Plan healthy meals
You should be eating well in your pregnancy, especially as it advances into the second trimester. Pregnancy often brings with it a sudden like or dislike of certain types of foods. Perhaps you always liked eating chicken, and now you can’t go near it. Avoiding to eat specific foods is not a problem as long as your diet overall is not lacking in crucial nutrients. You are very likely to experience cravings for foods you usually do not eat and that is perfectly normal. Go ahead and indulge but do take care of the meals that you are eating. Make the meals frequent and small so your blood sugar levels do not drop. Here is how you can start on planning a healthy meal for yourself and the baby inside you. Post this list on your fridge or kitchen as it may inspire and remind you to ear better.
Calcium: Drink milk or calcium-fortified orange juice, and eat dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, for example), canned salmon (not more than twice a week), cottage cheese, yogurt, or hard cheese (like Parmesan) daily to provide the calcium needed to build your baby’s bones and teeth. Remember, your baby needs calcium for his bones and if you are not taking enough calcium, the baby will start using the calcium in your body. You want to stay strong, beautiful, and healthy till your old age – then eat plenty of dairy products during your pregnancy.
Vitamin C: Eating citrus fruits, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes daily will help your baby’s developing bones, cartilage, muscles, and blood.
Vitamin A: Yellow vegetables, milk, peaches, and green leafy vegetables provide the vitamin A that helps to create the cells that will make up your baby’s internal organs.
Vitamin D: Milk, egg yolks, sardines and canned salmon, and a little daily sunshine are all you need for this nutrient important to bones and teeth.
Vitamin E: Vitamin E is provided by green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and fish. Low levels in mothers’ diets during pregnancy have recently been linked to increased risk of their children developing asthma by the age of 5. Because a diet rich in vegetables and grains will provide plenty of E, extra supplements (beyond what is already included in prenatal vitamins) are not recommended.
Iron: You need twice as much iron now as before you got pregnant. Iron is needed to make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen through your and your baby’s bloodstream. The additional iron also helps your baby to build her own blood supply. Dried fruit, lean red meat, beans, pasta, whole-grain breads, prunes, and green leafy vegetables provide it.
Folic Acid: Folic acid is also used to produce the extra blood you and your baby need. When taken at the right levels in pre-pregnancy and in early pregnancy, it can help prevent neural tube birth defects. Research now suggests that having enough folic acid in a mother’s diet during pregnancy may also reduce the risk of certain childhood cancers for her baby. Broccoli, asparagus, lean beef, oranges, lentils, peanuts, and leafy green vegetables are all rich in folic acid.
Protein: The amino acids found in protein are the building blocks of your baby’s body, your uterus, and your increasing blood volume. Eggs, lean meat, milk, yogurt, hard cheese, peanut butter, fish, poultry, and beans are all good sources.
Zinc: Zinc has been newly recognized as an important nutrient for your baby’s growth. Zinc is provided by whole grains, meat, and milk, oysters, beans, nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Carbohydrates: These nutrients provide energy and fiber. Your diet should include the good ones found in whole grains, potatoes, and corn.
Omega-3 fatty acids: DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, is an essential nutrient for brain and vision development. Developing fetuses and infants get at least half the necessary level of DHA for brain development in the womb and half from breast milk after birth. During the third trimester, the growing fetus brain cells are especially hungry for DHA, and benefit from a maternal diet rich with 300 mg of these fats. Research also suggests that having enough omega-3 fatty acids in a mother’s diet during the pregnancy may increase her baby’s birth weight and reduce the risk of premature birth. DHA comes from cold-water fish, including mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines, black cod, anchovies, and albacore tuna, as well as cod liver oil. Unfortunately, some fish, including mackerel and white tuna, carry levels of mercury considered unsafe for pregnant women. Canned and fresh salmon and light tuna, however, are low in mercury and an excellent source of DHA. DHA supplements are also available, and some prenatal vitamins now include the nutrient. Another essential fatty acid, ALA, is found mostly in sunflower and flax seeds and leafy dark-green vegetables (spinach, kale, and collard greens). Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to be good for mothers, as deficiencies are associated with postpartum depression.
Fats: Fats aren’t always bad! They are an important source of energy, as they help your body use the vitamins A, D, E, and K provided by other foods. Still, this does not mean that you want to overdo it. A couple ounces of cheese, or 2 tablespoons of butter, peanut butter, or mayonnaise, or an egg, or a serving of lean meat, or half a small avocado each day will give you what you need.
Fluids: Last but not the least, your baby’s developing new cells and your increased blood volume require drinking lots of water. At least eight 8-ounce glasses a day will also minimize swelling, constipation, and your risk of urinary tract infections. You should keep your body hydrated all the time.
Tags: calcium, Diet, folic acid, healthy eating, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, Urinary Tract Infection, vitamin