PREGNANCY DIET

Diet for Pregnant Women - The main aim of pregnancy diet chart and plan is to include all essential food and nutrition so that during pregnancy you are not deprived of important nutrients that will help in normal fetal growth. You should have a healthy diet during pregnancy and your meals should be nutritious as well as well balanced. The number of meals in a day should be increased but the quantities should be decreased. These articles provide you information on what you should eat when pregnant and offering diet and nutrition tips to make sure you and your baby stay healthy during pregnancy.

Vitamins and minerals:

HEALTHY FOOD FOR PREGNANCY

Folic acid - Folic acid is a natural form of water soluble vitamin B. In synthetic form, it is present in enriched food and supplements. It helps to prevent pregnancy complications such as premature birth, neural-tube defect and low birth weight. The Ministry of Health recommends that women should take 0.4 mg (400 micrograms) of folic acid in a supplement until at least the 12th week of pregnancy. A lack of this B vitamin has been linked with neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida.

Iron - Extra vitamins and minerals - Iron rich diet aids production of red blood cells and keeps anaemia at bay. You may need extra vitamins and minerals, or you might have to eat a special diet if you are a strict vegetasrian, diabetic, anemic and if you have history of low birth weight baby.

Other good sources of folic acid are beans and dal. Both of them are largely used in Indian cuisines. By eating half a cup of beans get up to 90 mcg of folate.

Bengal gram, Chick pea, Minapa pappu, Mashkalair, Chana, Kothukadalai, Sanagalu, Black gram, Urad dal, Ulutham paruppu and Udad are some other rich sources of folate.

1. Eat chapattis, naan and paranthas made from fortified or whole grains.
2. Lean meats, green vegetables, fish, nuts, fruits gives you good supply of iron.
3. One cup of cooked iron gives 3.9 mg iron.
4. Half cup of cooked spinach gives 3.2 mg of iron.

Your doctor will check your iron levels regularly and advise you on how much to take.

Milk and dairy products - skimmed milk, yogurt, buttermilk, paneer. These foods are high in calcium, protein and Vitamin B-12. Talk to your doctor about what to eat if you are lactose intollerant.

Vegetables and fruits -  These provide vitamins, minerals and fibre.

VEGITABLES & FRUITS

The health benefits of fruits and vegetables have never been in question but pregnant women should be aware of the essential ones in their diet. You should stack up a lot of fruits and vegetables in your kitchen during pregnancy. Take at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables daily, and try different types. 

• Handful of berries or grapes.
• 150 ml of fresh fruit juice.
• Sliced melon or pineapple.
• An apple, banana, orange or tomato of a medium size.
• A dessert salad bowl.
• 2 plums.
• 3 heaps of tablespoons of cooked vegetables or beans and pulses.
• One heaped tablespoon of dry fruits such as walnut, cashew, raisins, almonds and dates.

Eating green leafy vegetables is a must! Apart from that, a pregnant woman must include at least five different colours of fruits in their daily diet.

Meat, fish and poultry - These provide concentrated proteins.

FOOD PIRAMIDE

Fluids - Drink lots of fluids, especially water and fresh fruit juices. Make sure you drink clean, filtered water. Carry your own water when out of the house, or buy bottled water from a reputed brand. Most diseases are caused by waterborne viruses. Go easy on packaged juices as they have a very high sugar content.

Fats and oils - Ghee, butter, coconut milk and oil are high in saturated fats, which are not very healthy. Vanaspati and Dalda are both high in trans fats, which are as bad for you as saturated fats. A better source of fat is vegetable oils because these contain more unsaturated fat.

More Diet for Healthy Pregnancy:

Even though everyone will advise you to eat for two, the average woman does not need any extra calories during the first six months of pregnancy. Your body actually becomes more efficient at extracting the required energy and nutrients from your diet when you're expecting a baby. Even in the last few months, you only need about 200 extra calories per day. You can add two hundred calories to your daily diet with:

2 rotis without ghee or one masala dosa or two bananas or 2 scrambled eggs

Your own appetite is the best indication of how much food you need to eat and you may find it fluctuating during the course of your pregnancy:

• In the first few weeks you may not feel like eating proper meals, especially if you suffer from nausea or sickness. Try then to eat smaller but more frequent meals throughout the day.
• During the middle part of your pregnancy your appetite may come back. You may be hungry and feel like eating more than usual.
• Towards the end of your pregnancy your appetite will probably increase. If you suffer from acidity, heartburn or a full feeling after eating you may find it helpful to have small frequent meals.

The best rule is to eat when you are hungry and to choose healthy food rather than calorie-rich dishes with little nutritive value.

SHOULD NOT EAT DURING PREGNANACY:

1. Unpasteurised milk (buffalo or cow's milk) may contain listeria.
2. Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, and eggs. These can contain harmful bacteria. Cook all meat until there are no pink bits left. Fully cook your eggs till they are hard
3. Raw seafood, such as oysters or uncooked sushi.



FOOD NOT TO EAT

4. Large predator fish, such as shark or swordfish as it may contain unsafe levels of mercury. These fish absorb the mercury from contaminated water. The mercury binds tightly to the proteins in fish muscle and remains there even after the fish is cooked.
5. Processed or canned fish is often preserved in saline (salt solution), which may lead to water retention. Drain canned fish well, and have processed fish only occasionally.
6. Alcoholic drinks. Drinking too much alcohol can cause physical defects, learning disabilities, and emotional problems in children, so many experts recommend that you give up alcohol while you are pregnant.
7. Cut down on caffeine. Drinking more than 300mg of caffeine a day increases the risk of miscarriage and low birth weight. Have no more than two mugs of instant coffee, or three cups of tea, or two cans of cola per day.

COCONUT WATER DURING PREGNANCY:

COCONUT WATER

• Coconut water is naturally sterile. Coconut is especially good for pregnant women because of its ability to help maintain the health of the mother and the baby. It is fat free and has zero cholesterol beverages. It also increases the level of the HDL cholesterol or the good cholesterol that is present in the body.
• Coconut water can help keep the cholesterol levels under control during pregnancy.During pregnancy, a woman may experience exhaustion and dehydration, which can be easily replenished by coconut water. Occurrence of natural salt loss can also be replenished by coconut water.
• Coconut water strengthens immune system. Considering that coconut water is rich in anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties, it can help in the prevention of HIV, herpes, flu etc during pregnancy.
• Coconut helps in the prevention and treatment of heartburn. It helps in the cleaning of intestinal worms as well as the digestive tract. Consuming coconut can help pregnant woman in keeping away from constipation and heartburn.
• Coconut water allows the body for easy digestion is free of chemicals and contains high amounts of electrolytes.
• Considering that coconut water is light, it helps in weight loss. A cup of coconut water contains only 46 calories because most of it, approximately 95%, is water.