There are a number of problems that stem from uncooked or improperly cooked items that can pose problems for pregnant women, such as Listeria and Salmonella, which they have to be particularly careful about.

So is sushi safe during pregnancy? Generally speaking, sushi is safe even during pregnancy, because not all sushi is uncooked and there are several health benefits of eating fish: there are vitamins and nutrients to be found in fish that are beneficial for baby.

However, certain fish should be avoided altogether during pregnancy; whether cooked or not: swordfish, mackerel, shark and tile fish.

There are yet other kinds of fish of which intake should be restricted during pregnancy. This is because of higher mercury content.

Sushi preparations such as Shiro, Hamachi, Makjiki, Toro, Inada, Meji, Buri, Kanpachi, Masu, Ahi, Katsuo, and Maguro should be restricted to no more than 3 six ounce servings in a month. Intake of fish such as tuna, big eye, trout, yellowtail and blue marlin should be restricted.

The fish that are lower in mercury can be enjoyed by pregnant women at any time.

This study is likely to explain to us, how diet of the mother around the time of conception can and does affect human babies.

It was found that eating breakfast and a high fat diet was more likely to result in the conception of a baby boy.

The aim of the study was to find out how the mother’s diet impacted the activity of genes in the cells of the placenta which is the source of the baby’s nutrition when in the womb.

The study also looked at how the diet could affect the future health of offspring. The study found that there was a tendency for more of the offspring to be female when the mother mice were fed low fat and high carbohydrate food.

Findings of this study do not necessarily carry over into the way things work for humans, but this could go a long way in determining how early environment shapes the future of a fetus.

Source: NHS News

While some women crave salt, others long for sweets; yet others salivate at the sight or smell of pickles!

If Halle Berry famously craved pickles and foot massages during her pregnancy and supermodel Heidi Klum wanted ice-cream, then Angelina Jolie wanted dark chocolate bars with cinnamon and Mexican chili and Nicole Ritchie apparently had all her pregnancy food cravings in the middle of the night!

Similarly each pregnant woman one comes across will probably have a similar story about their unusual cravings at some very unusual times!

What causes the cravings? It is thought by scientists that some pregnancy food cravings could be due to hormonal factors while others could be due to actual nutritional requirements.

Women require more number of calories to be consumed when pregnant and in the event it is likely that they may be attracted to calorie laden items such as cakes, sweets, fried food etc. So if a woman has a high sodium requirement she may crave salted snacks such as chips and pizzas etc.

What causes the aversions? On the flip side of the coin are pregnancy food aversions. Certain bitter foods taste even bitterer and a pregnant woman may develop an aversion.

Some favorites may become unpalatable; even cause her to become nauseous. This may be the body’s protective mechanism kicking in.

For instance, a woman who usually enjoys her drink may find she is averse to beer, wine etc when pregnant. This may be the body’s instinctive way of avoiding any damage to the growing fetus.

There is also the fact that a woman’s sense of smell and taste are altered during her pregnancy. Owning to this, she may develop these pregnancy food cravings as well as aversions.

What is Pica?

This is a rather unusual condition that pregnant women experience during pregnancy, when they have the craving for strange and inedible stuff, such as paper, chalk, soap, wood, dirt, clay paint chips, toothpaste, broken crockery, cigarette butts, baking soda, laundry starch etc. This is a potentially serious condition and can be toxic or even fatal in very rare cases.

Even the more common or garden varieties of pregnancy food cravings, such as fried and/spicy food that so many of us probably experience, may not be a good idea to give in to.

It is important to eat health and nutritious food when pregnant, which imparts nutrients to the mother and her unborn baby’s development. This is not necessarily high calorie food, which may actually end up being unnecessarily accumulated in the body as fat and may be very difficult to dislodge when the baby arrives, also fried food may be more difficult to digest, causing problems such as heartburn.

Acid reflux is another problem that pregnant women face and in the event limiting spicy foods or pickles is a good idea, lest they add to and compound the problem. Rule of thumb should be, Indulge the craving, so long as it is healthy for you and baby.

And now apparently even allergic reactions of the baby can be determined by a mother’s diet during pregnancy.

According to a Japanese study, eating more fruits and vegetables when pregnant lowered the baby’s risk of developing allergies. The risk of those babies whose mothers ate a lot of fruit and vegetables had half the risk of developing eczema when compared with those who ate less fresh produce.

The most benefit was seen to be imparted by caroteniod rich foods that are typically brightly and variously colored. This includes veggies such as bell peppers (orange, red and green), winter squashes, carrots, leafy green vegetables,  etc.

Veggies and fruits high in beta carotene (colored red and orange) can lower eczema risk and foods that are rich in vitamin E may lower risk of wheezing in an infant.

Though there have been earlier findings that would seem to conflict with this, it is true that fresh fruit and veggies are excellent to have during pregnancy. Not only are they great for health, they provide a lot of nutrients and keep the system regular.

In fact it is recommend that if a woman is planning on getting pregnant, she should start taking a supplement even before conception, so that when the conception occurs there is no folic acid deficiency in the body that may adversely affect the growing fetus.

Folic acid is necessary for a number of important bodily processes such as production of healthy red blood cells and a folic acid deficiency can cause anemia.

Folic acid or folate is vitally important when there are ongoing processes of growth and cell division, particularly in the early part of a pregnancy.

A folic acid deficiency could lead to a neural tube defect in a developing embryo. Neural tube defects are the malformations of the skull and spinal cord and brain wherein some babies may be born with exposed brain or spinal cord.

Ensuring that there is no folic acid deficiency can significantly reduce a baby’s chance of being born with neural tube defects and also problems with the urinary tract, limb defects or other congenital problems such as a cleft lip, and heart defects.

Doctors generally advice women who are planning a baby to start to fortify their diet with foods rich in folic acid or add a folic acid supplement to the diet to avoid a folic acid deficiency as soon as they start to try for a baby so that a number of serious birth defects can be avoided.

The importance of reducing folic acid deficiency in pregnant mothers is very well established, and to some extent this is also the case for men; since folic acid may to some extent reduce chromosomal abnormalities in sperm. So it may make sense for a couple to try and negate any folic acid deficiency that either may have as soon as they decide to have a baby.

Inclusion of green leafy vegetables in a person’s diet or eating cereals fortified with folic acid are a good way to avoid a folic acid deficiency.

A supplement is also recommended for avoiding such a deficiency, with pregnant women being advised a higher dosage of the supplement than others. Usually recommended dosage to prevent folic acid deficiency during pregnancy is 600-800 micrograms.

It adds an indefinable element to the food that elevates that taste and helps you taste the flavors better.  While it has no taste of its own, it enhances others’ tastes.

MSG is added to a lot of things, even items as common as potato chips. Chinese food is another source of MSG since it is widely used in Chinese cooking particularly in preparation of restaurant food.

MSG’s potential for causing birth defects in rats when administered in high doses is well documented, however it is found to be safe to eat for humans generally speaking. This is true even in case of pregnant women.

Unless there is some particular sensitivity of certain individuals to MSG, it is to be avoided in any case; otherwise there is no reason for pregnant women not to have MSG.

The fact is that MSG occurs naturally and is not the villain that it is painted out to be. So far there is no definite cause of link ever proved or any evidence to substantiate the claim that MSG is harmful to the unborn baby or its development.

Some experts opine that even a large dose of MSG would not harm the baby. The FDA also classifies MSG as safe, right along with sugar, salt and baking soda which are all safe in moderation.

However some people are sensitive to MSG and among those that have sensitivity to MSG this condiment can cause vomiting, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and sleep disturbances in some cases.

Also the studies that were carried out in rats have not been replicated in human beings mostly because pregnant women are not likely to subject themselves and their unborn babies to tests willingly where large doses of MSG are administered just to see if their babies are born with birth defects.

So while MSG is considered generally safe to consume and is not prohibited or advised against even during pregnancy, if there is any feeling of trepidation on part of the mother that MSG is not good for her unborn child, then the consumption thereof can be avoided.

MSG is, by no means a necessity of any sort, it can easily be done without if there are any doubts either because of its high sodium content or otherwise. Since there is a legal requirement for foods containing the condiment to list it as an ingredient, it is easily avoided, and can be if one so wishes.

In some women it can happen that lactose intolerance may actually happen during pregnancy but this is rare.

However women who are anyway lactose intolerant, or those women who develop an aversion to milk or other dairy products during their pregnancy , may have difficulty in meeting their and the baby’s daily calcium requirement.

This requirement is particularly important during the last trimester because that is when the baby’s bones are developing and that is when it is likely that your own calcium stores of the body will get drained or depleted by your growing baby resulting in conditions such as weaker teeth and bones later in life.

Try Yoghurt: It is the lactose in the milk that is indigestible when one is intolerant and yoghurt, due to its fermentation process has less of the lactose than does an equal amount of milk.

A significant amount of the lactose is converted into lactic acid, which may be more digestible.

You can also try substituting regular milk with other kinds of milk such as the kind with its lactose content removed or significantly lowered or the kind of milk that has an enzyme called lactase added to it, which aids in digestion. Soy milk that has been calcium fortified is another option.

Increase intake of calcium rich foods: Vegetables such as spinach (cooked), collard greens, turnip greens, broccoli, cabbage, green beans, kale, mustard greens, okra, are also sources of calcium and can be included to a larger degree in your diet.

You can up intake of fruits such as oranges, figs, strawberries, raisins or substitute your regular fruit juice with juice that has been calcium fortified.

Supplement: A supplement of calcium can also be added to your diet after consultation with your physician. It is important to get an easily soluble brand.

If a tablet does not dissolve in a portion of vinegar after 10 minutes, then it is better to try a different brand of supplement. It is also important to make sure that you choose a lead free brand.

Weight bearing exercise will help you strengthen bones and in consultation with your physician you can decide what are the best kind of exercises for you to do during your pregnancy.

Vitamin D: Calcium is absorbed into the body only in the presence of Vitamin D so make sure that you get enough.

Dr. Jean Golding and colleagues at the University of Bristol found a connection between low intake of omega-3 fatty acid from seafood and an increased risk of high depressive level symptoms during pregnancy in the study and reported the finding in the latest issue of journal Epidemiology.

The researchers studied 9960 pregnant women. At 32 weeks of pregnancy, the women completed a questionnaire that included questions about mood and the amount of seafood they ate weekly during 1991 and 1992 — a period when seafood was the main source of omega-3 fatty acids in Britain.

Source: Reuters

A diet which includes fiber rich foods can also help prevent the development of hemorrhoids, another less than pleasant side-effect of pregnancy, and help keep your blood pressure from becoming elevated.

Now, it seems a fiber rich diet during pregnancy may also reduce the risk of preeclampsia, also once known as toxemia.

As many as 5% to 8% of women, suffer from pre eclampsia during pregnancy. The only cure for preeclampsia, and its more dangerous sequelae eclampsia, is delivery of the baby.

Delivery of a pre-term baby also has consequences, the severity of which is directly tied to the baby’s gestational age at delivery.

Adding as little as 5 extra grams of fiber, about the amount in one medium apple, can lower your risk of pre eclampsia by almost 14 percent.

Other good sources of fiber are whole grains (oatmeal or whole wheat cereal for breakfast, for example), vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes. Aim for about 21 grams of fiber a day, or as your health care provider recommends.

The foundation for your baby’s health is laid down during your pregnancy, and choices you make now can have far-reaching consequences.

That’s why you need to include Omega 3 essential fatty acids in your diet. Omega 3 fatty acids are called essential because your body needs them for mental and physical health.

While your body can produce some of the compounds you need from the food you eat, it cannot produce Omega 3 fatty acids. You must include good sources of these foods in your diet.

Omega 3 fatty acids are used by the developing baby in brain development, retina formation, and to develop the nervous system. Omega 3 fatty acids are especially important during the third trimester of pregnancy when the baby’s brain is undergoing its most rapid phase of development.

They help keep you healthy during pregnancy by reducing your chances of developing preeclampsia, helping prevent post-partum depression, and lowering the chances that you will go into preterm labor, which can have serious consequences for your baby.

Even after your baby is born, the Omega 3 fatty acids you ate during pregnancy will continue to be helpful, and may result in a greater attention span, greater visual acuity, less chance of developmental problems, and a lower incidence of breast or prostate cancer in later life.

Fortunately, Omega 3 fatty acids are easy to include in your diet. Good sources include:

• oily fish like salmon and sardines
• tuna (fresh or frozen, but not raw)
• dark green vegetables
• walnuts
• canola, sunflower or flaxseed oil

You can also find Omega 3 supplements. Aim for an intake of at least 250 mgs daily, or as recommended by your health care provider.