ASICS FrontRunner Jani du Toit is currently pregnant with her second child. While she is by no means a doctor, midwife or nurse (and the information
expressed in this blog series should
not be taken as medical advice) she is very experienced when it comes to being pregnant (and a new mom) and running.
Below she outlines what supplements to take (and what not to) during pregnancy and when breastfeeding:
So, since my first pregnancy I’ve been receiving a lot of questions
on what sports supplements I take to help me during my training when
pregnant and when breastfeeding.
While I was pregnant and breastfeeding with our first-born first I
continued running and taking racing, but generally my usual
sports supplement intake changed.
To be honest though I don’t really
have any specific supplements regularly take and try to stick with real/whole foods and see how far I can go with that.
Be that as it may, the question keeps getting asked so here are some of my basic tips from research and personal experience.
First rule: Anything you take baby takes too. Whatever feeling you get from the supplements
baby will get too, when pregnant or breastfeeding. So, remember that any
stimulants which may cause an increase in your heart rate, will do the same for baby. I learnt
this the hard way while breastfeeding. (Read that story here).
Whey protein : It is okay to drink a whey protein – generally there are no stimulants in whey protein, the only thing to consider when you're taking whey when you are breastfeeding is that your baby’s system is tolerating the protein. It usually depends from baby to baby, but if your baby is experiencing severe fussiness, gassiness, or any other changes in their diaper, then rather stop. This rule also applies for all food types. For example, with our first born I was completely unable to eat peas while I was breastfeeding, it just made him so gassy and gave him tummy cramps. But always remember to try and get most of the protein from your real food and just add whey as a supplement.
Amino Acids : When you're pregnant and breastfeeding your muscle recovery is much slower because your entire system is focused on taking care of baby. So try to add some amino acids to help with this – but again try to get the most you need from real food and just add on as an extra.
Magnesium: This I cannot go without. This one is so important for me while you are pregnant and breastfeeding. And that is usually the first thing I ask women when they contact me for advice. In order for our muscles to function properly they need a balanced ratio of magnesium and calcium. They play a big role in the tension and relaxation of your muscles. If the calcium concentration in the muscle increases due to magnesium deficiency, the muscle can no longer relax, and cramps occur. Also, magnesium helps other vitamins absorb better, and can help as an type of anti-depressant, so It’s a vitamin I strongly stand by.
DON'T take these when pregnant or breastfeeding :
Fat burners – Aside from the stimulant concentration, there is no reason for you to try and burn fat when pregnant or breastfeeding, I’m not even going to explain this one.
Pre-workout
aids – These usually contain stimulants
and can give similar symptoms off as the fat burners.
Limited caffeine – limit your caffeine to less
that 100mg per day. That’s about one cup of coffee. Numerous studies
have shown that caffeine can cause birth defects, premature labor,
preterm delivery, reduced fertility, and increase the risk of
low-birth-weight offspring and other reproductive problems. Just
remember, caffeine in not just in coffee – it is also in most sodas,
chocolates and other edibles that you may not realise.
