Pregnancy is the time when an expectant mother should make sure that she is getting the best nutrition possible in order to help her baby grow and develop normally, she must learn which foods to avoid or take during this time.
During pregnancy, taste for certain foods may change. A person may suddenly develop dislike for foods they might have liked before pregnancy. In addition a desire to eat non food items such as ice, laundry starch, dirt, clay, chalk, ashes or paint chips. This is called pica, and may be because of an iron deficiency such as anemia. Such cravings should not be indulged in as they can be harmful both to the mother and child. Food cravings should only be indulged in if the particular food provides energy or an essential nutrient, but if such craving persists and prevents the intake of essential nutrients, then more balance should be created in the daily diet. Foods cravings during pregnancy are normal and about two thirds of women have them, yet there is no widely accepted explanation for their occurrence.
Good nutrition and enough of it during pregnancy is very important for the growth and development of the baby, about 300 more calories should be taken than what was being taken before pregnancy.
Although nausea and vomiting in the first trimester of the pregnancy may make it difficult to eat, yet a well balanced diet and prenatal vitamins will help you to maintain proper weight gain.
A variety of foods should be taken to ensure that one gets all the nutrients. Daily 6-11 servings of bread and grains, 2 – 4 servings of fruit,4 or more servings of vegetables,4 servings of dairy products and 3 servings of protein sources. Sweets and oils should be used sparingly. Alcohol should be avoided, it can cause amongst other problems, low birth weight babies, not more than 300 mg of caffeine should be taken.
The total amount of fat that is taken should be reduced to 30%, for a person who had been eating 2000 calories a day; this would be 65 grams or less per day. Intake of cholesterol rich foods should be minimal, only 300mg or less of cholesterol should be taken daily.
Calcium is a nutrient needed in the body for the development of strong teeth and bones, clotting of blood, functioning of muscles and nerves and normal beating of the heart, the growing baby needs a lot of calcium for its development and if enough calcium is not taken to sustain the needs of the unborn child, then the body may draw calcium from the expectant mothers bones, this will result in depreciation of the bone mass of the mother to be and later result in osteoporosis. The best sources for calcium are dairy products, it is also found in spinach, dried beans and sea food, and vitamin D helps to use the calcium in the body, it is obtained through exposure to sunlight and in fortified fish, eggs, milk. Lactose intolerance can be overcome by consuming small amounts of milk in between meals; milk can be better tolerated with food. Iron is a mineral that makes an important part of hemoglobin, the substance which carries oxygen to all parts of the body through the blood; the best sources of Iron are leafy green vegetables, lean meat, poultry and fish.
An expectant mother must remember that she has to provide good nutrition for two individuals throughout her pregnancy.
