You may not know what to expect from your body when you are a pregnant teen.
Probably, many questions are running through your mind. You may be concerned for you and your baby’s health.
Eating right is not something that you are used to doing. Your diet may have consisted of eating at every fast food place in town. Now it is time for you to figure out what will be healthy eating for you.
A physician or nutritionist can help you get on track to a well balanced healthy diet. You will find there are many foods that you can still eat but in moderation.
No Dieting
Your body is getting bigger and it is hard for you to get into your jeans. Maybe you already have to wear maternity clothes and you really hate them. The diet that you are considering will not be the best thing for you or the baby. This is not the time to go on a diet.
Your baby and you will need all the vitamins and minerals that you can get. Going on a diet will take away some of those nutrients and it will not be good for you and your baby.
Once your baby is born you will automatically lose most of the weight you have gained. The rest of your pregnancy weight will also come off if you eat right and exercise. You are young and your body will bounce back.
Folic Acid
When you are pregnant, it is a good thing if you eat foods that are high in folic acid [Folic acid supplement]. These foods will help your baby to develop a healthy brain and spinal cord.
Eating citrus fruit or drinking its juice, broccoli, dark green vegetables, and lentils are just a few foods that you can eat that will help you absorb folic acid. Foods may not give you all the folic acid that you need. You may need to ask your physician if you need folic acid supplements.
Vegetables
Vegetables are an important food to add to your diet. They add vitamin A to your diet by eating carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins.
Vitamin C found in vegetables comes from potatoes, lettuce, and cabbage [Benefits of vitamin C]. Potassium, which is another crucial nutrient for a balanced diet, is in beans and winter squash. You will need to eat at least two and a half cups of these to get all of the nutrients that you need.
Fruits
You should eat up to five pieces of fruit per day for a healthy diet. You can eat cooked fruit but cooking does take some of the prenatal vitamins out of it.
Fruits will provide Vitamin A, B, C and E. You can find these vitamins in grapes, bananas, kiwi, and oranges among many others.
Just remember that when you are eating, you will be eating for two. This will help you to make the right decisions when it comes to what you will eat and what your baby will receive through you.
