Importance of Prenatal Nutrition During Pregnancy
(What to Eat During Pregnancy)
1 # Must have Fruits and Vegetables
This is the First advice every Pregnant Lady gets about their Diet, to eat fruits and vegetables. Pregnant Ladies must eat at least two fruits and one dark green vegetable every day. Dark green leafy vegetables like Broccoli, Kale, and Spinach are excellent sources of fiber, folate, and carotenoids. They contain many of the nutrients which pregnant women need. Make sure you eat plenty of fruits and green vegetables but prepare them without sugar and salt. Try to eat whole fruits (not only juices), as whole fruits contain more nutrients than juices.
2 # Drink One Glass of Milk Every Day
Whether you like the taste of Milk or not, now you have to drink it for your Growing Baby. During Pregnancy, you and your baby need lots of protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Choose Low-Fat Milk with less fat and calories. In case, you cannot drink milk at all then you can drink fortified soy milk. You can also add a variety of yogurt and cheese, to your daily diet.
3 # Meat and its Alternatives
Pregnant ladies who are fond of Non-vegetable food should choose less fatty meats and meat products. You must Eat Fish on alternative days, as they are a great source of protein, iron, and zinc. Ladies who are not so fond of non-veg should include the following alternatives like Tofu, tempeh, dried peas, lentils, soybeans, etc. Which are a great source of protein and vitamins required in pregnancy.
Avoid any kind of high mercury fish like swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish, they can harm you and your baby inside you. When you’re expecting you should take two / three servings(fish) per week (that’s 8 to 12 ounces).
4 # Include Grain Products as Part of your Daily Diet
Enriched, whole-grain pieces of bread and cereals are fortified with folic acid and iron. They have more fiber than white bread and rice. Pregnant women should consider adding oatmeal for breakfast, or a sandwich made from whole-grain bread.
(What Not to Eat (Avoid) while you're Pregnant?)
1 # Undercooked meat, poultry, and seafood food
2 # Too much spicy food
3 # High Mercury Fish, Raw Fish like shellfish such as oysters and clams
4 # Unpasteurized milk products and foods made from them like soft and semi-soft cheeses
5 # Pregnant women should avoid having under-cooked or Raw eggs
6 # Avoid drumstick tree, as it contains alpha-sitosterol, with an estrogen-like structure that can lead to miscarriage.
7 # Say ‘No’ to the animal’s liver, as it may contain toxins. Infected liver consumption can lead to abortion in many cases.
8 # No green papaya in your diet, it contains an enzyme that can cause uterine contractions, again leading to miscarriage.
Two Most Important Question Asked about Prenatal Nutrition
Q1) Does taking Prenatal Nutrition save you from Diabetes and Other Health Issues?
A) Gaining too much weight or too little weight can increase the number of complications and health problems during pregnancy. Complications like Gestational Diabetes can increase the risk of having a large baby. And, the baby born with a diabetic mother needs extra care after birth. Therefore, it’s important for pregnant women to eat healthily and maintain their weight during full pregnancy. You should give lots of focus on prenatal nutrition.
Just like Diabetes, Pre-Eclampsia usually begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and it’s due to a rise in blood pressure. Its again important to eat healthily and maintain your weight to avoid high blood pressure, otherwise it can lead to serious complications for you and your baby.
Q2) How much weight should you put on when Pregnant?
A) Every pregnant lady must try to balance their weight during the whole period of pregnancy. When you’re in your First Trimester you should gain about 2 to 4 pounds and for the Second and Third Trimester 1 pound a week till your labor start. You need to understand that your extra weight gain is due to your growing baby.
Source: www.healthycanadians.ca/pregnancy
