Pregnancy: Two eggs a day will keep the NTD's away

If you're a woman who is trying to get pregnant, or who currently is pregnant, you better get cracking; eggs that is.

Eggs are often thought of as an inexpensive source of high quality protein, however, for pregnant women, they also serve another important purpose.

Eggs, specifically their yolks, are incredibly rich in the very important B-vitamin, choline.

Just like Folic Acid, choline taken during pregnancy is shown to be a key factor in the development of infant's memory functions, and in later life, choline may improve memory.

Research has shown that insufficient intake of choline during pregnancy (this research must be done in animals, because it's absolutely NOT ethical to do so in humans) can cause either defective memory or lower memory capacity.

Choline has also recently been shown to protect against the development of Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) in women who were currently taking adequate amounts of Folic Acid. Thus, it appears that taking Folic Acid isn't enough to produce the healthiest baby possible.

Each egg yolk contains 125 mg of choline. The National Academy of Sciences recommend that women of childbearing age consume 425 mg of choline per day and those who are pregnant consume 450 mg per day.


Consuming two eggs a day (for breakfast, at lunch, or for dinner) provides you with 250 mg of choline. And, the benefits of including eggs at your breakfast also helps improve satiety. The rest of your choline can come from additional eggs (it's ok to eat more than two eggs a day), or other foods rich in choline, like steak, cauliflower and wheat germ.

Yet, for some pregnant women, the smell of eggs brings on uneasy feelings. In this case, try hiding the eggs in a baked product or perhaps in a salad. If that doesn't work, consider an extra choline supplement as most pre-natal vitamins do not contain enough, if any choline at all (yet... that is going to change very soon).

Eggs also have the benefit of containing beneficial protein, iron, zinc, lutein and zeathanthin - nutrients that support the development of a health baby and a healthy you.

So, as I said at the beginning of this post, "Ladies: get cracking!" Your baby's memory and health will greatly benefit and so will you.