Pregnancy changes almost everything in a woman's life. For example, pregnant women need to pay extra attention to their diet. Not only do some nutritional requirements increase during pregnancy, but pregnant women also need to avoid certain foods in order to keep the baby safe. A woman's diet during pregnancy can be both healthy and appetizing; it may just take a little extra planning.
Eating for Two
One of the most important diet tips for pregnant women to remember is that they do need to eat more during their pregnancy than they did before. It's not a good idea to diet or try to lose weight because a pregnant woman's body requires extra calories to allow her baby to grow. While a woman's dietary intake shouldn't actually double, she should increase her daily calories by around 300 to 400 a day, about the size of one extra sandwich.
Foods to Avoid
According to Discovery Health, women should avoid unpasteurized dairy products like Brie, feta and goat cheese during their pregnancy. This is because unpasteurized foods have a higher chance of causing foodborne illness, which could harm the baby. Discovery Health also recommends that pregnant women avoid eating fish with high mercury levels, such as shark, mackerel and swordfish. Pregnant women should also abstain from drugs, cigarettes and alcohol.
Important Nutrients
One important nutrient that pregnant women should make sure to get is iron. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that iron deficiency anemia is common during the later stages of pregnancy, because a woman's blood volume increases so much. The CDC recommends that pregnant women take 30 mg of iron every day and eat iron-rich foods like meats, beans and lentils. The March of Dimes also states that pregnant women need to eat plenty of foods rich in calcium, like yogurt and milk, so that the baby can grow well without compromising the strength of the mom's bones.
Preventing Birth Defects
Folate, also called folic acid, plays a crucial role in preventing birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They recommend that pregnant women take a prenatal vitamin containing at least 400 mcg of folic acid daily. They also state that fortified food like cereal and whole wheat bread are good sources of folic acid.
Cravings
Many women experience cravings during pregnancy. It is important for women to know that while cravings for certain foods are normal, cravings for non-food items like laundry starch or dirt indicate a serious disorder such as a nutritional deficiency. While it's okay for women to give into their food cravings some times, it's important that they still get a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, meats and other protein foods like beans and tofu.
