Hey! Are you pregnant? Feeling hungry? Looking to make your tummy and baby happy? You are at the right place. Prabhu Women’s Hospital has made millions of deliveries successful through their proper guidance and advanced technology.
Here we will discuss the nutritious foods for the pregnant ladies that maintain the growth of the baby as well as the health of the mother.
Before directly going to the eatables, one thing we really want to share.
The pregnant woman should have a right and healthy pattern of eating. An unhealthy diet and eating pattern will affect the growth of the kid. It also creates discomfort during pregnancy.
So while planning your diet, please keep the points in mind:
• Always take a variety of vegetables, dairy products, fruits, dry-fruits, whole-grains, etc.
• Make sure to eat or drink items having low sugar, salt (sodium), and saturated fats.
• Try and avoid refined grains like cookies, white-breads, too oily snacks, etc. If you want to have bread, eat whole-grain bread.
Intake of Calories
Firstly, always converse with your doctor in order to decide the right amount of calories for your body. As per our experience
1. For the initial 12 weeks, women do not require any extra amount of calorie.
2. From the 12th -26th weeks, they should add 340 calories.
3. From the 26th week onwards they should take 450 extra calories.
Some most essential intakes during pregnancy are
• Folic acid: To reduce the risk of neural tube defects the expecting lady should take 600mg (micrograms) Folic acid.
• Calcium: Calcium strengthens the muscles, teeth, bones, and nerves. An expecting woman should take 100mg of it daily.
• Vitamin D: Vitamin D is essential because it increases immunity power and makes calcium more effective. A pregnant woman should take 600 IU Vitamin D daily.
• DHA: For the proper development of a baby’s eyes and brain, one should take DHA. It is an omega-3 fatty acid and one can take it 200-300 mg per day
• Iron: Iron is the most essential medication that a pregnant lady should take. It makes more blood which further helps in carrying oxygen to the baby.
• Iodine: An expecting woman should not avoid Iodine. It is beneficial for the growth of the baby’s brain and nervous system. The woman should take 290 mg on daily basis.
So, these are the medications that must be followed during pregnancy time. Apart from that, below we are mentioning the food that they should in routine. We have kept those foods, that are beneficial for the right growth of the baby.
Fruits & Vegetables
Fruits and Vegetables are the best sources of vitamins and other nutrients. Hence, the pregnant ladies should aim to eat five portions of them in a day.
You should try to eat fruits and vegetables because the sugar level in the juice is higher than expected. We have seen many cases where pregnant ladies, become uncomfortable or vomit by eating them.
So, you can also take it in the form of canned, dried, juiced, fresh, and frozen. Also, the varieties create interest for eating and ultimately maintains health.
Dried fruit
You should always include dry-fruits in your diet at the time of pregnancy. The eatable is a great source of fiber and other vitamins. Dried fruits strengthen the body to carry extra weight and also help in the proper growth of the baby.
Moreover, the item has a high quantity of natural sugar and it increases the calorie and nutrients intake in the body.
Foods rich in Starchy Carbohydrates
If you are a foodie, you will definitely love this suggestion. You are free to take foods like Rice, Pasta, Bread and Potato, etc.
As we all know, Carbohydrates offer maximum energy and that is why eatables having starchy carbohydrates are beneficial during pregnancy.
Protein
During pregnancy, intake of protein is a must. If you are a non-vegetarian, you should eat
- Chicken
- Fish
- Lean-Meat
- Eggs
The products have enough amount of protein that keeps you and your baby healthy. Also, vegetarian pregnant ladies should prefer to eat food having enough amount of protein. So, we have brought a list for you as well.
You can have:
- Tofu & Soy Products
- Beans & Legumes
- Nuts & Seeds
- Quinoa
Quinoa
Fiber
Being a pregnant lady, you should include more fiber in your diet. It will keep you active, energized, and healthy during the pregnancy period.
Some of the options that you should consider for the intake of fiber are Whole-meal Bread, Pasta (whole-grain), Pulses, Wild rice.
Also, you should consider Beans and Lentils because they are also a very rich source of fiber. Furthermore, we have seen lots of cases where the problem of constipation increases during pregnancy.
To reduce the problem, the ladies should include plenty of fiber in their diet during pregnancy.
Water
We know water is quite obvious but sometimes people do not aware of it. As we all know during pregnancy blood volume rises by 45% approximately and hence body needs to be hydrated.
Also, if you increase the water intake during pregnancy, there will not be the issue of constipation. Also, it reduces the risk of urinary tract infections.
As per the general guidelines, a pregnant lady should drink approximately 2.3 liters of water in a day.
Hence these are the items that you should have during the period of pregnancy. Being a leading maternity hospital, Prabhu Women’s Hospital is quite aware of the challenges through which women pass.
We have mentioned the right eatables so that an expecting woman should start following them from the early days of the pregnancy. Also, if you have any queries, feel free to get in touch.
