Nutrition and lifestyle are important determinants of health for both mother and offspring.
If you are looking for a blog which can answer your pregnancy diet queries, this is it! Keep reading.
The way you nourish your body during pregnancy time will affect you and your baby’s health.
You must eat a healthful, balanced diet to help ensure you stay healthy throughout your pregnancy.
The food you eat is your baby’s main source of nourishment, so it’s critical to consume foods that are rich in nutrients.
Proper nutrition can help promote your baby’s growth and development. In order to get the nutrients you need, you must eat from a variety of food groups, including fruits and vegetables, breads and grains, protein sources and dairy products.
“Eating for two“– Old age Quote, does not mean that you have to intake the double amount of calories, but you have to be more focused on the required amount of micronutrient and macronutrient should be consumed by the body for you and your baby.
Micronutrients are dietary components, such as vitamins and minerals, that are only required in small amounts.
Macronutrients are nutrients that provide calories, or energy. These include carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
The rule of thumb is most women need about 300 extra calories every day during the last five to six months of pregnancy for good fetal development.
You need no additional calories in the first trimester, 340 extra calories a day in the second trimester, and about 450 extra calories a day in the third trimester. If you’re overweight or underweight, you’ll need more or less than this depending on your weight gain goal.
You can track healthy weight gain through pregnancy using an average scale of gaining one to four pounds during your first trimester and two to four pounds per month during your second and third trimesters.
|
If You Are |
You Should Gain About |
|
underweight (BMI* less than 18.5) |
28 to 40 pounds |
|
normal weight (BMI of 18.5 to 24.9) |
25 to 35 pounds |
|
overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) |
15 to 25 pounds |
|
obese (BMI of 30+) |
11 to 20 pounds |
Its is necessary to balance the diet during pregnancy so that you don’t miss any important micro/macro nutrients. It doesn’t mean that you have to completely avoid your favorite food items but you have to maintain a balance of it.
1. Folic acid – Help to prevent baby birth defects in offspring’s brain & spinal cord known as neural tube defects.
Food sources: leafy green vegetables, fortified or enriched cereals, breads and pastas, beans, citrus fruits,eggs,Nuts.
2. Calcium – It’s a mineral used to builds baby boens and regulates your body’s use of fluids.
Food sources: milk, yogurt, cheese,cabbage
3. Iron – needed to make more blood to supply the baby with oxygen. Getting too little iron during pregnancy can lead to anemia, a condition resulting in fatigue and an increased risk of infections.
Food Sources: meat, poultry, fish, dried beans and peas, iron-fortified cereal.
4. Protein – Its “a builder nutrient,” because it helps to build important organs in the baby, such as the brain and heart.
Food Sources: eggs, nuts, tofu,chicken, paneer.
5. Fruits and Vegetables – Fruits are low in calories & filled with fiber,Vitamis & Minerals
6. Whole Grains – Energy provider in the diet, and they also provide fiber, iron and B-vitamins
7. Dairy – sources of calcium, protein and vitamin D.
1.Caffeine
2. Fish
1. Alcohol
2. Smoking
3. Raw meat & seafood
4. High mercury fish
5. Unpasteurized dairy products
6. Anything that is not food – During cravings, women may also eat thing that are not edible, such as laundry starch or clay.
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