Daily breakfast is a must. To prevent constipation, consume foods high in fiber and drink plenty of liquids, especially water. Steer clear of alcoholic beverages, raw or undercooked seafood, mercury-rich fish, underdone meat and poultry, and soft cheeses. During your pregnancy, engage in moderate-intensity aerobic activity for at least 150 minutes per week.
Healthy Eating Advice for Expectant Women
The importance of eating healthy meals has never been greater! You now require extra protein, iron, calcium, and folic acid compared to before pregnancy. You require additional calories as well. Eating for two, however, does not necessarily mean eating more. Instead, it indicates that your diet is your baby’s primary supply of nutrition. The optimal recipe for health during your pregnancy still includes sensible, balanced foods along with regular exercise.
Gaining weight
Your body mass index (BMI) prior to becoming pregnant determines how much weight you should gain throughout pregnancy. These recommendations are provided by the Institute of Medicine:
You should gain between 25 and 30 pounds throughout pregnancy if your weight was normal before getting pregnant.
You should put on between 28 and 40 pounds if you were underweight before becoming pregnant.
If you were obese prior to becoming pregnant, you should add 15 to 25 pounds.
You should put on between 11 and 20 pounds if you were fat before getting pregnant.
Find out from your doctor how much weight gain is appropriate for you during pregnancy.
During your pregnancy, you should gain weight gradually, with the majority of the weight coming on in the final trimester. Doctors typically advise women to gain weight at the following rate:
Total weight gains of 2 to 4 pounds in the first trimester
In the second and third trimesters, 3 to 4 pounds are gained per month.
According to recent studies, women who acquire more weight than is healthy during pregnancy and don’t start losing it within six months of giving birth have a substantially increased risk of becoming obese nearly ten years later. Another significant study’s findings indicate that acquiring more weight than is advised during pregnancy may increase the likelihood that your unborn kid will grow up to be overweight. Reduce your intake of foods with added sugars and solid fats if you notice that you are gaining weight too quickly. You can increase your intake of a few items from each food group if you aren’t gaining enough weight.
What happens to the extra weight?
6 to 8-pound infant
11 1/2 pounds of placenta
2 pounds of amniotic fluid
Uterus expansion
Calories required
Your weight gain objectives will influence your calorie requirements. For at least the final six months of pregnancy, most women require 300 more calories per day than they did before becoming pregnant. Remember that not all calories are created equal. Nutrient-dense foods are what your baby needs; “empty calories” from sweets, desserts, and soft drinks are not what they need.
Nutrition for both mom and baby
Many essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients are required in greater amounts during pregnancy than they were before. Giving your kid everything he or she needs to develop will be easier if you make good dietary choices every day. Moms/Moms-to-Be can use ChooseMyPlate.gov. Based on your height, weight, and level of exercise, we can advise you on what and how much of each food group to consume.
If you require a specific diet due to any of the following, consult your physician:
Diabetes: Discuss your diet plan and insulin requirements with your doctor. High blood sugar levels could harm your baby’s health.
Lactose intolerance – To make sure you are getting the calcium you need, learn about low-lactose or reduced-lactose products and calcium supplements.
Make sure you are getting enough protein, iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D if you are a vegetarian.
PKU: Maintain tight control over your dietary intake of phenylalanine (FEN-Uhl-AL-Uh-NEEN).
Food safety
For pregnant women and their unborn children, most foods are safe. But you’ll need to exercise caution or refrain from consuming particular items. Follow these recommendations:
To prevent foodborne illnesses like listeria and toxoplasmosis, food should be cleaned, handled, cooked, and chilled appropriately.
After handling raw meat or soil, wash your hands with soap.
Keep raw poultry, meat, and seafood away from other foods and surfaces.
Completely cook the meat.
Eaten produce should be washed.
Cooking equipment should be washed in hot, soapy water.
Avoid eating:
Smoked fish that has been refrigerated, such as whitefish, salmon, and mackerel
Unless they are piping hot, deli meats and hot dogs
Chilled meat spreads
Unpasteurized juices or milk
Salads from the grocery store, like chicken, egg, or tuna salad
Soft cheeses that haven’t been pasteurized, like unpasteurized feta, Brie, queso blanco, queso fresco, and blue cheeses
Fish high in mercury include shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tile fish (also known as golden or white snapper).
More than 6 ounces of white (albacore) tuna each week
Plants and herbs that are used as medicines without your doctor’s approval. Herbal and plant medicines’ safety isn’t always known. Pregnant women should avoid some herbs and plants, such as unripe papaya, noni juice, and bitter melon (karela). Any variety of raw sprouts (including alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung bean).
Information about fish
A healthy diet may include a lot of fish and shellfish. They are an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for the heart. Additionally, some experts think that sadness in pregnant and postpartum women may be associated with poor fish consumption. According to research, pregnant mothers who ingest omega-3 fatty acids may help their unborn children’s brain and visual development.
Do not consume the following mercury-rich fish:
- Swordfish
- Tilefish
- Monarch fish
- Shark
Consume up to 6 ounces (or one serving) each week:
More mercury is present in canned albacore or chunk white tuna than in canned light tuna, which is also offered as tuna steaks. Eat cooked fish and shellfish with little or no mercury up to 12 ounces (approximately two servings) each week, such as:
- Shrimp
- Crab
- Clams
- Oysters
- Scallops
- Canned tuna light
- Salmon
- Pollock
- Catfish
- Cod
- Tilapia
* Avoid eating raw fish and shellfish, such as those with the labels “lox,” “kippered,” “smoked,” or “jerky,” which all refer to uncooked seafood that has been refrigerated.
Before consuming fish obtained in nearby waters, make sure. Guidelines for fish from nearby waters are available from state health departments. Or visit the US Environmental Protection Agency to obtain regional fish warnings. Only eat 6 ounces of fish every week and refrain from eating any other fish that week if you are dubious of the safety of a fish from your local waterways.
