Healthy Pregnancy Diet Basic Principles
The healthy pregnancy diet is built around a few basic principles (which are actually pretty similar to the basic principles of healthy eating at any time in life): Avoid empty calories and junk food, provide your baby with a regular supply of good nutrients and eat the right quantities of the right foods each day.
Best Foods During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a stage that is associated with a number of important anatomical and functional changes, which include the increased requirements of some nutrients that are important for the proper development of your baby.
Therefore, it is very important to take preventive measures to ensure the best possible health for you and your baby. So, one of the most important considerations is to have a healthy pregnancy diet.
Healthy Pregnancy Nutrition
It is important to meet the nutritional requirements recommended during pregnancy since the specific deficiency of certain elements can cause major complications to your pregnancy.
Some nutrients of vital importance during pregnancy are:
Folic Acid
It’s important to get enough folic acid before conception and during early pregnancy. Folic acid greatly reduces your baby’s risk of developing neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida.
As Folic acid deficiency is associated significantly with certain birth defects in your baby, it is of vital importance to increase folic acid consumption before conception and during early pregnancy. The recommended intake must be increased to 147% to prevent the defects associated with deficiency.
Vitamins C and B12
During pregnancy, the levels of vitamins C and B12 decrease gradually. That is why the recommended intake of these vitamins must be increased by 67 and 40% respectively.
Iron
You also need to make sure you’re getting enough iron. Your iron requirement increases significantly during pregnancy, especially during the second and third trimesters. Iron deficiency is a major cause of anemia that can occur during pregnancy.
Good Nutrition During Pregnancy
Tell yourself that making smart eating choices is non-negotiable. You have to eat healthy food. End of discussion.
There are some foods where you can find the nutrients needed for your pregnancy and are important for maintaining a balanced diet. These foods are based on vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, protein (milk, fresh cheese, red meat-preferably fat-free as chicken and fish), and reduce the intake of sugars and fats.
The deficiency of vital foods during pregnancy may have important consequences, either because of the loss of nutrients or because they are not consumed in the proper amount to satisfy the demand of your pregnancy.
Healthy food is essential to avoid gaining massive amounts of weight during pregnancy. If you do, you are putting your baby at risk and set yourself up for a long road of dieting after the baby is born.
Tell yourself that you and your baby are worth it, so you have to go to the store and stock up on healthy food.
Pregnancy Diet Foods
Here you have a basic guide of foods for your pregnancy:
Fruit (2-4 servings): Remember that a serving is half a cup of cut fruit, one medium fruit (like a pear or apple), or three plums.
Cereals (6-11 servings): one serving equals one slice of bread, 150g cereal, or 100g rice or pasta.
Dairy (3-4 servings): A serving is a glass of milk, two yogurts, 150g of cheese, or a pudding.
Meats (2-3 servings): A serving is a fillet of beef, chicken, fish, or two eggs.
Vegetables (3-5 servings): one cup of raw vegetables or half a cup of cooked vegetables.
Poor Nutrition During Pregnancy
Foods pregnant women should avoid:
Foods that may contain listeria bacteria like soft cheeses (brie, camembert, ricotta, feta and
blue cheese), sandwich meats, bean sprouts, pre-prepared salads, and pâté.
Raw eggs, as they may contain salmonella, meat, unpasteurized dairy products and juices, raw seafood, and cold deli meats to avoid ingesting bacteria that could harm your baby.
Alcohol – not drinking is the safest option.
Fish and shellfish, that may contain high levels of mercury. shark/flake, marlin, broadbill/
swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, or albacore (white) tuna.
Foods such as nuts if you are allergic to them.
Note: Fish that are low in mercury include salmon, sardines, and shrimp.
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