Healthy Pregnancy: How to Adjust Your Diet for a Growing Baby
Eating healthy is important, but especially so during pregnancy. The food you eat will be used by your baby as they grow and develop. How can you be sure that you are eating healthy during a pregnancy? Here are some tips and ideas for how to stay in tip top form.
Make Each Calorie Count
During pregnancy, you’ll need to increase your calorie intake. However it’s important to increase your intake with healthy foods. Chips, candy, cake, and soda have a lot of calories, but lack vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you and your baby need. Think before you eat, and make up a calorie counter if it helps you stay on track.
Listen To Your Body
If you are craving meat or other iron rich foods, your body may be trying to tell you something. Within reason, you should pay attention to your cravings and make the necessary changes. Cravings can vary from woman to woman. Some women crave spicy foods while others are drawn to milk and cheese. While you don’t want to be a slave to your taste buds, give into what you want every now and then. It may be something your baby just needs more of.
Take A Multi-Vitamin
During pregnancy, it is important to take vitamins designed especially for pregnant women. These vitamins will contain nutrients like folic acid which has been shown to decrease the risk of certain types of birth defects. Some women find that prenatal vitamins cause nausea. If this is the case, a maternal care physician, Gilbert Webb suggests taking your prenatal vitamin just before bed.
Other Adjustments
Constipation is very common during pregnancy. Some women find they need to increase their intake of foods with fiber to alleviate the problem. Other women find that taking a dietary fiber supplement works better. In addition to increasing your intake of certain minerals and vitamins, you should also be careful to drink enough fluids. A pregnant woman should drink at least eight glasses of fluid per day.
Eat A Variety Of Foods
Try your best to eat a variety of foods during your pregnancy, including whole grains, low fat meat and cheeses, vegetables, and fruit. This may be very difficult during the first trimester when you may experience morning sickness. On the other hand, if your morning sickness is so severe that it affects your ability to get the nutrients you need, you should contact your doctor or local St Lukes hospital. In most cases, morning sickness will resolve itself during the first trimester.
If you have specific questions about eating healthy and adjusting your diet during your pregnancy, you may want to contact a nutritionist or your doctor.
Guest Blog by Brooke Chaplan, Freelance Writer and Blogger
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.
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