Nutrition For Pregnancy

Why is proper nutrition necessary?

Proper nutrition is very essential to a woman for the proper functioning of the growing fetus. A woman should consume healthy and wholesome food during her pregnancy. She must not necessarily eat sufficient food that does not add any nutrition to her body. she may unnecessarily accumulate fat in her body and lose her figure later on.

During the time of pregnancy various changes take place in her body. Besides physical changes even psychological  changes take place in her body. The type of physiological behavior she experiences during her pregnancy, obviously affects the child in her womb.

She requires the following nutrients that are very necessary for her during pregnancy and she must try to consume them:

Fat is the most essential element in her body because it releases very instant energy. It is stored in the body and later by the process of lactation is converted into milk. Ideally your weight should increase by 300 calories. Hence a person who is underweight must consume more calories so that he gains 300 calories. You, better consult your doctor to know the right composition of your food.

 

Types of nutrition necessary

Protein is also one of the most vital nutrition during the time of pregnancy. Protein is very important to the woman’s body, especially during the first three months of her pregnancy. During the first three months, the proteins accumulate in the body and help the foetus to grow. After three months, the foetus grows very rapidly. If she has sufficiently consumed proteins during the first three months, then growth of the foetus will be rapid. Because, the proteins that are already accumulated in the body help the baby grow.

Calcium during pregnancy is required for the bone and the teeth formation. Therefore it is essential for the healthy bone formation of the foetus also. Iron is required for the body formation. Vitamin A improves the eye vision and also maintains nervous equilibrium.

During the nine months of pregnancy you must eat the type of food that is wholesome and brings physical as well as mental growth during pregnancy.

Every woman must try to reduce her intake of junk food as it only adds calories to the body and does not release any energy into the body. For the first six months a woman need not consume more than 200 calories per day.

Eat according to your routine appetite. You may not have the habit of eating more food right from the beginning. In such cases, consume only the quantity of food that can cause digestion to your body. usually, for few months your appetite falls down very drastically. Some woman cannot even consume water.  Most of the woman face problems such as nausea or sickness during the first few months of your pregnancy. Then later on, say after two months, you can regain your apatite.   During the last few months of your pregnancy, your appetite will still increase. But if you are suffering from problems like heartburn, nausea, then you can have small meals frequently. 

When you are pregnant, just eat something, the moment you feel hungry. Do not fear eating anything unless doctor has recommended you not to eat the particular food. If your doctor has advised you to consume only particular food, then follow the guidelines of the doctor carefully.

Following are the food items that are very vital to the body of the pregnant woman as well as the growing foetus.

Milk or milk products produce tremendous energy and help in the development of foetus from every aspect. Milk products include buttermilk, yogurt, cottage cheese, Vitamin B-12, amino acids etc. if you are lacto sensitive then you can consult your doctor. He will suggest you suitable foods that release equal amount of energy when compared to milk.

Some of the food items that release proteins into the body are cereals, whole grains, pulses or even protein tablets are essential. She must consume food that contains lot of vegetables like soups. Vegetables contain nutrients such as vitamin, mineral and fibre.

Fresh fruits add many type of nutrients into the body. she may even consume processed and canned fruits. Fruit juices prepared from fresh fruits will also add a lot of energy to her body.

Certain types of meats also release energy to her because they contain proteins in rich quantity. If the woman is a vegetarian, then she can consume 1.5 ounces of nuts, 2/3 cup of legumes. ½ ounce of nuts is equivalent to one egg and one ounce of meat is equivalent to ¼ cup of legumes.

A woman should drink water that is utmost clean. Even if she is traveling outdoors, she must carry water bag with her or buy the mineral water that is available outside. If she is affected by the water outside, she may develop viral infection. She must avoid juices that are available in cartons, because they contain very high content of sugar in them.

If you want to have a fish, be careful about the type of fish you want to eat. Some fishes may be residing in places that is exposed to pollution and therefore consumption of fish may lead to various diseases. But anyhow fish is a good source of protein. Some fishes contain unsafe levels of mercury. Because in the seas, where the fishes reside may be contain the deposits of mercury which absorb contaminated water because, even if the fish is properly cooked, the element of mercury still remains. She should not consume canned fish also because they are preserved in saline solution. This leads to water retention.

 

Foods against nutrition

Here are some of the food items which should be avoided at any cost:

1. oysters or raw seafood.
2. Cheeses such as brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheese
3. Unpasteurised milk.
4. Eggs, pate, undercooked or underboiled meat.
5. Some woman who have allergies of peanuts avoid it. Possibly, avoid any food that produces allergic effect into your body.
6. Woman should strictly avoid alcoholic drinks because it brings physical as well as emotional problems into children. Children may be born with learning defects.

Avoid any type of food that does not add any nutrition into the body but also destroys the existing nutrition of the body.