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Eating well during pregnancy is more than simply increasing how much you
eat. You must also consider what you eat.
Although you need about 300 extra calories a day — especially later in your
pregnancy, when your baby grows quickly — those calories should come from
nutritious foods so they can contribute to your baby's growth and
development.
Eating Well When You're Pregnant
Do you wonder how it's reasonable to gain 25 to 35 pounds (on average)
during your pregnancy when a newborn baby weighs only a fraction of that?
Although it varies from woman to woman, this is how those pounds may add up:
7.5 pounds: average baby's weight
7 pounds: extra stored protein, fat, and other nutrients
4 pounds: extra blood
4 pounds: other extra body fluids
2 pounds: breast enlargement
2 pounds: enlargement of your uterus
2 pounds: amniotic fluid surrounding your baby
1.5 pounds: the placenta
Of course, patterns of weight gain during pregnancy vary. It's normal to
gain less if you start out heavier and more if you're having twins or
triplets — or if you were underweight before becoming pregnant. More
important than how much weight you gain is what makes up those extra pounds.
When you're pregnant, what you eat and drink is the main source of
nourishment for your baby. In fact, the link between what you consume and
the health of your baby is much stronger than once thought. That's why
doctors now say, for example, that no amount of alcohol consumption should
be considered safe during pregnancy.
The extra food you eat shouldn't just be empty calories — it should provide
the nutrients your growing baby needs. For example, calcium helps make and
keep bones and teeth strong. While you're pregnant, you still need calcium
for your body, plus extra calcium for your developing baby. Similarly, you
require more of all the essential nutrients than you did before you became
pregnant.
A Nutrition Primer for Expectant Mothers
Whether or not you're pregnant, a healthy diet includes proteins,
carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and plenty of water. The U.S.
government publishes dietary guidelines that can help you determine how many
servings of each kind of food to eat every day. Eating a variety of foods in
the proportions indicated is a good step toward staying healthy.
Food labels can tell you what kinds of nutrients are in the foods you eat.
The letters RDA, which you find on food labeling, stand for recommended
daily allowance, or the amount of a nutrient recommended for your daily
diet. When you're pregnant, the RDAs for most nutrients are higher.
Here are some of the most common nutrients you need and the foods that
contain them:
Nutrient Needed for Best sources
Protein cell growth and blood production
lean meat, fish, poultry, egg whites, beans, peanut butter, tofu
Carbohydrates daily energy production breads, cereals, rice, potatoes,
pasta, fruits, vegetables
Calcium strong bones and teeth, muscle contraction, nerve function milk,
cheese, yogurt, sardines or salmon with bones, spinach
Iron red blood cell production (to prevent anemia) lean red meat, spinach,
iron-fortified whole-grain breads and cereals
Vitamin A healthy skin, good eyesight, growing bones carrots, dark leafy
greens, sweet potatoes
Vitamin C healthy gums, teeth, and bones; assistance with iron absorption
citrus fruit, broccoli, tomatoes, fortified fruit juices
Vitamin B6 red blood cell formation; effective use of protein, fat, and
carbohydrates pork, ham, whole-grain cereals, bananas
Vitamin B12 formation of red blood cells, maintaining nervous system health
meat, fish, poultry, milk
(Note: vegetarians who don't eat dairy products need supplemental B12)
Vitamin D healthy bones and teeth; aids absorption of calcium fortified
milk, dairy products, cereals, and breads Folic acid blood and protein
production, effective enzyme function green leafy vegetables, dark yellow
fruits and vegetables, beans, peas, nuts
Fat body energy stores meat, whole-milk dairy products, nuts, peanut butter,
margarine, vegetable oils
(Note: limit fat intake to 30% or less of your total daily calorie intake)
Important Nutrients
Scientists know that your diet can affect your baby's health — even before
you become pregnant. For example, recent research shows that folic acid
helps prevent neural tube defects (including spina bifida) from occurring
during the earliest stages of fetal development — so it's important to
consume plenty of it before you become pregnant and during the early weeks
of your pregnancy.
Even though many foods, particularly breakfast cereals, are fortified with
folic acid, doctors now encourage women to take folic acid supplements
before and throughout pregnancy (especially for the first 28 days). Be sure
to ask your doctor about folic acid if you're considering becoming pregnant.
Calcium is another important nutrient. Because your growing baby's calcium
demands are high, you should increase your calcium consumption to prevent a
loss of calcium from your own bones. Your doctor will also likely prescribe
prenatal vitamins for you, which contain some extra calcium.
Your best food sources of calcium are milk and other dairy products.
However, if you have lactose intolerance or dislike milk and milk products,
ask your doctor about a calcium supplement. (Signs of lactose intolerance
include diarrhea, bloating, or gas after eating milk or milk products.
Taking a lactase capsule or pill, or using lactose-free milk products may
help.) Other calcium-rich foods include sardines or salmon with bones, tofu,
broccoli, spinach, and calcium-fortified juices and foods.
Doctors don't usually recommend starting a strict vegan diet when you become
pregnant. However, if you already follow a vegetarian diet, you can continue
to do so during your pregnancy — but do it carefully. Be sure your doctor
knows about your diet. It's challenging to get the nutrition you need if you
don't eat fish and chicken, or milk, cheese, or eggs. You'll likely need
supplemental protein and may also need to take vitamin B12 and D
supplements.
To ensure that you and your baby receive adequate nutrition, consult a
registered dietitian for help with planning meals.
Food Cravings During Pregnancy
You've probably known women who craved specific foods during pregnancy, or
perhaps you've had such cravings yourself. Some theories held that a hunger
for a particular type of food indicated that a woman's body lacked the
nutrients that food contains. Although this turned out not to be so, it's
still unclear why these urges occur.
Some pregnant women crave chocolate, spicy foods, fruits, and comfort foods,
such as mashed potatoes, cereals, and toasted white bread. Other women crave
non-food items, such as clay and cornstarch. The craving and eating of
non-food items is known as pica. Consuming things that aren't food can be
dangerous to both you and your baby. If you have urges to eat non-food
items, notify your doctor.
But following your cravings is fine as long as you crave foods that
contribute to a healthy diet. Often, these cravings let up about 3 months
into the pregnancy.
Food and Drinks to Avoid During Pregnancy
No level of alcohol consumption is considered safe during pregnancy. Also,
check with your doctor before you take any vitamins or herbal products. Some
of these can be harmful to the developing fetus.
And although many doctors feel that one or two 6- to 8-ounce cups per day of
coffee, tea, or soda with caffeine won't harm your baby, it's probably wise
to avoid caffeine altogether if you can. High caffeine consumption has been
linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, so limit your intake or switch
to decaffeinated products.
When you're pregnant, it's also important to avoid food-borne illnesses,
such as listeriosis and toxoplasmosis, which can be life-threatening to an
unborn baby and may cause birth defects or miscarriage. Foods to steer clear
of include:
soft, unpasteurized cheeses (often advertised as "fresh") such as feta,
goat, Brie, Camembert, and blue cheese
unpasteurized milk, juices, and apple cider
raw eggs or foods containing raw eggs, including mousse and tiramisu
raw or undercooked meats, fish, or shellfish
processed meats such as hot dogs and deli meats (these should be
well-cooked)fish that are high in mercury, including shark, swordfish, king
mackeral, or tilefish
If you've eaten these foods at some point during your pregnancy, try not to
worry too much about it now; just avoid them for the remainder of the
pregnancy. If you're really concerned, talk to your doctor.
More About Fish
Fish and shellfish can be an extremely healthy part of your pregnancy diet —
they contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and are high in protein and low
in saturated fat. But limit the types of fish you eat while pregnant because
some contain high levels of mercury, which can cause damage to the
developing nervous system of a fetus.
Mercury, which occurs naturally in the environment, is also released into
the air through industrial pollution and can accumulate in streams and
oceans, where it turns into methylmercury. The methylmercury builds up in
fish, especially those that eat other fish.
Because canned albacore (or white) tuna and tuna steaks are generally
considered to be higher in mercury than canned light tuna, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that you eat no more than 6 ounces a
week. A 2006 review by Consumer Reports, though, showed that some canned
light tuna can contain levels of mercury even higher than that of white
tuna. But the FDA maintains that the levels are safe if consumption of the
fish is limited, and that the current recommendations should stand.
It can be confusing when recommendations from trusted sources differ. But
since this analysis indicates that amounts of mercury in tuna may be higher
than previously reported, some women may want to eliminate tuna from their
diet while pregnant or when trying to become pregnant.
Almost all fish and shellfish contain small amounts of mercury, but you can
safely eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and
shellfish that are lower in mercury, such as salmon, shrimp, clams, pollock,
catfish, and tilapia.
Talk with your doctor if you have any questions about how much — and which
fish — you can eat.
Managing Some Common Problems
Because the iron in prenatal vitamins and other factors may cause
constipation during pregnancy, try to consume more fiber than you did before
you became pregnant. Try to eat about 20 to 30 grams of fiber a day. Your
best sources are fresh fruits and vegetables and whole-grain breads,
cereals, or muffins.
Some people also use fiber tablets or drinks or other high-fiber products
available at pharmacies and grocery stores, but check with your doctor
before trying them. (Don't use laxatives while you're pregnant unless your
doctor advises you to do so. And avoid the old wives' remedy — castor oil —
because it can actually interfere with your body's ability to absorb
nutrients.)
If constipation is a problem for you, your doctor may prescribe a stool
softener. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids, especially water, when
increasing fiber intake, or you can make your constipation worse. One of the
best ways to avoid constipation is to get more exercise. You should also
drink plenty of water between meals each day to help soften your stools and
move food through your digestive system. Sometimes hot tea, soups, or broth
can help. Also, keep dried fruits handy for snacking.
Some pregnant women find that broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, and fried
foods give them heartburn or gas. You can plan a balanced diet to avoid
these foods. Carbonated drinks also cause gas or heartburn for some women,
although others find they calm the digestive system.
If you're frequently nauseated, eat small amounts of bland foods, like toast
or crackers, throughout the day. If nothing else sounds good, try cereal
with milk or a sweet piece of fruit. To help combat nausea, you can also:
Take your prenatal vitamin before going to bed after you've eaten a snack —
not on an empty stomach.
Eat a small snack when you get up to go to the bathroom early in the
morning.
Suck on hard candy.
How to Know If You're Eating Well During Pregnancy
The key is to eat foods from the different food groups in approximately the
recommended proportions. If nausea or lack of appetite cause you to eat less
at times, don't worry — it's unlikely to cause fetal harm because your baby
gets first crack at the nutrients you consume.
And although it's generally recommended that a woman of normal weight gain
about 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy (most gain 4 to 6 pounds during the
first trimester and 1 pound a week during the second and third trimesters),
don't fixate on the scale. Instead, focus on eating a good variety and
balance of nutritious foods to keep both you and your baby healthy.
Courtesy:
Steven Dowshen |
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Steven Dowshen