One of the most important questions that women could ask regarding pregnancy is what to eat when pregnant. It is true that you are what you eat and in this case your baby is also what you eat.
Another thing to know is that you don’t have to be eating for two; you just need 300 extra calories.
Information about eating habits during pregnancy
Having a balanced diet is very important, even though the nausea and the vomiting during the first period could make this almost impossible. Prenatal vitamins should also be taken including folic acid that is crucial for the development and the well-being of the baby.
Balanced diet
To make sure that you get all the nutrients you need, it is important to have a varied nutrition when it comes to eating habits during pregnancy.
You should have 6-11 small meals per day consisting of grains, breads, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and protein sources. The diet should have little sugar and fats.
Fiber
When it comes to what to eat when pregnant you must be thinking about sources of fiber as well. The foods that are high in fiber include whole-grain breads, pasta, cereals, fruits, rice and vegetables. There are also some kinds of foods that are enriched with fiber so consider them as well.
Minerals and vitamins
We could say that these are the building blocks of eating habits during pregnancy. The doctors ensure that you get the right amount of minerals and vitamins through suggesting that you start taking prenatal vitamin supplements. There are some over-the –counter brands or the doctor could prescribe you some other supplements.
Dairy products
If you are wondering what to eat when pregnant, it is important to remember to have foods rich in calcium.
In order to have a healthy diet plan you should have about four servings of dairy products per day. These could be made of milk, yogurt, spreads, cheese or anything else that is high in calcium.
Iron
The eating habits during pregnancy should also be taken into consideration and iron is important for the development of the baby. For sure it has a role to play in the blood production and keep in mind that your body has to produce blood for the baby as well, so you need more iron than before.
Vitamin C
If you ask a doctor what to eat when pregnant, he or she might start with the foods rich in vitamin C. One of the best sources is to have a lot of fruits, such as oranges, strawberries, grapefruits, papaya, and honeydew. There are some other sources like cauliflower, broccoli, green peppers, mustard greens and tomatoes.
Folic acid
As it has been mentioned before regarding eating habits during pregnancy, one of the most important things to have is folic acid. This comes in dark green leafy vegetables, legumes and veal. Pregnant women require 0.4 mg of folic acid on a daily basis to make sure that the baby won’t have neural tube defects.
Vitamin A
You may think that there are too many vitamins to consider when thinking about what to eat when pregnant, but vitamin A is a really important one. The sources of this vitamin include pumpkins, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, water squash, beet greens, turnip greens, cantaloupe and apricots. Nonetheless in this case of eating habits during pregnancy it is important not to have too much of the vitamin because it could lead to birth defects.
As you can see, there is a lot to think about when it comes to what to eat when pregnant, but the main point is to be healthy.
