Needed Debuts Needed Academy, Free Women's Health Education Program on Instagram

Needed is Bridging the Perinatal Nutrition Gap with Expert-Led, Social Media-Based Education for Brand Partners and Health-Curious Women

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Needed, the radically better perinatal nutrition company, unveils Needed Academy, a first-of-its kind perinatal health program. Needed Academy is an Instagram-native learning center for the brand's health practitioners, advocates, and influencer partners. The program addresses the critical need for accurate, expert-backed information for fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum.

Faced with the proliferation of outdated and inaccurate health information on social media, Needed is taking a bold step: mandating all prospective partners complete and pass this curriculum. This initiative builds on Needed's reputation as a trusted source of perinatal nutrition expertise.

With the average prenatal appointment in the U.S. lasting only 12 minutes—often neglecting nutrition entirely—many women are left in the dark during a pivotal time for maternal and fetal health. This lack of nutrition education has led to a crisis in which women's optimal nutritional needs are not widely addressed. Alarmingly, 95% of women are nutritionally depleted before, during, and after pregnancy.

"Most women in the U.S. see an OB for their pregnancy, yet OBs receive very little nutritional training," says Dr. Phabillia Afflack, MD, OB-GYN. "The system just isn't set up for nutrition to be a focus of pregnancy care. Needed Academy provides critical information that every practitioner and woman on the motherhood journey deserves to know."

Needed Academy aims to bridge this nutritional knowledge gap, democratizing access to vital information through a free, easily accessible program—and equipping health advocates to share the latest, evidence-based information.

"Nutrition is the foundation of any healthy pregnancy journey, but is mostly ignored in our current standard of care," says Julie Sawaya, co-founder and CEO of Needed.  "Women are left to do their own research in a category that's crowded with misinformation, and we know social media is one of the places many turn to for answers. Needed Academy strengthens our commitment to expert-backed information and is the embodiment of the radically higher standard for education and responsible sharing that we hold ourselves and our partners to."

Needed Academy curriculum draws from over 630 research studies that show nutrition guidelines are set well below optimal levels and was developed in partnership with Needed Changemakers, a subset of the company's extensive network of over 4,000 health professionals—including nutritionists, dietitians, naturopathic doctors, midwives, and OB-GYNs.

Each Needed Academy session features leading women's health experts who guide learners through:

• The physical demands of fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum and what women's bodies need nutritionally to thrive.
• Why women need radically more nutritional support than the status quo delivers.
• The science and clinical experience behind Needed products–and how to share about them responsibly.

Discover Needed Academy @neededacademy on Instagram.

About Needed

The prenatal vitamin industry is failing women, leaving 95% depleted when nutrition for body and mind is needed most. There is overwhelming evidence that higher standards of nutrition improve fertility, birth outcomes, and the trajectory of lives. Despite this, most prenatal vitamins are peddling bare minimum nutrition. Women deserve radically better.

That's why Needed goes way beyond bare minimums to deliver more nutritious and clean supplements that can fully meet the needs of a woman's mind, body, and baby. Their Radically Better Nutritional System™ is third party tested and rigorously developed with the knowledge of thousands of women's health experts and pioneering science.

Together with their more than 4,000 women's health experts, Needed is working to eradicate perinatal depletion, benefiting the health and wellbeing of women and their families for generations to come.

Needed is a Certified B-Corp, 1% for the Planet member, and Climate Neutral-Certified. Learn more at thisisneeded.com.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Needed