Healthy Eating While Pregnant
Posted on | June 16, 2009 | No Comments
During pregnancy every organ in your body works harder than normal and uses more energy than before. In addition, your diet must supply all the new materials for your baby`s growth. The rule is to eat well and healthily, being careful that your diet also contains all your nutritional requirements. To cope with these high demands, you’ll find your appetite increases, you may even experience food fads that, in most cases, accom-modate nutritional deficiencies, and your calorie intake will increase. This is normal. Eat the most varied, diet possible and you won`t go far wrong. But there are specific pregnancy needs you also need to consider.
As a general rule, you can increase your calorie intake by about 500 calories a day. Instead of eating two or three main meals a day, try spreading your food intake into five or six smaller meals so that your blood sugar doesn’t dip between meals. This will help avoid energy lows and morning sickness in the first three months.
Carbohydrates provide the essential fuel that give you energy. Most of your calories should come from carbohydrates, but rather than sugar-based carbohydrates you should eat complex unrefined carbohydrates in the form of wholegrains, wholemeal bread, porridge, brown rice, potatoes, peas, beans and lentils because these provide long-lasting energy and fibre. It is now well known that the closer your food is to its raw state, the better, so avoid processed carbohydrate where possible. However, simple carbohydrates are absorbed by the system in minutes, so the sugar from fructose (fruit), lactose (milk) and dextrose (honey) are good for a quick energy boost and can help to relieve morning sickness.
The protein is the building block to enable all your baby`s tissues – bone, muscle, cartilage and blood to grow, so you should eat at least lOOg (4oz) of protein a day if you can. You may not necessarily eat red meat very often (or at all) but in pregnancy it is important because red meat is the most concentrated source of iron. For vegetarians, milk (skimmed), yoghurt, cheese and eggs are excellent sources of protein, as are seeds, nuts, peanut butter (although high in calories), and the vegetable protein in peas, beans and lentils. Most bread is protein-enriched. Eat as much fish as you can – its easily digested pure protein, rich in minerals and vitamins and oily fish also contain essential fatty acids.
All the vitamins are important for maintaining general good health but some vitamins such as B and C cannot be stored by the body and a daily intake is required. Some vegetables and fruit contain B vitamins, as do meat, fish, dairy products, grains and nuts. Vitamin C is provided by fresh fruit and vegetables. Vitamin D is found in fish oils and can be. manufactured by the body; this process is triggered by j the action of light on the skin and most people in the UK require about 40 minutes of sunlight per day to produce adequate amounts. Folk acid is important in the prevention of spina bifida and supplements should be taken three months before conception and during the first trimester. Avoid liver or liver pates because they are high in vitamin A and this can cause problems.
Minerals are essential for your body to function efficiently. Calcium is needed to build the baby’s bones and teeth, a process which starts as soon as you conceive. It is wise to make sure your diet is rich in calcium before you become pregnant, then keep your calcium intake high by eating broccoli, dried milk and tinned salmon with the bones. Leafy green vegetables and dairy products also contain calcium. Remember that vitamin D is needed to promote calcium absorption.
Iron is vital, not just for your baby but for your own needs too. Your own iron level must be kept high throughout pregnancy because your baby uses iron so fast that it is cleared instantly from his blood. He is, so to speak, in a constant iron-deficient state.
If you are iron-deficient when you become pregnant, or become so later on, your doctor will prescribe iron tablets or injections to prevent you from developing anaemia. Eat foods that are rich in iron including red meat, eggs and offal (not liver); non-animal sources include fish, haricot beans, apricots, raisins and prunes.
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