The Way a Good Diet When Pregnant

Diet when pregnant - There's no question that a woman's nutritional needs change during pregnancy but the "Perfect Pregnancy Diet" is pretty much the same healthy diet urged for everyone, though with more emphasis on certain nutrients. Once you are pregnant, not only are you what you eat, but so is your baby. And what better reason than that for eating incredibly well!

Increase Calories and Protein
Pregnancy is a phenomenal yet perfectly normal physiological process that comes with some unique nutritional requirements. What you eat throughout your pregnancy really does matter, as you are eating not only to provide optimal nutrition for your developing fetus, but also to support your increased metabolism and organ growth.

Building a healthy baby requires about 300 extra calories per day assuming normal activity. Eat more if you're exercising. In those 300 extra calories, the pregnant woman needs to get up to 50 percent more of most vitamins and minerals and an additional 10 grams of protein a day for fetal and placental growth, expanded maternal extra cellular fluid, breasts and uterus.

This additional caloric intake should be sufficient to attain a weight gain of approximately 22-28 pounds in women of normal weight. If you're underweight before you become pregnant, a 30-35 pound weight gain is appropriate. If you're overweight and become pregnant, you should not try to lose weight until after you've given birth or stopped nursing.

Weight gain is usually minimal during the first trimester; most women gain between two to four pounds. Weight gain increases at a rate of .75 to .88 pounds per week during the second and third trimesters. The mother's rate of weight gain is the most reliable sign that she is eating the right amount of food to support the growing baby.

Wonder where all that weight is going? 

Women who are underweight or have poor nutritional status would benefit from meeting with a dietician to review their diets. More severe medical conditions, such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, and pre-eclampsia will require further modifications of diet listed here. All pregnant women should work closely with their care providers to ensure they are getting the nourishment both they and their babies need.

The Importance of Vitamins and Minerals

Multi-nutrient vitamin supplements are recommended for pregnant women to cover the increased need for folic acid, vitamins B-6, C and D and calcium, copper, iron and zinc. Folic acid (one of the B-vitamins that is also referred to as folate) is the "super star" vitamin for proper brain and nervous system development for the growing fetus. In addition, folate is of great importance for erythropoiesis (red blood cell formation). 

The recommended intake is 600-800 micrograms of folic acid a day. Although this super star will be in your prenatal vitamin, it's wise to include folate-rich foods in your diet. You can find folate in dark green leafy vegetables, whole grains, liver, dried beans and peas, peanut butter and asparagus.

Both you and your fetus need additional amounts of iron during pregnancy. You need it for building your blood supply and your baby needs it to stockpile for future use. 

Since human milk and cow's milk are both low in iron, your baby will be able to draw upon this supply for the first three to six months of his life. For this reason, 30 to 60 milligrams of supplemental iron are recommended during pregnancy. Excellent dietary sources of iron are: dried fruits, spinach, liver, dark green leafy vegetables and sardines.

Calcium is needed for the proper calcification of your growing baby's bones and teeth, which is why you should be sure to drink at least four cups of skim milk or the equivalent amount (i.e., 1 ounce of cheese, 1 cup plain yogurt or 1 1/2 cups of cottage cheese) of dairy products each day during your second and third trimesters. If you don't eat enough calcium, your body will automatically draw it from your bones—making sure your baby gets what he needs, but at the expense of your skeleton. The recommended intake for calcium is 1200 milligrams per day.

The other vitamins and minerals that are required during pregnancy can be met by a well-balanced diet that contains the appropriate increase in nutrient-dense calories combined with a pre-natal vitamin mineral complex.

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