Eating During Pregnancy

by Roger Noonan,

It is essential that you, as an expectant responsible mother, have a full understanding of your required nutrients while eating during pregnancy. After all, you are now eating for two. Your baby is relying completely on you to receive all his required vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and folic acid. Poor pregnancy nutrition leads to increased risk of mortality and birth defects for your baby, as he is more susceptible to degenerative diseases, and cognitive or neural disorders.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, pregnant women should increase their normal daily food intake to include the following:

Three to four servings of fruits and vegetables.

Nine servings of whole-grain or enriched bread, cereal, rice, or pasta.

Three servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese.

Three servings of meat, poultry, eggs, fish, nuts, dried beans, and peas.

This is necessary as you need to consume approximately 300 extra calories a day while eating during pregnancy, to ensure your nutrient reserves such as calcium and proteins are maintained. Remember your baby will have a high nutrient demand if he is to develop normally, and this is totally up to you.

It is very important to remain hydrated during your pregnancy by maintaining an adequate intake of fluids. This ensures that while you may be going to the toilet more often than you'd like, you are removing all necessary toxins from your system. Also, fluids do not mean caffeine! Some studies have linked caffeine to miscarriage, premature birth and low birth weight, and therefore is best avoided.

Most mothers experience morning sickness at some stage. Remember that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and this is also true for your baby. If you have trouble keeping food down in the morning, try a little fresh fruit, and maybe a little cereal with yogurt. These are packed full of nutrients. If you wish, follow this with some freshly squezzed fruit juice to set you up for the day. If you can't start your day without a cup of tea or coffee, try and have the fruit and cereal first, as tea and coffee only mask your appetite and are of no benefit to your baby.

Try and avoid having big meals during the day when eating during pregnancy, and especially before you go to sleep at night. Five or six small meals ensure that you are maintaining your body with a steady flow of essential nutrients, you are maintaining your own energy levels to allow you to carry out your tasks for the day, and at no point are you feeling sluggish and lazy. If you eat a big meal before you go to bed, your body will spend the night processing the meal, and you go will wake up feeling tired and un-rested.

It should be common sense that you need to stay away from junk food, fast food, and processed foods where possible. These foods are high in sugars and chemicals, and are little or no benefit to your baby. Steer clear of raw foods like rare meat and poultry, and raw fish, as all these foods will contain bacteria in some form that can lead to infection and food poisoning.

By closely monitoring your foods when eating during pregnancy, you are giving your baby his best possible start in life. Isn't this all you really want?