What To Eat During Pregnancy –Trimester Wise
What to eat during pregnancy and how to eat during pregnancy is a super queen question that every pregnant woman had asked her health care provider and everyone around her. If you are still confused or forgotten what everyone had told you, here is a detailed description of what every doctor’s advice would be.
“Eat well, you have to eat for two people now” is the most familiar statement every pregnant woman would be hearing throughout her phase of pregnancy. But how far is the statement true?
Research say, during pregnancy you will need extra calories to feed your baby but by doubling the amount of food you regularly eat, you end up taking more than what is required, which is again not a good sign. All you need is an extra intake of 300 calories. Remember the fact that you are eating those extra calories for a baby, not for an adult. If you are having twins, your extra calorie intake should be 450, i.e. 150 calories more than single baby mother.
During pregnancy, your body has the ability to absorb more nutrients and that means you put on weight quite easily compared to non-pregnant women with the same calorie intake. More calorie intake leads to weight gain and thereby increases the scale of complications during delivery.
However, lack of nutrients intake effect baby in a really bad way. Inadequate intake of nutrients during pregnancy is thought to affect the lifelong health of baby.
What you eat today and the proportion of food you eat today, decides the health of your baby. That is, the baby’s lifelong health is directly proportional to the food you eat.
Let’s look at the basic division of foods that you can and cannot eat during pregnancy.
Foods you can eat:
- Proteins that are low-fat
- Whole grains
- Food fats delivered from fish and plant oil.
- Fruits
- Vegetables
Foods you should stay away from:
- Saturated fats
- Alcoholic and Caffeinated Beverages
- Smoking
- Too much of chocolates and other sweets
- Food that is improperly cooked
Now let’s look at some of the quick food related facts every mother should know
- Consuming calcium rich food can decrease the chances of onset of hypertension and several risks related to preterm delivery.
- Vitamin D is the soldier which aids in the absorption of calcium.
- Folic acid is the nutrient that is better absorbed from supplements than food.
- Double your intake of iron during pregnancy
- Controlling the amount of sugar and bad-carbs intake can reduce the chances of onset of gestational diabetes.
- Satisfy your carvings with healthy food.
- During pregnancy, your senses are on high alert. This makes your body sensitive to certain food, smell, sound and texture. If certain food and its smell make you depressed or sick, avoid them.
- To keep morning sickness under control, consume vitamin B6.
To help you avoid confusion on what to eat during pregnancy and what not to eat, we have made a detailed description of the foods you can eat during pregnancy trimester wise.
- What to eat during Pregnancy, Trimester 1
- What to eat during Pregnancy, Trimester 2
- What to eat during Pregnancy, Trimester 3