You might be thinking why do we plan diets every few weeks. Can’t we plan it once for all the weeks? Your body changes almost everyday but let’s consider the major changes that takes in weeks rather than days. Similarly your body requirements also change from week to week.
Your first trimester is different than your second and third trimesters. So, the diet also changes as per body’s requirements. Before going into the diet recommendations, let’s first solve the common problem every woman faces in these 9 to 12 weeks of pregnancy which is morning sickness or nausea.
How To Eat When You Have Morning Sickness?
Though it is called morning sickness nausea can occur at anytime of the day. It is so called because most commonly women feel it early in the morning as soon as they wake up. In that case you may not feel like eating anything. You may not feel hungry at all; but you should not avoid food. Eat in small portions more often than eating large portion at a time. This will keep you energetic instead of making you feel tired easily. Here are few tips that can help you reduce the effects of morning sickness.
Nausea is common when you get up from bed. So keep a biscuit packet or crackers by your bed side and have few before getting up from bed. If you sleep in the daytime then also you can have it before getting up.
Whenever you feel nauseous sip a cup of ginger tea. You can also have a cup of hot water with a piece of ginger and a slice of lemon. If you want you can slightly heat a piece of ginger over flame and chew it with some salt. Swallow the juice slowly; you will definitely feel better.
Stay away from foods which make you feel nauseous. If the smell of food is making you feel worse then you can request a family member to look after cooking.
If you don’t want to eat or sip anything as you feel nauseous most of the time then carry a cut lemon, fresh mint or coriander. Sniff them whenever you feel nauseous.
If these remedies are not working for you and you vomit excessively then you should see your doctor immediately.
Few women think that they should eat for two which is wrong. You baby doesn’t need as much as you do. Though few know that they don’t have to eat for two and it is recommended to eat 200 calories extra than normal, few doctors recommend to eat 300 calories extra. So, it’s always better to talk to your doctor before you decide yourself. The reason being your own health condition; your doctor will check your health condition if you are underweight, overweight or normal and will suggest you accordingly.
Should You Take B-Complex?
While we know that everyone needs B vitamins on daily basis but it is much more important for a pregnant woman. Vitamin B6 can help reduce morning sickness and helps in storing energy from the food you eat. It also helps in production of red blood cells. Foods like brown rice, bananas, fish, lean meat, whole grains, poultry, nuts and corn are rich sources of this vitamin.
Vitamin B12 is another important nutrient for pregnancy. Very small amount of it is enough to keep you healthy; but if you do not eat it in sufficient amount then you are more likely to develop anemia or damage nervous system. If you eat meat and dairy products mostly then you may not lack vitamin B12 but if you are a vegan then you need to add plenty of foods rich in this vitamin or have to take supplements. Try adding soya milk, breakfast cereals and yeast extract fortified with vitamin B12.
Should You Take Magnesium?
Magnesium is an essential mineral for the bones of your baby to grow well. It is also required for your muscles to stay strong especially your uterus muscles. It helps in the repair of tissues of your body whenever required. Try adding salad greens, soya beans, pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts and whole grains as these are rich sources of magnesium. Other than these you can also add dried fruits like figs, raisins and dried apricots; try having vegetables like bottle guard, peas, bitter guard, sweet corn, etc. Have more green leafy vegetables like spinach, lamb’s quarters, radish leaves, fenugreek leaves, mustard greens, lettuce, etc. Instead of refined cereals have whole cereals like whole wheat and brown rice; get pulses like kidney beans and green gram. Other than these consume more dairy products like milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. and non-vegetarian foods like meat, fish and poultry.
Breakfast
As said before add more cereals to your diet. You can use whole grain bread or brown bread to prepare sandwich with salad greens, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and cheese. Try using pulses if possible. You can also have hard boiled egg or omelet along with a glass of milk. Another option is to have oatmeal with some vegetables added to it. You can also add milk to oats or cornflakes with few cut fruits.
Lunch
How about a plate of avocado and smoked chicken? Take avocado slices and some lemon juice; arrange lettuce or salad leaves in a clean bowl. Add chopped chicken and chopped cucumber and top it with avocado and sprinkle pomegranate seeds over it. You can also use olive oil, apple cider vinegar and apple juice for dressing. Sprinkle some black pepper and thyme leaves to make it taste better. Mix this well and have it with crusty granary bread. It is very easy to prepare and is rich in vitamin B6.
Snack
Let’s get some vitamin B6 and B12 from your diet. Greek yogurt is rich in these two vitamins. Prefer low fat greek yogurt and add chopped ginger pieces into it. Ginger in it will ease your morning sickness but if you don’t want to add ginger to it then add a spoon of honey instead. To make it tastier you can also add some fruit to it. You can also have a cup of ginger tea and tomato soup in your snack time. Try different kinds of soups and salads. How about cucumber slices in yogurt?
Dinner
Ever tried fish pie as a meal? It is rich in both vitamin B6 and B12. If used salmon, it can provide omega-3 fatty acids as well. Poach salmon, leek and haddock in some milk and add few bay leaves to it. Remove the bay leaves later and make small pieces of the fish. Top it with leeks and place it in an ovenproof container. Melt butter in a saucepan and add flour; slowly add the same milk to prepare white sauce. Once done, pour it over the fish and add some parsley. Get few boiled potatoes and mash them well; you can use some milk and butter while mashing. Spread and spoon the potatoes over the fish and then you need to bake them.
Similarly you can try different recipes and enjoy the food while eating healthy.
