When people tell you that an expectant mother needs to eat for two, they are not talking about quantity usually. It refers to how much nutrition you must take in daily. It is vital for you and your baby. How well guided your pregnancy it will impact how safe, and easy your delivery is, and how healthy your child at birth. Eating and drinking the right items, while avoiding certain foods and drinks like the plague, will avert many complications in childbirth. This blog concentrates on the foods that are best for you.
Nuts are particularly desirable during pregnancy for several reasons. The first one is that as pregnancy advances, the mother is able to eat only smaller quantities due to the constant pressure on her inner organs. The density of the nutrients found in various kinds of nuts, such as protein, fiber, and a variety of vitamins, and minerals ensure that she and the baby get all the nourishment required at this stage even after eating small quantities of food. However, avoid the candied and raw kinds, as the former could be dangerous in pregnancy diabetes, and the latter might introduce some dangerous infection.
When you munch on nuts like pistachios, cashews, almonds, and pecans, you ensure that the baby’s nervous system is well developed, and you get enough magnesium to prevent premature labor. The heart-healthy fat found in nuts is especially valuable during pregnancy. They enable the growth of the baby’s brain without putting any overload on the mother’s health. However, if you suffer from any allergies, it would be wiser to steer clear of nuts like peanuts which have a high allergen value.
Salads which combine fruits and fresh vegetables of different hues make for a balanced diet. They provide you with the vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates which are vital for your baby to thrive. You should eat bananas regularly. Depending on the season, oranges, watermelons, cherries, apricots, apples, grapes, pears, figs, and mangoes are rich sources of vital nutrients.
When tossed with minimal or no dressing, and just a sprinkling of salt and pepper, they are healthy and tasty enough to create a sense of contentment after snacking off a salad. You can lightly steam the fresh vegetables. You might even drizzle or drench your salad with orange juice, or the juice of sweet limes to add some zest while ensuring the quantum of vitamin C.
Since mother and child need all kinds of vitamins, minerals, and proteins, legumes and beans are ideal to incorporate into items in a menu or use as a base for nutrient-rich soups. Remember that beans and lentils are great sources of protein, iron, folate, fiber, zinc, and calcium. However, you should remember to first soak beans, chickpeas (Kabuli chana), Bengal gram (kala chana), and lentils before cooking them, to make them more digestible.
Eating greens like spinach, kale, asparagus, and broccoli give you the vitamins, fibre, folate, potassium, and calcium that are vital for a healthy pregnancy, carrying the baby full term, and developing strong bones in the baby. The fibers in the greens help to keep the system clear. Since constipation is a common enough complaint during pregnancy, you have more reason to choose a non-medicinal option to overcome it.
Greens like kale, asparagus, and spinach; vegetables like sweet potatoes, beans, especially red kidney beans, and artichokes; fruits like blackberries, plums, blueberries, and cranberries; and dark chocolate are very rich in antioxidants. They make for a healthy mummy and a healthy baby.
Unless your religion forbids it specifically (in reality, no such injunctions exist in most scriptures), you should eat one egg, or a portion of fishes like salmon, or a portion of lean meat daily to ensure that mother and child get the complete nourishment in the form of proteins, iron, and carbohydrates regularly. It will ensure that you get the necessary calories, and the weight gain is appropriate. While fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids so necessary to develop a high IQ level, lower neurological issues, and better motor skills in the child; you can source them in avocados, walnuts, and almonds too.
Unless you have a lactic intolerance, drink a glass of skimmed milk daily. Parmesan and cheddar cheese can be used as toppings; though soft cheese is best avoided. Brown, rather than white, bread, or unpolished rice, rotis made of atta rather than of maida should be your staples. Yogurt and tofu are good sources of protein.
