Good nutrition is always the foundation of good health, but never is it more important to eat right than during pregnancy. In fact, for the sake of the baby, a healthy, balanced diet should start before conception. But knowing what to eat during the “year of birth of your child” requires a general knowledge of the basic nutrients needed for optimal health of both mother and child.
Folic acid is a key element of good nutrition for pregnant women, and is recommended for all women of childbearing age to consume at least 400mcg of folic acid daily to prevent possible occurrence of spina bifida or neural tube defects in babies. Examples of folic acid found in green leafy vegetables, beans, or liver.
Getting enough protein is also very important because the amino acids in the protein form the building blocks of your body’s cells, and that grows from your baby. Currently recommended that pregnant women consume at least 60-70 grams of protein each day. Some good sources of protein would be a lamb, eggs, milk, and fish.
During pregnancy, a woman experiences a sharp increase in blood volume which makes it important to consume enough iron to support this increase. Also noteworthy is the fact that the fetus will begin to store enough iron to last for the first three to six months outside the womb. So, starting in the second trimester is a need to receive 30 mg of iron daily from sources such as red meat, poultry, dried fruits, or nuts. However, only taking enough iron will do you no good if your body can not absorb them.
Vitamin C increase the body’s ability to absorb iron, and therefore at least 85mg is not recommended. This is easily achieved with at least one serving of citrus fruit or juice.
Vitamin A should be consumed at levels equivalent to 800 daily because the retina is necessary for the formation of cells, and can be found primarily in yellow or orange vegetables and fruits.
adequate calcium intake is important during your pregnancy, but you need the fetal calcium 66% more in the third trimester than before. If you do not eat enough, your baby will take it from your body, and leave you out of calcium which will open you to possible problems in the future. Daily intake of calcium during pregnancy and lactation should be 1000mg, and the best sources are milk, cheese and yogurt.
At the top of the list of foods to avoid high fatty foods, and candy. The types of foods have little or no nutritional value, and tend to satisfy the desire, but does not leave room for other, more nutritious food that is badly needed. So skip lamingtons or pavlova in support of something bigger. This will have the added benefit to keep your weight to a minimum. Caffeine is also no-no because it acts as a diuretic and stop the absorption of vitamin C, which will, in turn, affects your absorption of iron. And of course, alcohol should not be taken during pregnancy because it is very toxic to the fetus, and can cause fetal alcohol syndrome.
maternal nutrition both before and during the “childbearing years” is a significant factor influencing the results of your pregnancy, your baby and do not deserve the best?
