Diet for Pregnant Women | Food in Pregnancy

Are you looking for Diet for Pregnant Women? Choose the best healthy foods to eat during pregnancy. For sure, now you would be in the happiest phase of your life. Pregnancy fills your life with joy. 

You and your family will be in great excitement to welcome the bundles of joy, right? This is the phase that requires lot of care and attention. All that you do will have its impact on your baby as well. So right from your pregnancy diet you need to be very cautious.

Physical and Psychological Changes During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, you may come across various physical and psychological swings. Your body works a lot during this period and so you need to intake sufficient amount of vitamins, minerals and various other nutrients in order to fulfill sufficient needs of your body and baby as well. You need to plan proper pregnancy diet, which contains required amount of all kind of nutrients.

In the first trimester, you may have nausea and other discomforts. As a result, you may feel hesitant to have food. However, you need to have sufficient quality of food to ensure sufficient energy. As you move through your pregnancy, there will be probable increase in your appetite as the energy requirement may have an increase of 15% approximately. So if you don't intake sufficient quantity of food, it may lead to pregnancy issues. At the same time, make sure that you don't eat too much which may pave way for overweight.

You Should NEVER Skip Meals

The most important factor is that you must never skip your meals during pregnancy. Your baby will be growing every day and every moment, and so will get affected if you starve. So remember pregnancy diet is pretty much important. If you aren't comfortable eating in normal patterns, then break it into smaller means and have at regular intervals.

Nutrition plays a key role in your pregnancy diet. You are the only person who needs to understand this fact. At the same time, you are the only source of nourishment for your baby. You need to intake lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, cereals, low fat dairy products and many more in order to provide complete nutrition to your dear ones. During my pregnancy, I did create a pregnancy diet chart, as a reference regarding the food that I need to take for proper growth of my baby.

Importance of Healthy Food During Pregnancy

On the other hand, a complete pregnancy diet helps you in overcoming issues like morning sickness, anemia, leg cramps and all other strains during pregnancy. Healthy food for pregnancy? At the same time, you also need to be aware of the food that you must not consume during pregnancy. Food substances like fish with high mercury content, raw meat etc. are harmful during your pregnancy. So it is equally important to list down the substances which you must not eat as well. With proper care and attention, you can make your dear ones healthy and happy. So no matter how strenuous you feel, be ready to do anything for your bundle of joy.

Eating for Two 

Food in Pregnancy? A popular expression tossed about is "eating for two." While a woman must consume more during pregnancy, the idea of eating for two is myth and myth alone. On average and unless contradicted by a personal doctor, a woman needs only an extra 300 calories a day to keep her unborn baby healthy. While tempting, eating excessively will not only increase the baby's chances of having unhealthy eating habits later in life, but will be extremely difficult to lose once the pregnancy has ended.

Getting good nutrition is not always easy; with eating out in restaurants or fast food, you never know exactly how the food was prepared. Making the right choices in your selections of foods, will help you get on the right track to a healthy life.

Whole Grain

Eating 5 to 8 oz. of whole grain each 24 hour period, doesn't have to be difficult. Eating Whole Wheat breads, or eating oatmeal each day, Wild rice, or brown rice is a good grain to put in your diet also. Try even some whole grain crackers.

Veggies

Eating your veggies is something your mother was always trying to teach you, and she was right. Eating veggies such as spinach, cauliflower, beets are excellent choices. Although there are many types of veggies in the world, eat a variety of these and choose the green leafy ones first. A body should have at least 2 cups, but 3 is better per day, to be eating right and healthy.

Fruit

Strawberries, bananas, oranges and blueberries pack the most vitamins and nutrients of all the fruits, but grapefruit comes in pretty close and is an excellent source of fiber and calcium. Every person should consume more than two cups of fruit on a daily basis.

Dairy

Eating or drinking calcium filled foods is what your goal should be. Drinking goat milk is 33% of your calcium daily value per 8 oz. glass. You want to get an intake of 100% daily of calcium and you find it the highest in dairy foods and milk.

Lean Meat And Legumes

Foods to eat while pregnant? Six ounces of protein filled meats or beans is your goal per day. This is not a hard one to do. Eating a protein rich diet, is not always a healthy diet. Just stay within the daily recommended allowances and you'll do great. If you are a vegetarian, you might try eating at least 2 cups of beans or legumes per day to get the proteins that you need.

Cook your foods in olive oil, or use a non-fat cooking spray. This will lower your risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Foods that are deep fat fried, should be avoided at all times. There is important information on the food packages that inform you of its nutrients and vitamin content. Take the time to read these, as they will help you make the right choices, and help you lead a healthier life.

Pregnancy Food Myths

Sushi 

It is a common pregnancy myth that women should not eat sushi. The cause of concern comes from the high content of mercury sometimes found in raw fish. However, it should not really be a surprise that this is a myth. Why would it be damaging for a fetus to be exposed to mercury, but perfectly fine for a women to eat it otherwise? The myth that women should not consume sushi while pregnant is merely the result of people suggesting sushi be generally avoided, in the chance that a high content of mercury were accidentally present. This was a case of "better safe than sorry." The only types of sushi that should be avoided during a pregnancy are mackerel, shark, tile fish and sword fish, or those specified by a personal doctor.

While it's understandable if a woman should choose not to "risk" eating sushi, it's a myth that it actually poses a uniform risk during pregnancy. Eating only fresh sushi, or sushi from a reputable source, will seriously cut down any said risk. Paying attention to the media's report on mercury levels will also seriously minimize the associated risks. Obviously it is possible mercury may be present in an elevated level before the news can report upon it, but similar concerns exist in a huge number of common meats, such as chicken and cow.

Salmon 

Salmon was also thought to be off limits for women during pregnancy. Luckily, for those of us who enjoy sea food, the need for this restriction is also a myth. In fact, salmon is a wonderful source of omega-3 fatty acids, or nutrients which help develop the brain. Even if you're still worry about sushi, salmon is a freshwater fish and is always cooked, making it even less likely that consumption will pose a threat during pregnancy.

Hot Dogs and Deli Meats

Hot dogs have received a considerable sum of slander in the media recently. Despite anything else, they are safe to eat during pregnancy if steamed. Deli meats have received less coverage, but they may also be consumed if they have been steamed. The pregnancy myth that these foods should be avoided comes from the fear of contracting listeriosis, a disease caused by listeria. While listeria potentially caused by deli meats and hot dogs is not easily contactable under normal circumstances, listeriosis poses a serious threat to women during pregnancy.

About the author: My name is Isabelle Clover, I’ve been practicing pediatrics for 12 years with experience as both an outpatient pediatrician as well as a pediatric nutritionist. When I look back on it, I realize that I was taught a huge amount in medical school and even more as a pediatric resident. However, it was only after becoming a parent that I really learned what parents need (and want) to hear when talking about the health of a child.