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Pregnancy power foods!
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Did you know that your body needs 33% more vitamin C and 50% more iron during pregnancy?
But, of course, eating for two means more nutrients and not necessarily more calories.
According to Blackmores’ counseling naturopath Stephanie Donoffer, “the baby is the main recipient of the food you eat so if you don’t eat properly or forego quality dietary supplement, your body could be severely starved during the last trimester of pregnancy”. A pregnant woman needs a higher level of almost all vitamins and minerals.
Under pregnancy, women need 33% more vitamin C, 46% more vitamin B6 and 50% more folate comparing to the normal need. “A pregnant woman should eat antioxidant rich food because cell division causes excessive free-radicals (oxidative stress). These foods include berries and colorful vegetables such as cherry tomatoes”.
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Maternal nutrition
Have you been getting enough of these nutrients? A lot of mothers-to-be do not.
Iodine
A research conducted in Australia in 2007 revealed that a lot of Australian pregnant women did not get enough iodine. Iodine is crucial to fetal development by way that it decreases the risk of brain anomalies. Iodine can be found in marine fish, seaweed and sea salt.
Iron
A lot of women took up vegetarianism or clean eating but they did not adopt it properly. Often times these foods are their breakfast which is why the iron level in their bodies tend to drop. Feeling weak and tired, they turn to sweets and caffeine in the afternoon and eat more for dinner from lacking protein that the body needs throughout the day. These are your options to increase iron in your meal.
>> Try vitamin rich grains. Snack upon a fist-full of soy bean and pumpkin seeds. Always include meat in your meal for perfect pregnancy and maternal nutrition.
Folate
Even though you eat a balanced diet during pregnancy, it could still be difficult to get sufficient folate.
>> Eat bananas (pisang awak), spinach and asparagus which are rich in folate, and take folate supplement.
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Beat self-indulgence during pregnancy
Here are some suggestions for dealing with increased food appetite during pregnancy for the optimal fetal development and healthy eating habit.
Is it too much?
Eat light during the first trimester because you don’t need more calories just yet in order to form a good eating habit for the second and last trimesters when the body actually needs more calories and maternal nutrients.
Want grease and salt?
Choose the healthiest option available for perfect pregnancy and fetal development. So, choose tuna, vegetables or steak over those hamburgers and fries.
In the mood for dessert?
Find the healthiest alternatives like going for fruits and yogurt instead of ice cream. Change your eating habit to 5 small meals instead of 3 big ones. Take Graham’s suggestion, “Eat low GI snacks like grain sandwich at 10 instead of a piece of cake and carry some fruits and nuts in your bag when going out”.
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