Nutritional Needs during Pregnancy: For a pregnant lady it is necessary to follow a healthy diet unless she has a specific health problem. For a pregnant woman, it is required to have a variety of food that includes dairy products and also several fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet contributes more to pregnancy. A pregnant woman can also consult her obstetrician for specific advice. Some specific nutritional needs for pregnancy include dairy products, vegetables, and fruits all of these contribute to a healthy pregnancy.
During the beginning months of pregnancy folic acid is very strongly required and is one nutritional need during pregnancy it is also required at the time of inception.
Folic acid is especially required for the closing of the fetus’s neural tube. Thereby helping in preventing prevent spina bifida, a very serious birth defect. Folates can also be acquired in good quantity from spinach and can also be found in green vegetable salads, melon, hummus, and eggs. In the countries like the United States and Canada, many wheat products flour, and noodles are supplemented with folic acid.
Calcium and iron are also other nutritional needs during pregnancy it is especially required during this time because of the rapidly growing fetus. Women who are pregnant should also eat enough dairy products they should take more such foods for calcium and eat red meat for iron-based foods. The foods consumed should not lactose intolerant or vegetarian. Women who do not love to eat milk products or meat can get calcium and iron from prepared soy milk and juice, soybeans, and certain leafy greens.
Doctors should prescribe iron pills to pregnant women if they develop iron deficiency anemia. Calcium is effective only if women also obtain enough Vitamin D. vitamin D can best be provided by sunbathing each day for 10–15 minutes. Salmon and fatty fishes are also good sources of vitamin D. A healthy diet is vital in order to have a healthy pregnancy. Good nutrition is required to ensure that a mother’s body can give the unborn baby the diet she or he requires to develop and grow.
It is generally recommended that pregnant women often increase their daily food intake by 100kcal during their first trimester and 300kcal during the second and third trimesters. Just for instance, an additional snack before bedtime comprising of fruit, a serving of milk or yogurt and a few biscuits is often enough. A daily prenatal multivitamin supplement is often recommended during the pregnancy period.
The food items that are required to be avoided during pregnancy include the following:
- Raw Meats and Seafood including sushi
- Deli meats including hot dogs
- Refrigerated smoked seafood
- Raw eggs
- Fish high in mercury
- Soft cheese
- Refrigerated pātes or meat spreads
- Liver
- Unpasteurized milk and juices
- Alcohol
The foods to be taken during pregnancy include the following:
- Clams
- Pork Liver
- Oysters
- Chicken Liver
- Mussels
- Beef Liver
- Beef
- Shrimp
- Sardines
- Turkey
- Enriched breakfast cereals
- Cooked beans and lentils
- Pumpkin seeds
- Blackstrap Molasses
- Canned beans
- Baked potato with skin
- Enriched pasta
- Canned asparagus
Read also: Diet and Nutrition of Infants
