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Looking for a Pregnancy Wrapped in Proper Nutrition

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Ensuring her growing baby is receiving the best possible healthy growing conditions, is of supreme importance for any soon to be mom. At the top of the list is your diet. Nutrition is the primary controllable attribute in building a successful pregnancy. Because of this it is vital that expectant mothers stay on top of proper nutritional levels in their body. Remember your developing child is taking it all in!

The quantity of additional calorie intake that moms to be need may be a complete surprise. You might find it hard to believe that, the daily recommended supplemental calorie intake for expecting mothers is only approximately 300. Now certainly, that’s some extra calories, but it certainly isn’t the several hundred that many pregnant women think that they should be gobbling up each day. 300 hundred doesn’t sound like much but it is actually about an extra meal a day for a full grown adult?

The truth is that there’s a lot more than just those 300 calories that can lead to excess weight gain, which is not recommended for mom or baby. An extra tuna fish sandwich or bagel with low-fat cream cheese can do the trick. Steer clear of the impulse to indulge cravings, as difficult as it may be. Don’t give in to the myth that a pregnant woman needs a boatload of extra calories every day…just 300 will do the trick.

Some of those calories that you need to consume during your pregnancy to uphold a healthy pregnancy should come from protein, about 60 grams total per day or about 10 grams per day more than non-pregnant women. Seafood, chicken and lean meats are all good sources of protein, as are dried beans, nuts and cheese. Remember you only need about 1 1/2 ounces of meat to get 10 grams of protein.

Calcium is another important element during the expectant mother’s pregnancy. Today’s, women who are not even pregnant generally come up short of the recommended daily amount of calcium intake… so increasing your calcium is generally a good idea to begin with. Dairy products are a primary source of calcium you get in your diet. If you use non fat sources of calcium in your diet, this will help keep your calorie intake under control as well. For example green leafy vegetables are a potential source for you to get some additional calcium for both you and your unborn child.

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, so a daily supplement is a beneficial strategy. As the blood volume rises as the pregnancy progress, additional iron is required. The daily recommended amount of iron doubles for expectant mothers from 15 mg/day to 30 mg/day. Be sure not to leave this off the menu because iron is imperative! Your physician will monitor lab work to see if you need to take an iron supplement.

Red meats are good sources of iron, though fish and poultry are helpful as well. Many enriched cereals deliver additional iron (and other needed vitamins), as do some enriched breads. Although eggs are good for a number of reasons, but they are not the best sources for iron.

Vegetarian diets can offer all the needed nutrients, but finding them in the right form can be a bit tougher to accomplish. Vegetarians will be required to more closely monitor nutrient levels, but this is not out of the ordinary as a part of a vegetarian diet already, so just stick with your continual game-plan and work in harmony with your healthcare provider to make certain that you are indeed consuming all the nutrients that you need.

Needless to say, any woman who is pregnant should be in communication with her doctor concerning her eating habits. It’s vital to stick to this because each pregnancy is varies, and as such, so too will be the body’s dietary needs. Even before the pregnancy it is just as important that the woman consciously work with her diet so she can get her pregnancy off to a good healthy start.

The focus is to work as a team with your doctor so you can stay healthy provide the best possible growing environment for your future son or daughter.

Article Source: http://www.diet-article.com

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