I’m Pregnant – Should I Eat Differently Now?

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As a mom-to-be, you’re likely more cautious about what you eat. Early on that might be focused around morning sickness, but as time goes on its becomes a concern to make sure that you are eating nutritiously.

So what should the diet of a pregnant woman look like? Here’s how to make sure both you and your baby get the necessary nutrients.

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  • Foods that are rich in protein such as eggs, chicken, lean meats and legumes (i.e. beans, lentils, edamame, chickpeas, etc.)

  • Fruits and vegetables – fresh is always preferred. Other options include dried, frozen, and canned. Berries are rich in antioxidants. A diet that includes a good balance of fruits and vegetables is preferred. Below you will find those listed that are high in folic acid.

  • Starchy foods such as pasta, potatoes, bread, and rice.

  • Dairy foods such as cheese, yogurt, and milk.

  • Plenty of water to remove toxins from the body.

Sources of Folic Acid

During pregnancy folic acid intake is important because it helps to protect an unborn baby from developing neural tube defects like spina bifida. Your doctor will tell you how much folic acid is recommended. The following are good sources of folic acid.

  • Vegetables including avocados, endives, green peas, broccoli, baby carrots, seaweed, cauliflower, parsley, spinach, Brussel sprouts, mustard greens, beets, Romaine lettuce, and asparagus.

  • Legumes including Romano beans, lentils, white beans, black beans, edamame, kidney beans, chickpeas, and pinto beans.

  • Pasta, bread, and bagels that are made from enriched wheat flour.

  • Fruits and berries such as strawberries, raspberries, kiwis, blackberries, and clementines.

  • Seeds and nuts such as peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts.

  • Juices including pineapple juice and orange juice from concentrate.

  • Enriched breakfast cereals.

During your pregnancy, making healthy food choices is important. There may be some foods that don’t agree with you – of course, you should avoid those foods. There are many choices under every category so choose an option that you enjoy and that agrees with you.

Calorie counting may not be necessary; however, weight gain is a common concern among mothers-to-be so it’s a good idea to monitor your weight, and to at least be aware of the foods you are eating. Cravings can be hard to control and often changes in metabolism can result in burning calories differently. Making healthy food choices will help with weight gain and ensure you and baby are getting the nutrition you need.

Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

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Pregnancy is a time when most mothers to be are concerned about their health, and about how what they eat, will affect their unborn baby. Public health agencies make many recommendations and one of those, in fact the most important one, is for women to avoid foods that have a high potential for disease causing bacteria or that are dangerous to the fetus.

Here’s a list of foods that public health agencies recommend you avoid during your pregnancy.

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  • Alcohol – It is recommended that you completely stop drinking alcohol during your pregnancy as it is directly linked to fetal alcohol syndrome and other conditions.

  • Caffeine – You should limit your consumption of coffee, tea or cola to no more than 0-1 per day. Caffeine is linked to low birth weight as well as miscarriage.

  • Freshly caught fish – this includes tuna, swordfish, shark, marlin, etc., which may contain unsafe mercury levels. You should limit your intake to 150 grams per month. Canned white tuna and albacore tuna contain some mercury, so you should limit your consumption to no more than 300 grams per week.

  • Herbal tea, such as sage tea, Chamomile tea, pennyroyal, parsley tea, lobelia, coltsfoot, teas with aloe, juniper berries, comfrey, Labrador tea, buckthorn bark, and sassafras should all be avoided during pregnancy. There are others so make sure to read the packaging before purchasing.

  • Liver

  • Non-dried deli meats – cold cuts, refrigerated pate, hot dogs, refrigerated smoked seafood and fish, and meat spreads

  • Raw fish – clams, oysters and sushi. Avoid smoked fish that is kept in the fridge such as smoked salmon.

  • Raw or undercooked eggs – this includes foods that are made with raw eggs like Caesar salad dressing. Raw eggs can potentially contain salmonella and therefore should be avoided throughout your pregnancy.

  • Raw sprouts – especially alfalfa sprouts

  • Undercooked meat or rare meat, seafood and poultry

  • Unpasteurized juices

  • Unpasteurized milk products – also foods that are made from using raw milk cheese, especially soft and/or semi-soft cheeses. This includes Bria and Camembert. All unpasteurized cheeses have the potential to be infected with Listeria bacteria, which can be harmful to your baby.

If you are unsure about a certain food, it is best to avoid that food until you can find information regarding it. You should feel free to ask your doctor about any nutritional concerns you might have.

First Trimester Pregnancy Nutrition

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The first trimester can be one of great change in many aspects of your life and that includes pregnancy nutrition. Many moms-to-be want to immediately change how they eat. The trouble is making drastic changes too quickly can really backfire on you and land up causing too much stress. It is much better to incorporate changes slowly. We are going to look at the four basic areas of your first trimester nutrition to get you started on making dietary adjustments without the stress.

It would be wonderful if we knew in advance that we were to become pregnant. Sure, some pregnancies are planned but others are not. It would be great because then we could switch to a whole food diet that was organic before we became pregnant. Since this isn’t going to happen too often the best we can do is make the switch as soon as we know we are pregnant.

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Work towards the elimination of all processed foods and as many non-organic foods as possible. That is because processed foods along with non-organic foods that contain pesticides and other toxins are directly linked to numerous health concerns that can affect your baby. However, don’t look at this as an all or nothing situation. Do your best and remember every little change is a positive change for your baby. A good way to start is to remove processed foods from one meal a day and then take baby steps from there.

You should also eliminate sugar, artificial sweeteners, and caffeine from your diet. Experts agree it is safe for a pregnant woman to have 150 mg of caffeine a day so that’s a good starting point to cut back to. Once there you can try to cut it out completely. For anyone with a sweet tooth there are a number of natural sweeteners that you can use such as agave syrup, stevia, or raw honey.

Morning sickness can be a real problem during the first trimester of your pregnancy. As your body is trying to adjust to hormonal changes, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to deal with the nausea that is not always just in the mornings. For nausea that is incapacitating you need to talk to your doctor. However, there are some things that can calm nausea for many including ginger, eating protein, a handful of nuts, or crackers.

There you have it – a good start to nutrition for your first trimester to keep you and baby healthy.

A Pregnancy Diet Plan That Works

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Congratulations on your pregnancy! Of course, the first thing that’s on your mind is staying healthy throughout your pregnancy. Part of staying healthy is ensuring you have a pregnancy diet plan that works.

There are a number of reasons why moms who are expecting need to understand healthy nutrition but the most important is because of the impact what you eat has on your baby. A healthy diet is good for both you and your baby.

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Weight gain goes with being pregnant. In fact, it is a positive thing for both mom and baby. This is how nature begins to prepare your body for what is to come. A healthy diet is an excellent way to provide the nutrient for proper weight gain rather than excessive weight gain. When you gain the right amount of weight it will be much easier to lose after the baby is born.

There has also been a direct connection established between your nutritional health and how the effect it has on children later in their life. It’s been established that everything you do in those nine months from your physical activity to the fluids you drink will affect your child’s current growth and the child’s future growth. What you eat while you are pregnancy has the potential to prevent future health problems with your child and you. And of course, the food you eat now will affect your weight gain throughout your pregnancy.

During the first trimester, it is important that you make sure to limit any excess calorie intake. After the first 12 weeks pass, you can add an additional 300 calories per day in addition to your regular calorie intake.

If you are of normal weight, you should expect to gain 25 to 35 pounds during your pregnancy. You should limit your weight gain to no more than 5-10 pounds in the first 20 weeks, and then following that a pound per week. Doctors advise that you lose some weight before becoming pregnant if you are overweight. This will make it easier for you to keep extra weight off during your pregnancy and to lose it after the birth. Statistically women who are overweight have a significantly higher emergency cesarean rate, miscarriage rate, more incidents of gestational diabetes and suffer from high blood pressure more often.

To significantly increase the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy make sure that you eat a nutritional diet, high in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and protein, while avoiding processed foods.

5 Key Principles to Pregnancy Nutrition

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If you already eat a healthy diet before pregnancy, there may only be small adjustments you need to make to your diet to ensure you are eating right for the next night months.

These five key principles will ensure that you remain fit and healthy, and that baby gets all the nutrients he or she needs to grow to be strong and healthy.

pregnancy

#1 Drink Plenty of Water

For a healthy pregnancy, it is critical that you drink enough water, as it will help to flush the toxins from your body and fight water retention. Water will also help with constipation and headaches associated with pregnancy.

#2 Avoid Processed Foods

The best way to begin your pregnancy is with proper nutrition. That includes the elimination of processed foods that are high in fillers, sodium, salt, and preservatives, which could potentially pose a risk to baby. In addition, you are far more likely to gain extra water and suffer with fluid retention when your diet contains processed foods. Instead, opt for healthy, whole food choices that are good for you and baby.

#3 Buy Organic

Organic foods are becoming more readily available and they are also becoming more affordable. Therefore, your goal should be to buy organic whenever possible. This is especially true when it comes to dairy products, meats, and eggs. Organic foods are higher in amino acids and fatty acids than the non-organic version. When it comes to fruits and vegetables at least make sure that those with the highest pesticide concentrations are organic. These are peaches, celery, apples, strawberries, blueberries, spinach, bell peppers, kale, cherries, grapes, and potatoes.

#4 Eat Vegetable With Every Meal

As you get further along in your pregnancy it becomes even more important to make sure that you eat vegetables with every meal. They are high in fiber and that will help with constipation associated with pregnancy. You’ll also feel fuller and you’ll obtain tons of nutrients.

#5 Every Meal Should Include Healthy Fats 

Healthy fats include olive oil, organic butter, coconut oil, raw nuts, nut butters, and avocado. These fats will help you to feel full while providing you with nutrients, and they provide the kind of healthy fats that help with your baby’s cognitive development.

Include these five key principles in your pregnancy nutrition and you’ll be on your way to well balanced nutrition throughout your pregnancy. Of course, you should always follow your doctor’s orders when it comes to nutrition.

 

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