Pregnancy is a boon given to the women where their body supports to give life to the new soul. It is an important phase of any woman’s life where their body undergoes many changes. Women will become stronger, and they will face everything from morning sickness to stretch marks with a smile just to give birth to a little soul. But, this is not just enough to pass this phase. A Healthy diet during pregnancy is a must for women in this stage.
One should be careful and check everything they eat. Whatever the pregnant woman eat will pass through the placenta to the embryo which helps in its development. So, one should prefer healthy diet during pregnancy. What should I eat during pregnancy is the first question that arises in each woman’s mind soon after they knew about their pregnancy. So, Know what is the best and Healthy diet during pregnancy which can help in the constructive development of your embryo.
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Healthy diet during pregnancy
You may or may not be a big foodie, but the fact is you should eat for two people. But, the most important thing is what to eat and What not to eat in pregnancy. You may love some foods which you can’t eat, and you may not like some foods, but you should take them for healthy growth of your baby. So, know the best food for pregnant women and food to avoid during pregnancy. The Healthy diet during pregnancy will help in smooth delivery and maintain good health of your baby.
Diet chart for pregnant women should consist the following foods
- Dairy Products
- Lean meat
- Nuts
- Green leafy vegetables
- Fruits
- Whole Grains
- Eggs
Do not include the following foods in the diet chart for pregnant lady to avoid complications in the pregnancy
- Caffeine containing drinks
- Alcohol
- Some kinds of fish
- Unpasteurized food
-
Dairy products are must for pregnant ladies:
When it comes to pregnant women diet, other than any mineral, calcium is required in high amounts. Every pregnant woman needs 1000-1300 milligrams of calcium every day. Because calcium plays a vital role in strengthing bones and teeth. Calcium is also essential for blood clotting process and heart was functioning too. So, it is crucial for an expecting mother to take in sufficient amounts of calcium to ensure the perfect growth of the baby. So, What is the best way to take calcium? Pregnant women should take dairy products which are natural sources of calcium. For this, a pregnant women diet should comprise of at least four servings of dairy products.
Deficiency leads to:
If a pregnant woman is not taking sufficient amount of calcium, then to meet the fetal development, your body will draw the calcium from the mother’s bones. This condition may lead to weakened bone strength of to be the mother. So, have sufficient amount of calcium rich foods for ensuring the perfect growth of the baby. The list of foods that are rich in Calcium is milk, yogurt, cheese, and foods, sardines or salmon with bones, some leafy vegetables like kale, bok choy.
2. Lean Meat- Best protein diet for pregnancy
Carbohydrates and fats are the primary energy sources, but proteins are the building blocks of our body. So, when compared to the healthy individual, the fetus require more protein food. Proteins are composed of amino acids which help in the formation of DNA in the fetus. So, the pregnant women should include protein rich diet in their routine. For getting the adequate amount of protein, non-vegetarians can have lean meat which is properly cooked. Improper cooking of the meat may lead to several other problems. So, instead of depending on the canned meat, go for the fresh meat and heave it at least in one meal.
Deficiency leads to:
Lack of protein is not okay for both mother and child. A protein deficient diet during pregnancy can make the expectant mother feel weak. But, in the developing embryo, the effects of a lack of protein include poor muscle and joint development, poor bone development. Sometimes protein deficiency may lead to miscarriage, brain damage and a high risk of congenital disabilities.
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3. Nuts- Best nutrition during pregnancy:
Though women accept all the gestational changes, increasing in their weight bring on so much stress. So, they don’t like to eat or prefer the fatty foods. In that notion, most of the people feel that nuts are rich in fats and fatty acids which may lead to weight gain. But, the supreme fact is that the nuts are rich in essential fats or healthy fats. By eating a handful of nuts, the carrying mothers can fulfill the whole fat needs of their body. These fats are essential in the formation of the brain of the developing embryo.
Not only for the development of brain but, the amount of essential fats the mother takes will effect on the intelligence of the child. So, having essential fats is also imperative. Instead of avoiding these nuts, you stop eating sweets and candy which are useless. So include the unsaturated fats, omega three fatty acid rich food in your diet. If the mother avoids nuts during the pregnancy the, it leads to the neutral tube defects as well as nut sensitization in babies.
4. Green leafy vegetables- Healthy diet for pregnant women:
After calcium, Pregnant women need a good amount of iron too. In general, women require more amount of iron when compared to men. But, this number doubles when they are pregnant. Approximately, pregnant women need 27 milligrams of iron a day. So, to improve the iron content one should incorporate green leafy vegetables in their diet. Here, the cooking process is also important. If you over cook the green leafy vegetables they, the iron may become useless. So, cooking right is also important. Iron fortified syrup is also a better choice to improve the iron content in the body.
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Iron is essential for carrying oxygen to all parts of the body. So, to carry additional amounts of the oxygen to the embryo or fetus more amounts of iron is required. For better absorption of the iron include vitamin C too in the same meal. For example, have a glass of orange juice or lemon juice at breakfast with an iron-rich cereal.
Food sources: meat, poultry, fish, dried beans and peas, iron-fortified cereal.
Deficiency leads to:
If the pregnant woman diet is devoid of the iron-rich foods, then it leads to anemia. It resulted in fatigue and increased the risk of infections. So, include iron-rich vegetables in the diet chart for pregnant women.
5. Fruits and fruit juices- Healthy food during pregnancy:
Even for a healthy individual, it is important to have at least one fruit every day. Because these are uncooked, naturally available, and free from trans fats and saturated fats we can have them without any problem. And most importantly they are rich in healthy sugars which give you instant energy. Pregnant women will experience mood swings at some or the other point of time during their pregnancy. It is due to the changes in hormonal levels. So, to make this situation, better fruits will be beneficial. Most of the women experience fatigue and low energy levels. So, fruits come to rescue as they boost your energy levels. Except for some fruits like papaya, you can eat almost all fruits.
6. Whole Grains- Best food during pregnancy:
Whole grains are vital to every human being. But, the pregnant woman requires it more than an ordinary individual. Whole grains make good food for pregnant women as they are rich in fiber and nutrients, including vitamin E, selenium, and phytonutrients. Whole grains includes Oatmeal, Barley, quinoa, wheat, etc. Folic acid is a B vitamin which is crucial in preventing the congenital disabilities in the baby’s brain and spine, known as neural tube defects.
Daily intake of 400 micrograms of folic acid per day for at least one month before becoming pregnant will also help in avoiding the congenital disabilities. During pregnancy, the doctors advise women to increase the amount of folic acid to 600 micrograms a day to meet the requirements of the growing fetus. The Healthy diet during pregnancy will help in delivering a healthy baby. So, follow proper diet chart to achieve this.
7. Eggs:
When it comes healthy food for pregnant women eggs are the best. They are low in calories but fill your stomach and are rich in protein content. Boiled eggs contain omega three fatty acids and choline which helps in the development of the brain in the embryo. It also helps in avoiding the neural tube defects in the baby. But, cooking the eggs in a perfect way is very crucial as the raw eggs may contain salmonella bacteria which is harmful. So, cook the eggs properly before you consume. To make the eggs a part of Healthy diet during pregnancy, proper cooking is the must.
So, prepare a pregnancy food chart that includes all the above foods and stay healthy. Before including or removing any foods from your pregnancy food chart consult your gynecologist.
Foods to avoid during pregnancy
Now you got an idea on What are the foods to eat during pregnancy. But, there are certain foods that you should avoid during pregnancy. So, know the list of foods not to eat during pregnancy. What should a pregnant woman eat is known to many people around you, but many don’t know the food to avoid in pregnancy. It may lead to many problems in the developing embryo. So, to avoid any complications, besides taking general care you should know healthy food for pregnancy. You may take Healthy diet during pregnancy, but if you additionally take these foods to avoid during pregnancy, then the care you take during pregnancy will be in vain.
1. Caffeinated drinks- Top food to be avoided during pregnancy:
Coffee is the most loved drink to most of the people around the globe. We all love to drink hot brewing coffee early in the morning. It is the best stimulant which enhances our mood. But, the pregnant ladies food should be devoid of caffeine as it crosses the placenta and reaches directly to the bloodstream of the embryo. It leads to increase in blood pressure and heart rate which is not a good sign during pregnancy. The pregnant women diet chart should contain less than 300ml of caffeinated drinks per day. So, you need not avoid coffee altogether, but limit the quantity you take.
If the pregnant woman consumes more amount of coffee then the congenital disabilities, premature labor, preterm delivery, reduced fertility, and increase the risk of low-birth weight offspring, and other reproductive problems may arise.
2. Say No to Alcohol:
Just like caffeinated drinks Alcohol also passes through the placenta and reach the embryo blood stream. Alcohol may cause problems during pregnancy, even before you know you’re pregnant. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy will lead to premature birth, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. So, to follow a Healthy diet during pregnancy, you should avoid alcohol even if you are expecting to be pregnant.
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3. Some Types of fishes:
We all know that fishes are best sources of protein and omega three fatty acids. But, there are some kinds of fish which come under the list of food to avoid during pregnancy. It is due to the presence oh high levels of mercury. Mercury is a heavy metal which is harmful to our body. So, stay away from those fishes which are rich in mercury content. So, as many of us does not have much idea on these fishes quality, try to keep these foods away from the diet chart of pregnant women. Hence, keep this in mind and remove these foods from your pregnancy food chart.
Examples: Swordfish, Shark, king mackerel, and tilefish.
4. Unpasteurized food:
Unpasteurized food is not safe for everyone. But, for pregnant women, it is dangerous which may cause abortion. Dairy products like Skim milk, mozzarella cheese, and cottage cheese are healthy foods during pregnancy. But, unpasteurized milk is not safe as it may contain listeria, salmonella, and other microorganisms. It is better for the pregnant women to avoid soft cheeses like Brie, blue cheese. Also, avoid the juices that are not pasteurized. So, to maintain a Healthy diet during pregnancy avoid the unpasteurized drinks and raw meat.
So, these are the Dos and Dont’s in pregnancy. Prepare a food chart for yourself during pregnancy and follow it. Healthy food for the pregnant lady is essential to give birth to a healthy baby. So, start eating healthy from the early stage of pregnancy. Change your regular food habits during pregnancy to avoid the complications at the time of delivery. Never eat or drink the foods to be avoided as mentioned earlier. Follow the pregnancy food guide or the daily food chart prescribed by the physician. Have a Healthy Diet during pregnancy and bring a healthy baby into this world who can fill your life with joy and happiness.
Latest update on dieting during pregnancy:
Many pieces of research found that dieting during pregnancy is harmful to your baby. It is because of the reason that you restrict the uptake of many minerals including Iron. Though you take them from supplements, they can’t replace the natural one’s. So, instead of dieting, depend on small portions of foods and in that include boiled vegetables and fruits. So, this will become the best diet for pregnant lady.