What to Eat While You’re Expecting
Pregnancy is not the time to diet to lose weight, but you
can change your diet to help both your pregnancy and your baby be as healthy as
possible. You should be gaining weight,
and not all of the weight will be the baby’s.
By the time you are ready to give birth, the volume of blood coursing
through your veins can have increased by up to 60% which adds to your
weight. You should also gain weight as
the uterus grows in size. Some weight
gain will also be fat, but that fat is important because you will need it to
get through labor and starting breastfeeding.
But eating for two does not mean doubling your caloric intake. Most people advise that your caloric intake
need not change in the first trimester, which might not be a problem if morning
sickness is too bad. Then during the
second and third trimester, you’ll increase your caloric intake by 300-450
calories. However, these numbers will
vary based on your original body mass index, so your doctor should be able to
advise you better about how your weight gain is going. Too little or too much weight gain can cause
complications, like premature birth.
The Nutrients
Water: Water isn’t really a nutrient, but it is one
of the most important items to increase in your diet. Proper water intake will help you in many
ways. Water can help with constipation,
hemorrhoids, and swelling. It can help
prevent urinary tract or bladder infections.
If you are experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions, water can help stop
them. However, too little water can lead
to premature labor.
Folate/Folic Acid: This B-vitamin is known as folate when found
naturally in foods and folic acid in its fortified form. Even before pregnancy, if you are interested
in having kids soon you should increase the amount of folate in your diet. This nutrient is a very important key to
reducing neural tube defects like spina bifida and other abnormalities of the
brain or spinal cord. It plays a
critical role in DNA production as well.
Folate will help with your production of extra blood during
pregnancy. Folic acid can also help
reduce the risk of preterm delivery.
Experts recommend 600-800 micrograms daily.
Iron: Iron will work in combination with water,
sodium and potassium to increase your blood volume and prevent anemia. Iron is used to make hemoglobin, which is the
protein in the red blood cells that carries the oxygen throughout your body and
to your little one. Too little iron will
leave you feeling fatigued. Low iron is
also associated with a greater risk of infections, preterm delivery and low
birth weight. Ideally, you should get 27
mg of iron per day. Vitamin C taken at
the same time as this nutrient can help improve absorption.
Protein: Your protein needs increase as this nutrient
is used to create new cells and hormones for your baby. Consider protein to be a building block,
essential to cell and organ development.
Protein is especially linked to brain, heart and muscle
development. Protein will also help with
your increased blood supply and your expanding breast and uterine tissue. If you are suffering from fatigue, protein
helps keep your energy up. Your protein
needs increase to around 70 grams per day, depending on your previous needs,
but most people don’t have a problem getting enough protein from their food.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps wound healing and fighting
off disease. It helps the body absorb
iron. It also helps with tooth and bone
development. Most experts recommend at
least 85 mg per day.
Calcium: Calcium helps strengthen bones and teeth for
both you and your baby. It also helps
maintain your circulatory, muscular and nervous systems by regulating
fluids. Calcium helps nerves to function
properly, blood to clot normally and the heart to beat regularly in both you and
your baby. Your body is unlikely to
leach calcium from you and cause you to lose teeth like the old wives’ tale
says. In fact, it becomes better at
pulling this important nutrient out of food during your pregnancy. Daily calcium needs are around 1000 mg during
pregnancy, but pregnant teens should have even more.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is used by your body to help
process calcium, therefore helping to build strong bones and teeth.
There are many other nutrients that help with
pregnancy. Choline plays a role in
preventing neural tube defects. Chromium
helps regulate your blood sugar while also building the proteins for your
baby’s developing tissues. Copper
assists in forming the skeletal, nervous, and cardiovascular systems. Iodine helps regulate your metabolism while
also developing a healthy nervous system for your little one. Magnesium helps build strong teeth, bones,
and tissues while regulating insulin and blood sugar levels. Manganese helps for bones and cartilage,
protects cells from damage, and activates enzymes that help metabolize protein,
fat, and carbohydrates. Phosphorus helps
develop blood clotting, kidney functions and a normal heart rhythm. Potassium is key to maintaining a fluid and
electrolyte balance. Riboflavin is
essential for baby’s bone, muscle, and nerve development while helping your
skin. Thiamine is important for heart
and nervous system development. Vitamin
A is used in eye development, infection resistance, cell and bone growth, and
fat metabolism. Zinc is crucial for the
production of DNA.
The Best Foods
Whatever your diet, it can be difficult to get all the
nutrients you need from food alone. A
pre-natal vitamin can help with that.
Eggs: Eggs may have a bad reputation for being high
in cholesterol, but they are an amazing protein source for only 90
calories. In addition to that excellent
protein, they are packed with more than 12 vitamins and minerals, including
choline. Some eggs even contain omega-3
fats. Both of these nutrients will help
your little one’s developing brain. If
you keep your diet low in saturated fats, the cholesterol shouldn’t be a
problem, but if you are worried you can always opt for egg whites instead.
Fish: Fish is high
in omega-3s, which are known to boost your baby’s brain power. Pregnant women and toddlers are not getting
enough fish, which is sad because of the importance of the neural pathways
developing at this time. Since your
little one can begin to taste the food you eat around the third trimester,
eating fish can help your baby develop a love for fish. Studies also show that women who eat more
fish during the second trimester have babies with higher scores on mental
development tests at 6 months of age. So
fish is an important additive to your diet.
Just be picky about the kind of fish.
Many pregnant women are scared off fish entirely by the methylmercury
scare. There are plenty of healthy fish
options low in methylmercury like tilapia, shrimp, salmon, and catfish.
Beans and Lentils:
Many people don’t recognize that beans are a vegetable, and they contain the
most protein and fiber of all the vegetables.
Both protein and fiber are important for pregnancy. Fiber rich foods not only help fight constipation
and hemorrhoids, but they are often packed with nutrients. Beans include iron, folate, calcium and zinc
with their fiber and protein. Lentils
are another great option for protein and fiber, and include that all important
folate.
Colorful fruits and
vegetables: Eating a variety of
colors of fruits and vegetables will help provide a large variety of nutrients
and antioxidants, as each color group provides different vitamins and
minerals. Orange fruits and vegetables
like sweet potatoes get their color from carotenoids, which our body converts
to vitamin A. This group also often is
high in vitamin C, folate, and fiber.
Dark leafy greens and broccoli provide vitamin A, C and K along with
folate, iron, and calcium. Bananas,
potatoes and cucumbers are great for potassium.
So are figs, which are also packed with fiber, calcium and iron. Fruits
and vegetables are also great because a lot of them are packed with water.
Whole Grains: Whole
grains are high in fiber and nutrients like vitamin E, iron, selenium, and
phytonutrients. They are an important
source of energy in the diet and complex carbohydrates will help keep you
satisfied longer. They come in a variety
of options from cereal, which may help provide folate, bread, which can provide
iron and zinc or popcorn. Oatmeal is
another complex carbohydrate which can help keep cholesterol levels down.
Nuts and Nut Butters: Since
fat is critical for the baby’s brain development, nuts are a great way to
replace some of the saturated fats from meat.
Almonds are good for calcium and walnuts are high in plant-based
omega-3s. Nuts can also help provide
fiber.
Lean Meats: Although
protein comes in many forms likes nuts and beans, lean meats are nice to
include in your diet if you can. They
can help you meet your increased iron needs, which can help when you are
feeling tired. Beef and pork also have
choline. Take care when eating deli-meat
or hot dogs unless cooked as they present a small risk of passing listeria,
toxoplasma, or salmonella to you and the baby.
Dairy: Dairy is an excellent source of calcium, and
since most of us don’t meet our daily calcium needs it’s great to add to your
pregnancy diet. You have plenty of great
options like Greek yogurt, which has more protein and often less fat than regular
yogurt. Of course, regular yogurt still
is a great source of protein, has more calcium than milk and contain active
cultures that help your digestive system and reduce the risk of yeast
infections. Cheese is another excellent
option that is high in protein and calcium.
Just remember soft cheeses, like deli meat, can carry listeria.
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