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Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful and life-altering events in a woman’s life. It’s like two lives in one body. And hence, you must feed the new life through your own body and within your body for those nine months. Most elders insist on eating double the quantity, and they merry in feeding whatever the pregnant lady demands, be it fried chicken or Pani puri! A healthy and balanced diet is essential for delivering a healthy baby. Read below to get an idea of a diet plan before and during pregnancy.
The mother’s health will definitely reflect on her baby. It’s essential to prepare your body to brave the wonderful experience of pregnancy. Below are a few tips on eating smartly before conception and deliver a healthy baby:
Do visit your obstetrician and discuss the diet. Depending on your physical condition, she may be able to throw more light on your dietary needs.
Many people advocate going for the concept of ‘eating for two.’ Well, this is not the right way as the baby does not need a complete adult diet for growth and development. Eating better does not translate into eating more. Actually, you need only 300 extra calories every day during the second trimester and 450 each day during the final trimester. If you are overweight, or underweight, your needs and food can vary, depending on how much is optimum. The old school of thought may translate the need of eating during pregnancy to intake of empty calories in the form of sweets, ghee, and oil, etc. Moderation is fine, but indulging too much in empty calories might not be a good choice. To make the task easier of planning meals during pregnancy and avoid arguments with the elders, below is a list of foods recommended for each stage of your pregnancy:
These foodstuffs help in the healthy development of the baby’s nervous system, relieve morning sickness, and ensure sufficient blood supply for you and your baby.
Note: Excessive consumption of foodstuffs containing caffeine, tannin, and multi-grains may hamper absorption of calcium and iron in the body.
These will help in developing healthy bones and teeth of the baby, brain development as well as vision, skin, and lungs.
These will ensure sufficient energy supply during the last critical months, and Vitamin K helps in blood clotting. These are essential for delivery and breastfeeding.
Note: Avoid spicy foods and too much pineapple as these may induce labor
Coke has been a popular topic of discussion for health critics. The high sugar content, caffeine, pesticides, and Ramdeobaba’s demonstration of coke as toilet cleaner has attracted sufficient attention. In answer to the above, Diet Coke was launched, i.e. zero sugar but the same GREAT taste of coke! The fact is it’s still sweet because it contains artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame, Saccharin, and Sucralose. These non-caloric sweeteners, particularly Aspartame, has been linked with Phenylketonuria (metabolism disorder) and increase insulin levels in diabetic women. On the other hand, saccharin is found to be carcinogenic, i.e. causing cancer. Research conducted in Massachusetts indicates that prolonged use of such artificial sweeteners can damage the kidney.
So, if you must have it, then consume it in moderation and save it for extreme urges only. Why not think about coconut water, aam Panna, or fresh lime juice instead? They are natural and without any side-effects.
If you are one of the lucky ladies to bear two babies in one go, you must be more careful about your diet. Standard guidelines suggest consuming extra 300 calories for one baby in addition to those required by an adult woman. So for women carrying twins, this should range between 150-300 calories more for the second twin. In total of approx. 600 calories. These extra calories must always be obtained from healthy foods only (as described above).
You may want to emphasize nuts, fortified cereals, yogurt, eggs, spinach, and chicken.
The diet for ladies pregnant with twins doesn’t differ significantly from those pregnant with a single baby. However, your obstetrician may recommend extra folic acid, vitamin, calcium, Vitamin D, and iron supplements. Listen to the ideal weight you should attain when pregnant with twins. However, this varies from individual to individual.
Rather than going by weighing scale and specified calories, listen to your body, eat when you are hungry, and eat healthily. Never skip meals. Eat a nutritious, balanced diet rich in folic acid, calcium, iron, omega three fatty acids as well as iodine.
Diabetes is a condition characterized by the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin, which converts sugar in the blood to usable output. If sugar is not broken down, then the content of sugar becomes high, and this may harm your baby. You need to take particular care and consult your obstetrician and professional dietitian for your diet. They will decide if you must take insulin injections. Below are a few general guidelines:
Arrange frequent check-ups with your obstetrician and immediately inform if you feel weak or giddy. As Bethenny Frankel correctly put, “Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments”. So eat healthy, live healthy, and deliver healthily!
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