Maintaining the proper diet during the time of pregnancy is really important and pregnant women should ensure that she is taking essential nutrients and vitamins through her food. Because proper diet will ensure that your baby is getting enough energy to develop and grow properly. You need to take extra 350-500 calories during the second and third trimesters so that your diet is not lacking with essential nutrients that affect the baby’s development. Poor eating habits and gaining more weight will increase the risk of gestational diabetes and birth complications. Taking healthy and nutritious foods will ensure the health of you and your baby. Doctor consultation is very much important while planning for a pregnancy diet. Here are the lists of foods you can eat during pregnancy:
In This Article
Food to each during pregnancy
Fruits and vegetables
You may take the fruits and vegetables in different portions like juice, fresh and frozen, canned and dried. Try to take more fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables because it contains high volumes of vitamins and other nutrients. Experts’ advices that consuming raw fruits is better than drinking fresh juice because sugar levels are quite high when you consume the fruit in juice form. But drinking vegetable juices like carrot and wheatgrass will enhance nutrition content in your body. When it comes to dried fruits prunes and dates contain a high amount of iron, potassium, and fiber. Also, you have to understand the fact that dried fruits contain high amounts of natural sugar which are not healthy for your fetus.
Whole grains
Whole grains contain a fair amount of protein which is very much important during the time of pregnancy. Consuming whole grains will meet the increased calorie requirements for pregnant women during the time of second and third trimesters. Opposite to refined grains whole grains contain a rich number of proteins, vitamins and minerals and also dietary compounds which are essential during the time of pregnancy. Oats and quinoa are most preferable because they are rich in vitamin B, fiber and magnesium.
Dairy products
During the time of pregnancy, it is important for pregnant women to take an extra amount of protein and calcium that meets the needs of the growing baby. So taking dairy products will help you to meet this need because dairy products contain two types of essential proteins like casein and whey. As you know dairy products contain a rich source of calcium and a high amount of other essential vitamins like phosphorus, vitamin b, magnesium, and zinc. The probiotic bacteria present in the yogurt will help you to curb the digestion problems which are common for pregnant women. People with lactose intolerance can definitely go for probiotic yogurt which will help you to stay away from complications like gestational diabetes, vaginal infections, and allergies.
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes contain a rich amount of beta-carotene which is a plant compound that can be converted into vitamin A for your body. Vitamin A is the essential nutrient which is important for a baby for growth and differentiation of cells and tissues. It plays a key role in fetal development. Medical experts will generally advise pregnant women to increase their vitamin A intake of up to 40%. You will be advised not to consume vitamin A that comes from the animal source because it will increase the toxic content in your body. Sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene which is about 3.5 to 5.3 ounces in the cooked potatoes.
Dark green leafy vegetables
Pregnant women can take green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach which is rich with essential nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and Vitamin A, calcium and iron. Apart from this it also contains folate and potassium and most importantly these green leafy vegetables are rich in antioxidants an essential compound which improves your immune system and digestion issues. Due to these plants contains a rich amount of fiber it will prevent the pregnant women suffering from common problems like constipation.
Drink sufficient water
Overall drinking sufficient amount of water will help the pregnant women to stay hydrated which helps them to stay away from tiredness and dizziness.
Foods to eat with limit
Here are the lists of food items that can be consumed limit during pregnancy:
Caffeine
Caffeine is a psychoactive substance present in coffee, tea, and soft drinks. Caffeine can be absorbed quickly and easily pass into the placenta and fetus. High caffeine intake will hinder the growth of the baby and also bring you birth complications.
Fish
The high amount of toxic contents present in fish meat these days will affect the nervous system, kidneys, and immune system. So avoiding fish meat during the time of pregnancy is highly advisable. So these are the foods you have to consume during your pregnancy to maintain the good health of you and your baby.
Foods to avoid:
So what are all the foods that you don’t need to consume? To answer this question here we have listed a few foods and beverages you have to avoid during your pregnancy time.
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol while you are pregnant can increase the chances of miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. All these problems are associated with the physical, mental and emotional development of your health as well as the growth of the baby. Thus, it is highly advisable to strictly avoid Alcohol during pregnancy.
Undercooked or raw meat
You need to understand the fact that consuming raw food items during your pregnancy will make you suffering from constipation and digestion issues. So eating raw, undercooked and processed meat has the possibility of having bacteria and parasites which can bring harm to your baby. Consuming raw fish like shellfish can cause several infections which will affect the pregnant mother and leaving her dehydrated for a week of time. Avoiding high-mercury fish even it is cooked properly is a better option because mercury is a compound that contains the highly toxic element. So it is advisable for pregnant women to avoid raw and undercooked meats.
Unpasteurized foods
Pasteurization is the best option to kill the harmful bacteria present in the food items without changing the nutritional values. Unpasteurized foods like raw milk, cheese contains harmful bacteria even unpasteurized juice are subject to bacterial contamination. So avoiding unpasteurized food will reduce the risk of pregnancy complication.
Avoid junk foods
Same applies to junk foods because they are prepared in an unhygienic manner and also contains preservatives which bring health hazards to both pregnant women and baby. Generally processed junk foods are low in nutrients and high in sugar which increases the chance of developing several diseases in future. So in order to minimize the risk of infections pregnant women are advised to stay away from junk foods.
Raw sprouts
Raw sprouts including clover, radish, and mung bean sprouts contain salmonella which will not be left out even if you washed properly and will bring you constipation when you consume them. So avoiding raw sprouts is the best possible option to stay healthy during pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a gift given by god so it is important to eat healthy foods which help you to stay healthy for you and your baby.
