1. Calorie Intake
Let me start by breaking the myth about how you need to eat for two people while you are pregnant. Your unborn child needs calories of course, but your unborn child is not a full grown man. Logically, this means that it doesn’t need as many calories as you do.
Generally speaking, you need to take only 200-300 calories more every day while you are pregnant. That’s it. It’s an extra slice of pizza, or an extra piece of cake. You can’t eat double for every meal during your whole pregnancy. Not only that you will end up with serious weight problems, it is also not healthy for the baby.
2. Pack up With Calcium
You need a higher calcium intake while you are pregnant. It is not only important for your baby to build strong bones, but also to grow a healthy heart, nerves and muscles and a healthy heart rhythm. If you don’t increase your calcium intake during pregnancy, your baby will use the calcium from your body which can result in weakening of your bones and teeth loss.
Take 1,000mg of calcium every day. It’s good to start even before you get pregnant and to continue the routine for a couple of months after delivery. It is best to take your calcium out of dairy products, because your body uses this calcium in the best way. One cup of milk contains around 500mg of calcium – so two cups of milk a day and you’re all set. For more information about calcium in dairy products and calcium intake during pregnancy, visit this link.
3. Include Lots of Fruit and Vegetables
It’s no news that fruit and vegetables are good for your health. As you may assume, they are a crucial part of a diet of every pregnant woman.
You need extra vitamins while you are pregnant, especially vitamin C. Oranges, lemon, grapefruit, but also cabbage and bell peppers are your friends while you’re pregnant. They all contain high amounts of vitamin C as well as a lot of other great vitamins.
Try to take your fruit and vegetables fresh. You can eat any vegetables but potatoes without previously exposing them to any type of heat. Try to make a salad out of fresh cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and radish. Season with salt, oil and vinegar and you’ll see how great it tastes.
4. Avoid the Bad Stuff
You should really do your best to lower the intake of all the “bad stuff” while you are pregnant. Those substances could be very harmful for both you and your baby.
When I say “bad stuff” first and foremost I mean drugs, cigarettes and alcohol. There is no place for any of those while you are pregnant. Exclude them completely. Lower the amount of caffeine to at most 1 cup of coffee a day. It’s better if you can stop drinking coffee completely. Also, exclude or lower the intake of sodas, energy drinks, green and black tea and painkillers. All of those contain caffeine.
Exclude fatty and spicy food from your diet during pregnancy. Too much fat is definitely not good for either you or the baby and too much spice can cause gastro – intestinal problems for you. You don’t need anything that brings extra discomfort.
5. Variety is the Best Solution
This doesn’t only go for when you’re pregnant but also as a general rule. When it comes to your diet, remember the fact that humans are omnivores and should act like ones.
I know that all vegetarians reading this will not like what I’m about to say, but being a vegetarian while you are pregnant is really not the best idea. There are certain proteins and amino-acids that you can get from meat only. They can not be found in the supplements, they are not found in eggs and they can be of a great importance for your body. However, if you do choose to stay vegetarian during your pregnancy, seek advice from your doctor. You might need to bring some changes into your diet and your doctor is the person to tell you what to do.
Keep your diet versatile. Include minerals, vitamins, proteins as well as sugars in your everyday food intake. Stick to fresh and, even better, organic food and drink a lot of fluids. A healthy diet is not only a good thing for your baby, it’s good for you too. Not only that it has a positive impact on how you look, it has a positive impact on the whole pregnancy. A healthy diet lowers discomfort during pregnancy as well as that troubling morning sickness. That alone is a big plus, right?
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