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Hello New Mom! It's you and Baby now, so you'll want to eat
what's best for both of you. Keep in mind that while you are
eating for two, only one of you is a full grown adult so you
will probably only need to take in an extra 200-300 calories per
day while pregnant. The bottom line? Do eat for two, but don't
overeat.
In general, you should eat a healthy, well-balanced diet full of
whole grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, foods rich in vitamin
C, iron and calcium plus plenty of water. While you don't need
to eliminate salt and fat from your diet, you should take care
to eat salty foods and high-fat foods only sparingly.
Also, as an expectant mom, you'll want to make sure to take the
prenatal vitamins prescribed by your physician and pay attention
to your intake of folic acid in particular. Folic acid is a
member of the B vitamin family and occurs naturally in orange
juice, green leafy vegetables, beans and lentils. The synthetic
form of folic acid, which is more easily absorbed by your body,
can be found in fortified breakfast cereals, enriched grain
products and vitamins. Folic acid helps prevent and decrease the
risk of several common birth defects and supports rapid growth
of the placenta and fetus.
There are several things you should avoid during your pregnancy
due to the possibilities of bacterial contamination, birth
defects, decreased attention and decreased memory. While
pregnant, you should steer clear of:
- alcohol
- caffeine and artificial coloring
- cigarette
smoke
- over-the-counter meds and herbal remedies ( unless
otherwise directed by your physician)
- raw meat
- raw eggs
and food containing raw eggs
- soft cheese
- fish with
accumulated mercury levels or high levels of an industrial
pollutant called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
As you avoid what's bad and consume adequate amounts of what's
good, you will increase your baby's chances of being born at a
normal birth weight and having good fetal brain development. You
will also decrease your risk of having pregnancy complications
and severe mood swings and you will help ensure a good
post-pregnancy recovery. So eat up!
About the author: Jacqueline Courtiol -
baby stomach ache and www.coliccalm.com
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