Congratulation you are an expectant mother. Let us help you in simplifying things for you by giving you a consolidated information of the pregnant women food you need to eat. During pregnancy, nutrition is important not only to your child but to you too. You need to know what nutrient will produce the perfect result. Most pregnant women follow the suggested foods to eat during pregnancy to help in acquiring the right essential diet because they know the importance of a balanced diet. At times, the information you may have gathered from family, friends, and the internet can create more confusion then the solution you seek.
To start, you must remember the food you eat contains the nourishment your baby eats and this is very significant. You may have figured this out already hence you searching for the perfect information. You need to fine-tune your eating habits to acquire more calories and protein. Apart from this, you will need an additional amount of minerals such as iron, folic acid, and calcium. The following are important minerals you will need.
Protein: Proteins are building blocks of the body and without it, there is no growth. Additional protein is required to help in the development of the organs, tissues, and cells in your body. For pregnant women, the required protein is 78 gms /day. Protein-rich foods include nuts like almond, pistachios, and peanuts, dairy products (cheese, yogurt, milk etc.), legumes and pulses, meat, fish, and chicken. You can make an additional effort by including one of these items during each meal.
Energy: The increased intake of energy substance is important because of the following reasons
- Increase in the Basal Metabolic rate
- To support the fast growth and development of the fetus
During the second trimester of the pregnancy, an additional 350 Kcals is needed. Cereals such as roots, millets, bajra, sooji, rice, tubers (Colocasia root and potato), and fats and oils will help in providing calories.
Calcium: This element is required for the development of the teeth and bones of the fetus. The lack of calcium by the mother during pregnancy will weaken the of the mother’s bone and future complications. Requirement increases from 400 mg/ day to more than double 1200 mg/day.
Folic acid: Folic acid helps in the prevention of neural tube defects. This prevents serious abnormalities of the spinal cord and brain. In order to have a healthy baby, pregnant women need food with adequate folic acid content. During the course of pregnancy, this element is important. Folic acid can be gotten from citrus fruits, nuts and seeds, legumes, peas, beans, and dark green leafy vegetables. The required quantity for pregnant women is 500 mcg/day.
Iron: This element is important for the formation of hemoglobin, which is a molecule present in the blood for the transfer of oxygen from the lungs to other tissues within the body. During pregnancy, the blood volume increases by 50 percent, hence the need for iron also increases. Apart from this, iron is required for the placenta and growing baby. A pregnant woman needs about 35 mg/day of iron for her body.
