Nutrition For Pregnancy

How do you make sure that you have a healthy nutrition pregnancy and that you are on the right track?

Making sure that you truly have nutrition for a healthy pregnancy is one of the most important things. Not following a proper nutrition and specific pregnancy exercise is something that can cause not only a lot of harm to your own body but also that of the child growing inside of you.

It is very important that you are following all of your doctor’s orders and having yourself all the vitamins and nutrients so that you can have a pregnancy with little complications.

Skipping meals, eating poorly, and trying to diet while pregnant can be serious threats to the development of the baby. After the first trimester, in fact, a woman should add around 300 calories a day of healthy and nutritional foods. She should expect to gain an average of 25-30 pounds during her pregnancy.

Below is a list of special nutritional needs during pregnancy.
(If you are not sure if she is meeting these needs should consult her doctor)

Iron supports the growth of the fetus and helps a woman produce more blood. If the mother does not get enough iron, the fetus will take the iron it needs from her blood. Pregnant women should get about 30 milligrams (mg) of iron a day. Most women do not start pregnancy with enough iron in their blood. The doctor may prescribe an iron supplement to prevent iron deficiency anemia.

Foods that contain iron include meat, poultry, fish, legumes such as beans, and whole-grain and enriched grain products. Iron from animal products is better absorbed by the body than that from plant sources. Eating good sources of vitamin C, such as citrus fruit, broccoli, and tomatoes, can help the body absorb more iron.

Folic acid is key to the development of the spinal cord. It helps make new cells and genetic material. Its most important job is helping to prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.

During pregnancy, the recommended daily amount of folic acid rises to 600 mcg. Based on the woman’s medical history and test results, the doctor may recommend 400-800 mcg of folic acid a day. Many foods are fortified with folic acid, including those made with enriched flour or grain products, such as bread and rice. This makes it easier for a woman to get all the folic acid she needs before and during pregnancy. Other food sources include green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, dark yellow vegetables, and fruits such as mangoes, papaya, peaches and pumpkin, beans, and nuts.

Calcium and phosphorus help to form the bones of the fetus. The RDA for calcium is 1,000 mg for most pregnant women over age 18, and 1,300 mg for pregnant women under age 18. If a pregnant woman does not get enough calcium, the fetus will take what it needs from calcium stored in her bones. Milk, yogurt, and other dairy products are the best sources of calcium. Other sources include tofu with added calcium, calcium-fortified orange juice, sardines, salmon with bones, and dark green leafy vegetables such as collard greens, kale, and mustard greens. Vitamin D works to help the body use calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D is found in fortified milk and sunshine.