Although pregnant women are faced with food cravings and morning sickness, it is still important to stick to a healthy pregnancy diet plan.
Prenatal nutrition is something very important because it affects the growth and development of the baby. The most important thing is what you eat and not the amount.
Calories and diet plan during pregnancy
It’s not entirely true that pregnant women have to eat for two. In fact, they need about 300 extra calories per day in the second and third trimester. This includes both the meals and the snacks to keep you and the baby healthy. Nonetheless you shouldn’t worry too much about them.
Vitamins and minerals
One of the most important aspects of the diet plan during pregnancy is to have enough minerals, vitamins, fiber and folic acid. This is why it is important to have foods that come with these elements.
The majority of the doctors suggest that women should be taking prenatal vitamins that have everything they need.
Protein
Protein is an important part of the pregnancy diet plan because it is the building block of the growing tissues such as the placenta and the blood of the mother and of the baby.
According to specialists, women should have three servings per day of a variety of foods, such as tofu, chicken, beans, meat and fish.
Calcium
This is one of the most important elements of the diet plan during pregnancy especially during the last trimester.
This makes sure that the baby has the proper bone formation and it also makes sure that the bones of the mother stay strong. Pregnant women should have four servings of dairy products daily.
Breakfast
If you are interested in a pregnancy diet plan, for breakfast you could have a cup of fruit juice, a bowl of cereal with wheat germ and some fresh fruits, herbal tea and a cup of skim milk. Another option may be to have an egg, a wholegrain toast with butter, some orange juice and plain yogurt along with berries.
Wheat pancakes and peanut butter could also be part of the diet plan during pregnancy along with a slice of melon, a cup of skim milk and some decaf coffee. Naturally you could have something else as well according to your taste, but keep the guidelines in mind.
Lunch
When it comes to pregnancy diet plan, you could have for lunch a cheese and turkey sandwich with wholegrain bread, tomato and lettuce, a cup of skim milk and an apple. Another possibility is to have a bowl of pea soup, salad, corn bread and also some skim milk (again).
As a third option regarding diet plan during pregnancy you could have a bit of chicken salad, a cup of skimmed milk and whole wheat roll. As you can see in the majority of the cases it is advisable to have some dairy products with every meal.
Dinner
For dinner, as part of the pregnancy diet plan consider having some broiled chicken with baked potato and sour cream with no fat, steamed snap peas and also some water. Broiled chicken could also be mixed with brown rice, watermelon, steamed broccoli, and some water.
As a third option for diet plan during pregnancy think about having a hamburger with lean sirloin, tomato and lettuce in whole grain roll. Match this with cole slaw and some sparkling water.
You could also ask your doctor about the pregnancy diet plan that he or she suggests, or you may try talking to a specialized nutritionist. This way you will get help from a professional regarding your nutrition.
