More than Water: Minerals for Pregnancy and Postpartum

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You have probably heard about the importance of water both during pregnancy and postpartum, especially with breastfeeding…. but what’s the deal with minerals? Maybe you’ve come across the terms adrenal mocktails or electrolyte powders and wondered what they are and if you need them.

Today we’re going to get nerdy and break down the importance of minerals. They are critical for everyone but can play an especially important role in preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum.

What are Minerals?

The basic definition of a mineral is an inorganic substance of natural occurrence. Cool…. so that means? Essentially minerals are little electrical signalers that run all the cells in our body. Yup, every single cell. They have a lot of important roles such as allowing our nerves to function, maintaining water balance, and helping with energy levels.

Minerals are found in foods and water but unfortunately, with soil depletion, our foods today contain a lot less minerals than they once did. In addition, stress can deplete minerals and in today’s society, a lot of us are leading pretty stressful lives. This can leave us depleted and in need of more minerals.

Critical Minerals

While all of the minerals found in our body play key roles, there are a few that are especially important that we’re going to give some special attention.

Potassium - Important to aid in getting water into your cells (aka actual hydration), pH balance, making energy in mitochondria, and carbohydrate utilization. Food sources include coconut water, potatoes, dates, and avocado.

Sodium - Helps regulate blood pressure, fluid balance, and insulin resistance. The main food source is salt. 

Magnesium - Needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions… yes, really! These include energy production, muscle relaxation, using vitamin D, and insulin sensitivity. It is found in foods like dark leafy greens, orange juice, and coconut water. Unfortunately, with our foods today and the rate at which magnesium is used and depleted, it is hard to meet needs through food alone. In this case, a supplement can be useful!

Calcium - Critical for bone health (you probably knew this one!), thyroid hormone balance, and muscle contractions. It is mostly found in dairy products but can also be consumed via dark leafy greens and sardines.

Minerals for Perinatal

Minerals are especially important during pregnancy and postpartum because these processes require a lot of them!  They are needed for the growth and development of your future baby and that little one will pull on your mineral store to get what they need. While healing postpartum, especially if breastfeeding your needs for minerals go way up. If you are not intentional about your mineral intake this can slowly decrease your stores and lead to a whole range of symptoms.

Symptoms of Low Minerals

Okay, so maybe you are pregnant, postpartum, or just dealing with a lot of stress? How do you know if you are lacking minerals? I’ll start by saying due to our society’s lower consumption of fruits and vegetables, paired with soil depletion and the fast pace of life…. there’s a good chance you could use some more.

Some symptoms of mineral depletion include fatigue, feeling puffy or bloated, drinking water and peeing a lot, leg cramps at night, constipation, sleep issues, and muscle aches and pains. 

What are Adrenal Mocktails and Electrolytes?

Okay, so you’ve heard of electrolytes and adrenal mocktails. How do they fit into all of this? Glad you asked!

Electrolytes and adrenal mocktails are just fancy ways of saying a drink with added minerals. Pretty simple.

Along with depleting minerals, high stress can also lead to high cortisol which can eventually put strain on your adrenals. Repleating minerals can help combat the strain put on your adrenals, hence the name adrenal mocktail. One caveat with adrenal mocktails is they typically also include some whole food source of vitamin C (another important vitamin for adrenal health). And electrolytes are just another name for minerals, so electrolyte powders are usually just a combination of minerals, flavors, and a sweetener. 

So Do I Need Them?

Hopefully, by now you see how important minerals are. I personally have found a huge difference in my energy levels when I start my day with a huge dose of water with minerals (rather than a cup of coffee). It helped me maintain hydration during pregnancy and repleat my stores while breastfeeding and postpartum.

As touched on earlier, most people could benefit from them due to the world and food supply we live in, regardless of pregnancy or not. There are of course some exceptions, and with anything, it’s important to discuss your personal circumstances with your dietitian and/or doctor before making any changes.

How do I Get More?

Thankfully, getting more minerals is relatively simple and there are lots of options!

One way would be to use an electrolyte powder. My favorite that I took all during pregnancy is LMNT. Grapefruit (seasonal flavor) and raspberry are my fave!

Another option would be to a DIY drink mix. I’ve been doing this lately using a few drops of Aussie Trace Minerals and a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt. Add just a little to a glass of water and you won’t even taste it! I’ve found this to be the best $$ deal - these two items are lasting me forever!

As I mentioned, magnesium is a little bit harder to get through food so I typically recommend a supplement. There are a lot of different types of magnesium (that deserves a whole blog post of its own), but for now, I would recommend sticking with magnesium glycinate or malate. I love taking it in a powder before bed and lately, I’ve been using MagSoothe and loving it.

TL;DR - Minerals are your BFF. They play lots of vital roles in the body and can make a difference in energy levels. It can be hard to get enough through food and increased stress can rapidly deplete them. Easily add minerals to your water for an easy boost you can use every day!

Remember: This post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.