Good nutrition during pregnancy is so critical for your baby to grow and develop. Though vomiting and nausea during the first several months of pregnancy could make this difficult, you still need to follow well-balanced nutrition plan and take enough prenatal vitamins. Here are some nutrition tips for pregnant women, helping you to create a healthy pregnant diet:
- Eat For Two During Pregnancy
In fact, may women start pregnancy with deficiency of nutrient central to a healthy pregnancy, containing calcium, iron, and brain-building fats. Actually, along with healthy habits during pregnancy, eating right affects a baby’s well-being at birth, and even beyond. In other words, mom’s lifestyle impacts her baby’s chances for common conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
- Concentrate On Folic Acid During Pregnancy
If moms get enough folic acid, then this is a good way to help their child become the healthiest person possible. During the first month of pregnancy, folic acid will reduce the potential risk of neural tube defects, containing spina bifida.
Make sure that you, as a mom, take a quantity of multivitamin with 400 micrograms folic acid until you replace it with a prescription mineral supplement and prenatal vitamin. Then, you should choose those grains fortified with folic acid, containing breads, rice, cereals, and pasta. Every pregnant woman needs at least 0.4 mg of folic acid per day in order to prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida.
- Count On Calories During Pregnancy
When it comes to nutrition tips for pregnant women, you should keep in mind that the number of calories intake is very important for both you and your baby. Normally, during the first few months of pregnancy, you might not notice a big change of weight. It can be a weight gain, but sometimes it is a weight loss. Weight loss happens during the first trimester of pregnancy due to queasiness that prevents pregnant from eating and drinking normally. When your baby starts growing, you need to ensure that your additional calories are nutritionally rich. However, pregnancy does not mean that you can overeat without control. Actually, a pregnant woman just needs an extra 300 calories per day, which equal to the amount of 2 large apples. On your daily basis, the number of 300 calories matter:
- 16 ounces of milk with 1% low-fat
- 2 ounces chicken; 2 slices breads; 1 tsp decreased fat mayonnaise
- 8 ounce vanilla non-fat yogurt mixed with about a half of cup of fruit and 1 ounce whole grain crunchy cereal
- Choose At Least One Adequate Source Of Vitamin C Daily
The good source of vitamin C contains oranges, strawberries, grapefruits, honey dew, papaya, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, tomatoes, green peppers, and mustard greens. Remember that pregnant women need to take 70 mg of vitamin C a day.
- Avoid Consuming Alcohol, Caffeine, And The Use Of Saccharin
Alcohol is claimed to be linked to the condition of premature delivery, birth defects, mental retardation, and low birth weight babies. Besides, caffeine should not be consumed more than 300 mg per day. Usually, an 8-ounce cup of coffee contains approximately 150 mg of caffeine; black tea includes about 80 mg; and a 12-ounce glass of caffeinated soda consists from 30 to 60 mg of caffeine.
In other words, saccharin is discouraged during pregnancy as it could cross the placenta and might remain in fetal tissues.
- Decrease The Amount Of Fat
You should reduce the total amount of fat to 30% or less of your total daily calories. If you consume 2000 calories each day, then this would be 65 grams of fat or less each day
- Get Enough Fluid
Getting enough fluids such as water, is critical during pregnancy to prevent constipation and supplyfor the expanding blood volume which carries oxygen and nutrients to both you, as a mother and your baby. Therefore, carry a water bottle, take 8 swigs of water every time you see a water fountain (1 swig = 1 ounce), and drink one glass of water between each meal and snack. Additionally, drink nutritious beverages, such as orange juice, reduced-sodium V8, or nonfat milk to snap your fluids.
- Select The Right Sea Food
When it comes to seafood in a pregnancy diet, it’s all about selectivity. Those high-mercury fish should be watched when eating. When our seafood swims in that contaminated water, it turns into mercury in our food supply. The big predator fish typically contain the most mercury. This includes tilefish, King mackerel, swordfish, and shark .It is the best to avoid these fish entirely.
For other fish, you should limit the consumption to 12 ounces a week. Shrimp, salmon, crab, tilapia, anchovies, light tuna, and catfish are good choices.
These are some basic nutrition tips for pregnant women that can help you create healthy pregnant diet. In order to prepare for the development of a healthy baby, it is important for you to pay attention to your diet plan and apply these tips properly.
