Healthy Eating Guide: Eating Healthy During Pregnancy

If you are pregnant, why not do all you possibly can for the health of your unborn child?  With the proper mindset (and the proper attitude), you can lay a wonderful foundation. A good place to start might be diet, but there’s other things like Yoga which can contribute to prenatal health.

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Eating Healthy During Pregnancy – First Trimester

Of course, it is important for you and your unborn child to have a balanced diet during the first trimester, but you know that already.  I’ll try to provide you some info that you may not have already – an excellent reference is The 100 Healthiest Foods to Eat during Pregnancy by Jonny Bowden Ph. D.

If you find it tough to maintain a balanced diet during your first trimester, you aren’t alone.  Many women struggle with this; because they experience bouts of  queasiness, some women will eat all of the time and wind up gaining a lot of excess weight.  Conversely, other pregnant women have difficulty getting food down and they lose weight.

Dads are a Significant Part of the Equation

There’s also a book entitled, “The Everything Pregnancy Book: All you need to get you through the most important nine months of your life” –   This book has extra chapters that cover birthing scenarios, extra testing needs (blood tests & other necessary tests), and the challenges of twin feeding.  **There is a Kindle edition of this which is cheaper.

This book does definitely cover the first trimester, as well.

Then, there’s always the good old “standby” book – What to Expect when You’re Expecting – it has a Kindle edition now.

Eating Healthy During Pregnancy: Dehydration      

Being careful not to get dehydrated is an important consideration throughout your first trimester.  Do whatever you can to make sure you will always have WATER with you (and juices).  Even place some bottles of water in the car.

Calories – When you are pregnant, you need to consume around 300 calories more than usual every day. Simply listen to your body when you get hungry.  Suggestion: you really to vary the foods, eating as many from the bottom of the Food Pyramid as you possibly can.

If you gain weight too slow, try eating small meals and slightly increase the fat in your diet. You should always eat when you are hungry, as you are now eating for 2 instead of one.

Eating Healthy During Pregnancy – Calcium Considerations

By the second trimester, you’ll need around 1,500 milligrams of calcium each day for your bones and your baby, which is more than a quart of milk. Calcium is something that’s missing from many diets. Along with milk, other great sources for calcium include dairy products, calcium fortified juices, and even calcium tablets.

Fiber Considerations – Fiber can help to prevent constipation, which is a common pregnancy problem. You can find fiber in whole grains, fruits, and even vegetables. Fiber supplements such as Metamucil and Citricel are safe to take during pregnancy.

Eating Healthy During Pregnancy – Proteins

Protein:  As Babycenter.com states in their “Protein in Your Pregnancy Diet” article, a pregnant woman should have  3-4 servings of protein per day.  The amount is 70 grams – if you can’t achieve this daily, then instead strive for it as an average over the course of a week, or a few days.

Iron : A lot of women will start their pregnancy off with a bit of iron deficiency. Good sources of iron include dark leafy green vegetables and meats. Iron supplements should be avoided, as they can cause internal symptoms such as cramping, constipation, or diarrhea.

Vitamins:  Seeing as how you get a majority of the vitamins you need in your diet, you may want to discuss prenatal vitamins with your doctor. Folate is one of the most important, and if you are getting enough of it, you may be able to avoid vitamins all together – just ask your doctor to make sure.

More Info:  What is Best Position for Sleep During Pregnancy?    OR   Yoga and Pregnancy

In considering Healthy Eating , these Healthy Eating during pregnancy recipes can help

HAVING BABIES IN SEQUENCE:   Maternal Article

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