Pregnant women are often told to eat for two but this is not true. It is indeed essential to eat enough but pregnant women only need 300 extra calories a day in order to ensure a healthy development of the baby. But eating more is not enough. A lot depends on what you eat. So no food with empty calories, but nutritious food to help the baby grow.
Food and Pregnancy: Eating Healthy When Trying to Conceive
Eating healthy during pregnancy is important, but it’s equally important to eat well before pregnancy. Women trying to have a baby should consult their GP about vitamin supplements such as folic acid. If folic acid is taken prior to conception, the risk that the baby will be born with a serious tube defect is reduced by 70%.
Gaining Weight During Pregnancy
A lot of women wonder why they are gaining so much weight during pregnancy when a newborn baby only weighs about 7 pounds. Don’t worry, not every pound is converted into fat. Then where does the extra 25 or 30 pounds come from? Here’s a small overview – although this may vary from woman to woman:
- 7 pounds: the baby
- 8 pounds: extra stored protein and fats needed for the delivery and breastfeeding
- 4 pounds: extra blood
- 4 pounds: extra amniotic fluid
- 2 pounds: extra breast tissue
- 2 pounds: enlargement of the uterus
- 1.5 pounds: the placenta
Food for Pregnant Women
Eating four to six small meals a day is better than eating three large meals a day. Choose products from the four healthy basic food groups every day. These products should not be left out of pregnancy diets:
- Fruit and vegetables: Pregnant women should eat about 7 or more servings of fruit and vegetables every day because these products are rich sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Try to eat, for example, 4 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables. One vegetable serving can be ½ cup of vegetables or ¾ cup of vegetable juice. Want to eat uncooked or raw vegetables? Then make sure they are washed thoroughly.
- Whole-grains or enriched breads/cereals: Pregnant women should eat 6 to 9 servings of these products daily. These can include bread, rice and pasta. One serving of this food category can be ½ cup of cooked rice or 1 slice of bread for instance.
- Dairy Products: another product to include in the pregnancy diet plan is dairy. It provides the baby with calcium and contains lots of vitamins. Pregnant women are advised to eat low-fat or non-fat milk products in order to lower their fat intake. The amount of recommended servings is 4. One serving can be 1 cup of yoghurt or 2 oz. processed cheese for example. Cheese made from unpasteurized milk should be avoided though.
- Proteins: women expecting a baby should eat about 60 grams of protein every day. This can be 3 ounce of cooked lean meat, poultry (without skin) or fish. But beware; some kinds of fish contain a lot of methylmercury which can be harmful for an unborn baby. Pregnant women are advised to talk to their GP about what fish they can or cannot eat.
Eating healthy before and during pregnancy is crucial. Pregnant women should not only monitor how much they eat but also what they eat. A balanced and nutritious diet is advised as well as some vitamin supplements prescribed by a GP.
Readers wanting to know more about how to prepare their bodies for a pregnancy should also read the article Pregnancy Preparation
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