A Pregnant Woman's Guide to Eating Healthy

A woman becomes more conscious of her health during pregnancy to ensure the baby's safe and healthy delivery. Generally, an on-the-way mom seeks for the best food options with utmost consideration on the nutrition intake of her and her baby.

Eating Right and Eating Enough

Eating the right kind and amount of food is essential to every expectant mother. She must consume about 200 to 300 more calories than what she would normally have when she is not pregnant. This is relatively far from the wrong notion of a soon-to-be mother having to "eat for two."

Usually, a woman can gain as much as 35 to 40 pounds due to eating too much fried foods and dairy products during the course of the pregnancy. In many cases, this type of weight gain is not healthy for both the mother and the child. Too much weight gain is linked with complications at birth. Ideally, a woman taking a vegetarian diet and eating more monounsaturated fat like those found in olive oil and nuts early in the pregnancy will most likely gain only as much as half of what is described as an unhealthy weight.

Getting Fat vs. Eating Nutritious Food

There is a misconception that a woman must get fat during pregnancy. However, there is something more to merely getting fat for a woman who is on the way. It is always best for her to consult a doctor on how to achieve a "healthy weight gain" early on during the pregnancy. The ideal weight gain for a pregnant woman varies according to her pre-pregnancy weight. Experts provide a benchmark saying that an overweight woman is recommended to only gain as much as 15 pounds, while an underweight woman can gain up to 40 pounds when pregnant. This is a case-to-case basis and can only be accurately determined by consulting a director.

To avoid "unhealthy weight gain," it is essential that a pregnant woman limits on too much fat and sugar in the diet for both weight and nutrition reasons.

Apart from doing proper exercises and activities and taking the right medications, having a healthy pregnancy is mainly achieved through proper food intake. The primary goal is to eat a healthy, balanced diet. For the first three months of pregnancy, a pregnant woman's diet should include food rich in folic acid, iron, and calcium. For the next three months, she also needs extra protein and calcium. Vitamin supplements recommended by the doctor are usually taken, but eating actual foods rich in such nutrients are still important.

Ideal Food Options for a Pregnant Woman

Eating a variety of nutritious food and following the recommended daily servings for each is important during pregnancy. To prevent major birth defects involving the baby's brain or spine and to prevent the common birth defect congenital heart disease, food rich in folic acid must consistently be part of the diet. It is ideal to take dark, green, and leafy vegetables such as veal and legumes (black-eyed peas, lima beans, black beans, and chickpeas) to maintain the generally required 0.4 mg of folic acid everyday.

Taking at least three daily servings of iron-rich foods to get the generally required 27 mg of iron needed by a pregnant woman is essential because the blood volume increases during pregnancy and the lack of iron may result to iron deficiency anemia. Food rich in iron include leafy, green vegetables like spinach and broccoli, meat, and strawberries.

Taking a daily dose of at least four servings of calcium-rich food and dairy products can keep up with the required 1,000 to 1,300 mg of calcium needed during the pregnancy, which ensures the proper growth of the baby. Not providing enough calcium may result to the baby getting it from the mother's bones. Soy milk is rich in calcium and vitamin D, while yogurt and cheese contain much calcium, protein, fiber, and other essential vitamins and minerals beneficial to the health of both the mother and the child.

Fiber and a variety of required vitamins and minerals are also important in a pregnant woman's diet. She must eat food that are high in fiber like whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, fruits, and vegetables. She must also have at least one good source of vitamin C for the generally required 70 mg amount of it per day. Popular fresh food options rich in vitamin C include oranges, grapefruits, honeydew, cauliflower, green peepers, broccoli, tomatoes, and mustard greens.

Taking about 10,000 IU every other day of vitamin A through carrots, pumpkins, turnip greens, water squash, sweet potatoes, beet greens, apricots, and cantaloupe is needed in the development of the baby's senses, especially the eyesight. While this vitamin is important for the baby's development, it is important to note that excessive vitamin A intake may become associated with some fetal malformations.

Drinking a enough fluids is very important to a pregnant woman. Priority is given to taking water and milk. Fruit juices are also ideal, but not at the expense of water and milk. Taking soda and beverages containing caffeine should be limited.

"Healthy Food for Pregnant Women," World Health Magazine
"Eating Right When Pregnant," Web MD.
"Healthy Eating for Pregnant Women," More4Kids.