A healthy diet is important to your overall health. During pregnancy, you need to take precautions to ensure the healthy development of your baby. The quality of his nutrition is dependent on what you eat before conception and during the nine months of your pregnancy. A healthy diet can improve your energy, support fetal development, prevent serious illness and complications and positively affect your child's health later in life.
Mother's Health
Your body goes through incredible changes during pregnancy. One of them is a 20 to 30 percent increase in blood volume to accommodate fetal blood supply. Oxygen is carried throughout your body by hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells. Iron is important to hemoglobin production. Adequate iron, 27 mg per day, will keep your energy levels up and reduce your risk of developing anemia during pregnancy. Anemia can impact your baby's birth weight and increase your chance of premature delivery. Severe anemia can increase your child's risk of developing anemia during his infancy. Dried fruit, fortified cereal and lean red meats are good sources of iron.
Weight Maintenance
Eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and healthy fats can help you maintain a healthy body weight during your pregnancy and reduce risk of serious conditions to you and your child. Excessive weight gains or obesity can affect your risk of developing gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia and the necessity of a cesarean section. Excessive weight can affect your baby's health by producing congenital abnormalities and a high birth weight, which can contribute to birth trauma and put your baby at a higher risk of childhood obesity.
Preventing Neural Tube Defects
A healthy outcome for both baby and mother is the goal of every pregnancy. Folate, a B vitamin also known as folic acid is crucial to the widespread cell division and replication of fetal formation. A deficiency of this important vitamin has been linked to neural tube defects, including brain and spinal tube defects. Inadequate amounts of folate in the pregnant woman's diet may also result in serious complications such as low birth weight, premature delivery, and miscarriage. Talk to your doctor about your folate needs, as experts recommend between 400 mcg and 800mcg per day and suggest taking a daily prenatal supplement. Folate is found in dark leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, prenatal supplements and legumes, such as beans and peas.
Strong Bones
Your baby's skeletal system is extremely important. It will support her when she begins to crawl and walk. Taking 1,000 mg of calcium and 600 IU of vitamin D each day can help ensure that her and your bones and teeth stay strong. Protect your future bone health by taking these nutrients daily to reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis. Calcium also encourages proper function of the muscular and nervous systems and optimizes circulatory system function so that nutrients are efficiently delivered to your baby. Find calcium in dairy products and fortified cereals. Vitamin D can be found in salmon and tuna, as well as fortified milk and orange juice.
References
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; "Nutrition During Pregnancy"; Staff; 2010
- American Society of Hematology; "Anemia and Pregnancy"; Staff; 2011
- Mayo Clinic; "Pregnancy Diet: Focus on These Essential Nutrients"; Staff; 2011
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; "Folic Acid: Influence on the Outcome of Pregnancy"; O'Scholl, Theresa, et al.; 2000
