Well-balanced diet during pregnancy

Ordinarily, women are always watching what they eat and trying hard to balance their portions, all in the name of maintaining a lean body. Not many think of that In terms of keeping healthy, which is bigger than being petite.

Nutritionists will tell you that having a good quality of nutrients is the foundation of healthy development and general well being of a person. This is also true for a pregnant woman. In fact, during pregnancy, even if you may have been maintaining a healthy diet, you will still need to do a review of the type of foods you need to consume because what you eat has a direct bearing on your unborn baby — the growing baby gets all its nourishment from you through the umbilical cord.

For that reason, you need to take a well balanced diet which has all the required nutrients, vitamins and minerals — not only to keep your body healthy and prepare it for childbearing and breastfeeding but also to aid in the proper growth and development of the unborn child. A pregnant woman requires approximately 2500 calories in a day up from 2100 for a normal healthy woman. That’s an increase of 400 calories. A breastfeeding mother on the other hand needs 3000 calories. Besides this, you should pay special attention to the kind of foods you eat so that you supply your baby and even yourself with the right kind of nutrition A well balanced diet should contain something from all the food groups dairy products, fruits, vegetable, fish, meat, eggs, fat and carbohydrates. Studies show that approximately 10 per cent of calories should come from proteins. 35 per cent from fat and 55 per cent from carbohydrates.

A well balanced diet for a pregnant woman should consist of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

There should be 55 per cent carbohydrates which can be derived from food such as bread, potatoes, pasta, corn, rice and whole grams in the diet. Another 10 per cent calories should come from fatty food, for example oils, butter, nuts and dairy products. Proteins also constitute another 35 per cent calorie supply hence increase consumption of food like meat, fish, beans and dairy products.

Zinc and calcium

These are vital for the healthy development of your baby’s bones and teeth and its general growth. Therefore, you will need to incorporate at least four servings of calcium rich foods on a daily basis. Ideally, a pregnant woman should get around 1000 – 1303 mg of calcium through her diet every single day. This Includes food like eggnog, yogurt, milk, fruits, and cheese among others.

Iron

During pregnancy, your body needs a good amount of iron, actually more than the usual supply, so that your body is able to produce all the blood needed to supply nutrition to the placenta. In other words, iron is referred to as the fuel for haemoglobin production.

Iron also helps build bones and teeth. A shortage of iron can cause a condition called anaemia. Green vegetates such as broccoli and spinach, whole meal bread and muesli, strawberries are a good supply of iron and hence should be a part of your daily diet Iron is more easily absorbed if it is taken in conjunction with Vitamin C – either as a supplement or in citrus fruits or juices. Avoid tea and coffee as they could interfere with the body’s absorption of iron. Your doctor may actually put you on a daily dose of iron supplement as soon as you are 20 weeks along just to boost your iron levels.

If you have anaemia, your doctor will give you iron supplements to take once or twice a day.

Folic acid

This is needed for the development of the nervous system of the baby especially in the first few weeks. You should start taking folic acid even before conceiving and continue into the first 3 months of the pregnancy. Folic acid can help prevent neural defects such as spina bifida and other congenital malfunctions. Good natural sources of folic acid are barley beans, green vegetable, lentils, orange juice, rice and peas among others

Vitamins

Your diets should never lack in vitamins. All the vitamin groups are essential as they supply the body with different need. However, vitamins C and A are very important.

Foods rich in vitamins C are oranges, strawberries, papaya, cauliflower, broccoli, green pepper and grapes. Those rich in vitamins A are spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, beet greens and pumpkins.

Fibre

As constipation is part and parcel of pregnancy because of hormonal changes that cause the intestines to move less or even iron supplements, you will need to incorporate fibre in your diet. Some of the foods rich in fibre are whole grain bread, rice, pasta, fruits, vegetable and cereals.

Water

Water carries the nutrients from the foods you eat to your baby, and also helps prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, excessive swelling, and urinary tract infections. Most importantly, drinking enough water, especially in your last trimester, prevents you from becoming dehydrated — which can lead to contractions and premature labor. Drink at least six to eight glasses of water per day. You can drink juices for fluid. Note that they have a lot of calories and can cause you to gain extra weight. Coffee, soft drinks, and teas cannot count towards the total amount of fluid you need as they have caffeine which actually reduce the amount of fluid in your body.

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