Pregnancy

Nutritional Tips

Forget about the old saying that recommends you to eat for two, as a healthy way to live your pregnancy, or simply understand the true meaning or concept behind those words.

Certainly, you are going to eat for two, you and your baby, but for many, many years, women have understood that they need to eat twice the servings that they used to eat before getting pregnant.

Dietary habit changes are as important as they are necessary. Your doctor will usually suggest those changes that along with some nutritional tips that can ensure you are getting a healthy diet during pregnancy:

• Variety of foods is a very important to get all the nutrients that your body must have to function properly and feed the developing baby, but also to break the monotony of 2 or 3 discouraging foods that eventually make you eat junk food in response to alimentary boredom.
• Although monotony in food intake can lead to vitamins and mineral deprivation, a variety of food and also lack of some of them or being insufficient for your needs. Ask your doctor to determine if you need pre-natal vitamins and mineral supplements to guarantee you are getting enough.
• Get back to the food pyramid every day when planning your meals. Eat more foods from the bottom, where the grains are, then add protein, vegetables and fruits, followed by dairy and finally a small amount of fatty foods. You can get that pyramid online, at groceries stores or health care and nutrition centers, just hang it in your kitchen.
• Eat foods that remember where they came from! The closer to the source of the original food the better. For examples: green beans that are fresh contain more of the good stuff than those in a can; bananas are better than fried banana chips or a banana split!
• Adequate protein intake protects you against problems with eclampsia and other common disorders, ensuring your baby has enough, because protein makes the building block of every cell in the baby's body. 75 grams of protein a day are enough for this purpose.
• Nausea, morning sickness and food cravings can be avoided by eating smaller and frequent meals. This also contributes to alleviating heartburn or reduced stomach space later in pregnancy. Changing the 3 typical meals for 5 or 6 small ones can also reduce the level of sugar in your blood, contributing to your wellness.
• Stay hydrated drinking natural fruit juices but most of all, plenty of water. Fluids are necessary for a healthy pregnancy, labor and delivery, but many pregnant women have the misconception that water contributes to swelling when that is not true. Water contributes to avoid swelling, constipation and it's needed for healthy, elastic skin.