| | You are eating for two now! And you both need healthy, nutritional foods to insure your health is at its best.
Pregnancy and Nutrition is a vital topic that requires your attention if you are pregnant. Your body is going through drastic changes and needs good diet support. Your baby's body is growing and developing daily and gets ALL of his/her nutrition directly from you.
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Now is the time to start looking at ingredient labels. You should stay away from "empty" calories (sugary carbs, white flour products, candy, soda, etc), and concentrate on foods that offer the highest level of nutrition.
Every day you should include the following foods in your diet:
Nine servings of whole grain foods. Many whole grain foods will give you essential vitamins and minerals like folic acid which is vitally important while pregnant. Some examples of whole grain foods include: Whole grain bread, muffins, cereals, special pastas (made with whole grains -- look at the ingredients), brown rice, etc. The whole grains foods you choose should list the "grains" as the first ingredient.
Seven servings of fresh fruits and vegetables. Most fruits and vegetables offer numerous vitamins and minerals needed for the healthy growth of your baby and your overall health. Eating fresh fruit and vegetables offers you the highest level of the vitamins and minerals. Colorful fruit and vegetables usually have vitamin C which helps you absorb iron. Many women, while pregnant, become anemic, so getting more Vitamin C through fruits and vegetables could help with this problem. Fruits and vegetables also offer fiber which helps with digestion and elimination.
Three servings of lean protein. Choose lean protein items like lean cuts of meat, chicken, fish (don't over do it on fish due to possible mercury content), eggs, beans, legumes, nuts (without preservatives). Protein is especially important to your baby's development and growth during your second and third trimesters. Protein offers iron and B vitamins. Have a protein food at each main meal.
Three or more servings of Dairy. It is easy to add dairy to your diet. There are delicious low fat yogurts that you can have as a snack. Add milk to your cereal, add cheese to your vegetables and/or a salad. Dairy foods offer calcium and vitamins A and D which are very important to you and your baby's health.
Fats and Oils. It is not healthy to eliminate fats from your diet completely. Your body needs fats for good health. Yet you can choose "good" fats like olive oil and canola oil. Stay away from heavy meat fats, chicken skin, fried foods, etc.
Sugar & Sweets. An indulgence every now and then is not going to hurt you. Over indulging in sweets, cakes, sugary foods can hurt you in two ways. You could gain too much weight and instead of eating healthy nutritional foods, you could be replacing them with "empty" foods that offer no nutrition.
Many doctors prescribe prenatal vitamin supplements. This helps you get ALL the vitamins and minerals you need while pregnant.
Remember, your baby gets 100% of his or her nutrition from you. Choose wisely, keep alert to the ingredients of the foods you eat, and your pregnancy nutrition will be healthy.
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