Pregnancy for women is not just a happening, but a wonderful feeling of attaining motherhood.
It is a stage in women’s life when they have to take care of not only themselves, but also of the charming guest blooming in their womb.
During pregnancy women need specific diet that are rich in protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins etc. to fulfill the requirement of their body and growing fetus.
Nutritional requirement increases at this time as women’s body has to provide nutrition for fetus as well. It is very important for pregnant women to take proper and balance diet.
Diet during Pregnancy
Diet during pregnancy should be nutritional and filled with all the necessary components of balance diet. A pregnant lady is the only source of nutrition for her child who is in the form of fetus and is growing day by day.
Health of fetus entirely depends upon the diet taken by the pregnant lady; her food intake will decide the health of the fetus. Intake of imbalance diet may result in various disorders like mood swings, constipation, leg cramps, pre-eclampsia, anemia, fatigue etc.
Whatever the mother eats has its implications on the health of the baby. Some researches have also proved that quality of diet not only affects the health of the fetus but also its mental strength.
Although there is no need for any extra calorie during the first trimester of pregnancy, but diet rich in calcium, vitamins, proteins etc can be of great advantage as it check spinal cord and grave neurological-brain disorders, therefore it is always advisable to take diet rich in Vitamins B6, B12, vitamin D, zinc, iron and folic acid.
Nutritional supplements of fatty acids, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates are also important for the growth and development of the fetus.
Pregnant lady’s nutritional plan should contain all these ingredients which have been discussed above. This diet should be guided by the physician and can be changed according to the progress of the pregnancy period.
Intake of proteins should be increased with the advancement of pregnancy period. During the last 6 months of the pregnancy a pregnant lady needs about 300 calories extra than her normal days.
A pregnant lady attains about 3-5 pounds per month during first three months of the pregnancy but during the last 6 months this weight gain shouldn’t be more than 3 pounds each month. A pregnancy chart should be planned accordingly.
Mixed Ingredients of Pregnancy Diet
A pregnancy diet should contain all the ingredients of a balanced diet along with some other nutritional supplements.
Everyday diet should contain nutritious fresh light, natural fiber and minerals like porridge, calcium like dairy milk; red vegetables such as tomatoes and carrot for carotene; orange and red fruits like oranges and apples for vitamin B complex, Almonds, walnuts and raisins for vitamin and minerals; leafy vegetables like spinach, cabbage, broccoli for iron and calcium; jaggery, brown rice, lotus stem for iron; pulses, lentil, and sprouts for protein, buttermilk, curd and of plentiful of milk for calcium.
Meals during pregnancy should be light in nature. Intake of sugar, salt and fat should be in the limit and as per the diet.
Water intake should be increased during this period because it flushes out toxins and checks dehydration of the body.
So, stick to the balanced pregnancy diet and enjoy lively motherhood!
