eating tips for your pregnancy

Eating Tipsfor YourPregnancy

The nutritional status of

women when becoming

pregnant and during

pregnancy can have

significant influence on infant

and maternal health problems.

Numerous studies of

nutritional education and

counseling before and during

pregnancy have demonstrated

beneficial effects in terms of

improved gestational weight,

increased head circumference,

reduced risk of preterm birth,

and reduced risk at birth of

maternal anemia.

Caloric intake grows with pregnancy and weight gain variesconsiderably. For the average healthy

woman, ideal weight gain is 25-35 lbs during the nine monthpregnancy.

Either excessive or insufficientweight gain can be deleterious to the health of both the baby

and the mother.

In general, mother’s diet needs to be balanced and nutritious,involving right proportions of protein, carbohydrate, and fat

while consuming a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Specifically, fat should provide no more than 30% of

daily calories with monosaturated fats being

preferable.

Examples are foods such as olive oil, peanut oil,

sesame oil, canola oil, avocado, and many nuts and

seeds.

Excellent sources of carbohydrates are potatoes, rice,

pasta, and bread. Animal-sourced protein includes

lean meat and fish, as well as eggs.

Quinoa is notable as asource of all theessential amino acids.As faras fruits and vegetables,fresh and frozenproduce usually havehigher vitamin andnutrient content aswell as being excellentsources of fiber.

Micronutrient deficiencies can be addressed through diet as wellas supplements.

The value of prenatalvitamins cannot be overemphasized. Folic acid, iron, vitamin D,

calcium, iodine, and zinc are especiallyimportant during pregnancy.

Adequate folic acid before and during pregnancy is critical inpreventing neural tube defects which affect the brain and spinal

cord. Recommended daily intake is 400-600 mcg.

Sources of Vitamin D

Sources of Zinc

During pregnancy, maternal blood volume increasessignificantly and adequate iron supplementation is

required to prevent anemia and promote adequate oxygencarrying capacity.

Vitamin D deficiency iscommon even in the non-pregnant state. Adequate Vitamin D

during pregnancy is critical for normalfetal skeletal development and may be beneficial in mother to

prevent preeclampsia.

Recommendeddose is controversial and ranges from 600-4000 IU/day. Iodine

is important for normal fetal thyroiddevelopment and function.

Clearly, pregnancy

places impressive

metabolic demands on

the mother’s body.

Only through

nutritional

education and

counseling can the best

outcomes for both

mother and baby be

achieved.