Posted by QuickReadAbout.com Staff in Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet during pregnancy is considered one of the best things a woman can do for herself and her unborn baby. While some women are already conscious of what they put into their bodies and live a healthy lifestyle, others may find it more difficult to adjust to the changes necessary to produce a healthy baby.
There are many common myths circulating about what women can and cannot eat during the 40 weeks of pregnancy. One such issue that stirs controversy is caffeine: some health care practitioners say that a limited number of cups of tea or coffee a day won’t hurt, while others back studies that show caffeine causes the risk of miscarriage to rise. Some small studies show that women who eat a lot of peanut butter during pregnancy can cause their baby to have peanut allergies when the mother has no history of the allergy herself.
Best foods to eat
Despite being told in past years that they’re eating for two, mothers who consume extra calories – especially foods high in sugar – can put a strain on their own and their baby’s health. New research shows that an extra 300 calories per day in the form of a healthy snack can pack the best punch.
Protein is the best choice for snacking during pregnancy, as it is the building block of each cell and helps mothers who have nausea and fatigue. Additionally, fiber helps to decrease the odds of constipation, a common pregnancy symptom. The best foods to snack on are cheese and crackers, which contain both fiber and protein; nuts, which are packed full of protein; fresh fruit, eggs, vegetables, and bean dips.
Another contradictory food to eat during pregnancy is fish, which is an excellent source of protein and calcium. Shrimp, light tuna, catfish, salmon, and pollock are the best types of fish to eat, but shark, swordfish, tile fish, and king mackerel should be avoided because of the dangerous levels of mercury that they hold.
Foods to avoid
Salmonella, listeriosis, botulism, and toxoplasmosis can be picked up during pregnancy if the mother eats the wrong foods or incorrectly prepared foods. First, eggs and meats should be cooked completely, and a cutting board should be washed between cutting up chicken and raw vegetables in order to avoid contracting salmonella, which causes a headache, abdominal pain, shivering, nausea, diarrhea, and fever within one to two days after eating the foods.
Next, improperly cooked meats and unpasteurized milk products are major players in listeria illnesses, which act like the flu because the main symptoms are fever and general aches and pains. The chances of a miscarriage and a stillborn baby are increased if a mother eats these types of foods where bacteria are present. The most recent scare included cold lunchmeats and soft cheeses.
Most people think of cat boxes as the reason for toxoplasmosis, but raw vegetables, raw and undercooked meats, and pork are all ways to get infected with the illness. And though botulism is rare, improperly stored or canned foods are the largest source of infections in humans.
Special diet needs
There may be special needs as far as nutritional requirements go, depending on circumstances during a woman’s pregnancy. For example, diet changes are necessary for any mother who has diabetes, low iron, multiple fetuses, or who gets pregnant during their teenage years. A nutritionist can help to answer any specific questions about what to eat or how to alter a daily diet in case of any of these preceding conditions.
Prenatal vitamins should also be taken before, during, and after pregnancy, because they have vitamins and nutrients that may not be included in a mother’s diet. However, they are not to be used as a replacement to a healthy food selection, and too many vitamins – like Vitamin A – can cause birth defects in an unborn baby. Studies show that prenatal vitamins have a better effect when a mother is already eating a healthy diet that contains a variety of foods.
Additionally, a pregnant woman should increase her daily intake of calcium to help her baby grow strong. The average prenatal vitamins contain about 250 milligrams of calcium, but a mother needs about 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium per day.