Eating a healthy, balanced diet and providing your unborn child with all the nutrients they require to grow and develop is crucial during pregnancy.
According to research, a baby’s diet can have an impact on their health during infancy and even as they grow older. Inadequate nutrition during pregnancy raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure in later life.
Pregnancy and childhood outcomes may be impacted by a mother’s diet. While diet later in pregnancy may be important for both overall fetal growth and brain development, diet in the first trimester may be more crucial for the development and differentiation of different organs.
A balanced diet is essential to a healthy lifestyle at any time, but it becomes even more crucial if you are expecting or have already begun planning a pregnancy. Eating a balanced diet will support the growth and development of your unborn child.
While you don’t need to follow a special diet, it’s still important to eat a variety of foods every day to ensure that you and your baby are getting the proper amount of nutrients.
Items to put on your diet when pregnant:
- A range of fruits and vegetables in various varieties and hues. 2 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables should be consumed daily.
- Up your daily consumption of grains and cereal foods to 8½ servings. Make most of your choices wholegrain and high-fiber.
- Choose iron-rich foods (like tofu or lean red meat). Foods high in iron are essential for expectant mothers. Three quarters of a serving of meat or meat substitutes is advised.
- Develop the habit of consuming milk, hard cheeses, yoghurt, or substitutes high in calcium. The best are reduced-fat varieties. It is advised to have 2.5 serves per day.
- Sip a lot of water.
- Consume foods and beverages low in added sugar, salt, and saturated fat in moderation.
Pregnancy and folic acid, or folate
A B-group vitamin, folate is present in a range of foods and is also referred to as folic acid when added to food. In a developing fetus, folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects. It is crucial that expectant mothers make sure they are getting adequate of this vital vitamin.
A daily 500 microgram folic acid supplement is advised for women who are planning a pregnancy and for the first three months of pregnancy. It is also advised that they consume foods that are naturally high in folate or that have been fortified with folic acid
Good sources of folate in food are as follows
Mushrooms
Fortified cereals
Spinach
Broccoli
Sprouts
Chickpeas
Dry beans
LegumesiI
Iron and Pregnancy
An increased need for iron occurs in pregnant women. This is due to the fact that during the first five or six months following birth, the growing fetus needs iron from the mother.
Because the pregnant woman is not menstruating, her iron losses are decreased. This, however, is insufficient to meet the needs of the growing fetus. Pregnant women should consume foods high in iron on a daily basis, such as seafood, meat, poultry, dried beans, and lentils, as well as leafyvegetables .
Iodine and Pregnancy
An essential mineral for growth and development, iodine is required for the synthesis of thyroid hormone. Insufficient iodine intake during pregnancy raises the risk of congenital hypothyroidism (previously known as cretinism) and mental impairment in your unborn child.
Good sources of iodine-containing foods are:
Seafood
Eggs
Dairy
Iodized salt
Fortified foods
Pregnancy and vitamin D
Both your own health and the growth and development of your unborn child depend on vitamin D during pregnancy. Bone health and the best possible pregnancy outcomes for both you and your unborn child depend on vitamin D.
The sun provides the majority of our vitamin D. The best natural source of vitamin D is the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes the skin to produce vitamin D. Our diet, which includes items like eggs, fatty fish, margarine, and vitamin D-fortified milks, only provides a small portion
Important recommendation during pregnancy
- Appropriate weight gain
- A balanced diet
- Regular exercise
- Appropriate and timely vitamin and mineral supplementation