Eating Healthy During Pregnancy
Don't neglect eating healthy during your pregnancy. Remember, what you take in is what your baby takes in as well. Your baby is growing and developing at a phenomenal speed so she needs all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy development. But you need those nutrients as well. Your baby absorbs everything it needs from you. If you don't keep the nutrients flowing you'll feel the drain and your baby may not get what it needs. Here are a few wise tips on weight gain and eating healthy during pregnancy:
Don't Skip Meals Don't skip meals when you're pregnant. It's important to keep the nutrients coming so that your baby has a good supply of what she needs. This isn't about how much you eat, instead it's about what you eat. Even if you're not hungry, resist the temptation to eat when you are hungry. Waiting until you get hungry is often too late. You need to keep a steady reserve available for your baby and for yourself at this critical time of your baby's development. Weight gain Your doctor will be paying particular attention to your weight as gaining too much weight can lead to birthing complications. Conversely it's important that you do gain some weight. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends a weight gain of 25-37 pounds. Gaining too much weight can lead to high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and difficult birthing. Also a Cesarean Section due to fetal size, prolonged labor and fetal distress are all more likely. Prenatal vitamins Over-the-counter vitamins are fine if your doctor doesn't give you a prescription version. Either way, be sure to supplement your diet with a good pre-natal vitamin. Watch your calorie Intake Contrary to popular belief, you're not eating for two, but you should be eating better. You should be getting approximately 300 more calories a day than you were getting before you were pregnant. But make those extra 300 calories count. Get them from nutritious, balanced foods. Extra sugar, white flour and fatty foods are not the answer. Eat highly nutritious foods Make sure you're getting enough of your vitamins from the foods you eat, vitamins from food are always better than vitamins from supplements, so you want to be getting the majority of nutrients from the foods you are eating. Remember to also take your vitamins with food. Food acts as a catalyst and you get much more out of them than just taking them with milk, juice or water. Stop all alcohol and nicotine Seems like stating the obvious, but to avoid birth defects and other complications alchohol and nicotine must be avoided. For those that smoke and like an occasional drink, they'll often say that one cigarette or a glass of wine a day is really OK. But the fact is that there have been no studies to confirm that. My response is, why risk it? I'd prefer you avoid both completely until your deliver. Caffeine is also a stimulus so try limiting caffeine to about a half a cup a day. Decaf is the best solution, but if that doesn't work for you try mixing your coffee with half caffeine and half decaf. Avoid seafood with high mercury levels These include Tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico (sold as golden snapper or Golden Bass), Swordfish, Shark (all kinds), King Mackerel (known as Kingfish), Marlin and Bluefin. Tuna is OK but limit it. Avoid soft cheeses Most soft cheeses are not pasteurized so keep that in mind. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables These help you avoid constipation and get a variety of vitamins and minerals at the same time. Get enough Calcium Get approximately 1000mg per day of calcium. Take Folic acid Folic acid helps prevent spina bifida and other birth defects, choose a supplement at the pharmacy or health food store and eat folic acid rich foods like turnip greens, spinach, dried beans, and liver
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