the root cause of fertility challenges, using nutrition, lifestyle, and functional lab testing to optimize her clients' chance of getting pregnant — a true "no-stone-left-unturned" approach. Here, she shares five ways to boost fertility naturally.

Read More

Shilajit is finally getting the credit it’s due, and we’re proud to point out that our proprietary formula was the very first to include this powerful Ayurvedic compound. Here’s why shilajit is rapidly becoming the darling of the male fertility world–and what you’re missing if you’re skipping it.

Read More

Pregnancy is a time to get really particular about what you’re ingesting. From the cleanest prenatal vitamin you can find to ten months of minimal caffeine and zero sushi, you’re taking precautions. And rightfully so! So what does that mean for your favorite collagen supplement? Can you take collagen while you’re pregnant? You certainly can—with caveats.

Read More

Learning that you’re about to become a mother is truly life-changing news, and it's always helpful to have an immediate next step or two. Start checking things off this little list, and you’ll be well on your way to a healthy and minimally stressful pregnancy.

Read More

There’s an essential connection between our minds and our bodies, and when we neglect one, it inevitably catches up with us through the other. For women becoming mothers especially, the body-mind connection is worth paying close attention to. Here's how prenatal vitamins can help.

Read More

Think about good nutrition, and protein is generally front and center. It’s the macronutrient behind so many essential processes and functions in the body, from building and repairing muscle and bone to whipping up hormones and enzymes. And the importance of protein only increases during and after pregnancy. Here's why.

Read More

Somewhere between the “let’s have a baby!” conversation and seeing those two pink lines, you’re going to end up researching prenatal vitamins. And trust us when we say you’re going to have a ton of options to wade through. Consider this your handy guide to the best prenatal vitamins for men and women in 2023.

Read More

Beli for Women has all the current nutrient recommendations for prenatal vitamins, including choline, vitamin D, folate, magnesium, and iodine. All the right ingredients, in all the right amounts. But it does beg the question, how exactly does Beli fit everything into just three capsules?

Read More

Getting your ducks in a row at least three months before you hope to conceive can help nourish your fertility in preparation of everything to come. That’s where a high-quality prenatal vitamin for you both comes in. Our guide walks you through all the behind-the-scenes benefits during your first three months on Beli.

Read More

Dr. Taylor Wallace calls choline the “under-consumed and under-appreciated essential nutrient.” He’s right–in spite of its importance, choline is worryingly absent in so many mainstream prenatal vitamin formulas. We sat down with Dr. Wallace for a rundown on choline and why it’s so critical for pregnant and nursing moms, plus how to be sure you and your baby are getting enough.

Read More

Morning sickness – if you know, you know. It’s one of the least glamorous aspects of pregnancy, and it makes getting through your day (or, you know, getting upright to actually start your day) so much harder. Read on for four surprisingly effective tips to combat morning sickness – and know we’re sending virtual hugs and sympathy, mama!

Read More

While everyone loves shopping for a new baby – those teensy shoes! – you may feel a little mystified about how to gift all the pregnant people in your life. Good news! We asked a bunch of them what they’d love most this holiday season. So without further ado, we present our holiday gift round-up for your very favorite pregnant people. Trust us, she’ll love it.

Read More

In the early days of your pregnancy, it’s fair to want to keep your thrilling news to yourself. But what happens over the holiday season, when you’re probably spending endless hours with your loud, loving, all-up-in-your-business family? We polled our Beli community for the hands-down best way to mask a pregnancy – morning sickness symptoms and all – if you’re dreading the next few weeks with the fam, because this is one surprise that no one should spoil.

Read More

Arguably one of the best parts of having a baby is choosing a name, which often involves multiple books, endless lists, and a ton of back and forth. If you like the idea of leaning into science, a recent study shared in the Daily Mail used phonetics to find the 50 most beautiful-sounding baby names.

Read More
li