The amount and kinds of food you are eating during pregnancy have a direct impact on the development of your baby. Although you often give in to your food cravings, keeping everything healthy and balanced is important in ensuring normal pregnancy. In general, pregnant women need an additional 300 calories to their daily food intake. However, this does not mean simply increasing how much you eat but also considering what you eat. The extra calories you need must come from nutritious foods, so they can contribute to you and your baby’s health.

Understanding Pregnancy Nutrition.

Every day, you need to eat the correct amount and variety of foods to ensure the health of your baby. Healthy eating during pregnancy will give your baby an advantage in growth, brain development, reducing risk of birth defects and strengthening of the immune system.

The rules observed in proper pregnancy nutrition are simple; food variety at food servings.

Every day, you need to have one to two servings of lean protein, such as chicken, pork and lamb. Sea foods are excellent sources of essential food nutrients but caution must be taken as they may contain mercury, which is linked to birth defects. For vegetarians, cheese and beans may fulfill your daily protein requirement.

Pregnant women also need to have their daily intake of green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, spinach, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens and collard greens. They also need five servings of whole grains, such as whole grain cereals and oatmeal, which are packed with important vitamins and minerals. They are also great sources of fiber, which are helpful in preventing and relieving constipation. If you turn to wheat breads for your whole grain and fiber requirement, make sure that its label says “100% whole wheat” and not “enriched wheat”.

One good source of iron is the humble potato. Adding iron-rich foods in your diet, three times a week, delivers digestible iron that limits your risk of suffering iron-deficiency, which is linked to pregnancy problems. Also, to complete your daily mineral and vitamin requirement, include at least one serving of fruit in your diet. In either juice or whole fruit form, you can enjoy the natural goodness of fruit fiber and nutrients.

Each day, yellow or orange colored fruits and vegetables such as carrots, squash and yellow bell peppers, must be included as they are excellent sources of beta carotene. Adding two eggs in your daily diet delivers many vitamins and minerals, including healthy cholesterol, which is beneficial to your baby’s brain development. Healthy fats from nut oils, olive oil or avocados are also important sources of good cholesterol.

In addition to this pregnancy nutrition guide, you also need to remain hydrated. Drinking lots of fluids such as water or fruit juices is important in supporting your body’s gradual need to increase blood volume for the baby.

Caution

Pregnant women are advised not to eat foods that are high in vitamin A, such as animal liver, as too much of this vitamin can damage the embryo. Eating unpasteurized cheeses and other products of unpasteurized milk must be avoided to prevent the transmission of infectious bacteria and pathogens, such as listeria, which can cause miscarriage. Similarly, pregnant women must refrain from eating raw meat, or dishes such as sushi, as they may be contaminated with toxins such as mercury and microbes, which can pose serious risks to your baby’s health. But with all these things, don’t forget to take the advice of your doctor.

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