Healthy Eating & Pregnancy

While it is always important to eat properly, it is even more so when a woman is pregnant. She is literally eating for two, and everything she eats goes to nourish both she and the baby. Unfortunately, sometimes eating is the last thing a woman feels like doing, especially if she is suffering from morning sickness or has pregnancy-induced indigestion.

Function

The function of food is to nourish the body. When a woman is pregnant, the food must nourish not only her body but must also provide the baby with the nourishment it needs.

The function of the mother is to eat the food that she needs so that both she and the baby can be healthy. And, as mentioned earlier, when the woman doesn't feel well; eating can be the furthest thing from her mind. However, there are a number of simple-to-fix recipes which can stimulate the mother's appetite.

Types

Recipes containing two or three healthy ingredients may just be what the mother needs to become motivated to eat. These may include things such as fruit smoothies, a simple pasta and sauce dish, or a sandwich containing lean meat, lettuce, pickles, and a few condiments, or just plain cheese.

Fiber

No matter what the mother chooses to eat, it is very important that she increases her fiber intake. Constipation is often a problem during pregnancy, and adding more fiber to the diet may help alleviate this, or at least relieve it to some extent.

Fiber is found in whole grains, beans, and some nuts, as well as other foods. An extra serving or two a day will help both the mother and the baby.

Considerations

When deciding what to eat, the pregnant woman should take some things into consideration. One of the most important ones is to limit her intake of fish and seafood, as it has been found that most of this type food has elevated mercury levels. It is believed that mercury may cause some types of birth defects.

Women who are at risk for, or have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes must also limit their intake of sugar or of foods that can be turned into sugar in the body. This includes most desserts, as well as refined bread.

Recipes

Here are some recipes for the dishes or meals.

For a fruit smoothie, blend any type of fruit that isn't too acidic (try peaches, blueberries, or raspberries), and one banana with milk in a blender until smooth. Add a little bit of wheat germ or a fiber supplement (such as Beneful® or a similar product) for extra fiber.

For a healthy pasta and Alfredo sauce dish with just enough seasoning to taste good but not so much as to bring on indigestion, boil some egg noodles as directed on the package. While they are boiling, mix three tablespoons of flour and a half-cup of milk in a jar with a tight lid. Shake this mixture well until the flour is completely blended. Pour the milk/flour mixture into a saucepan, and bring almost to a boil (you should see tiny bubbles around the edges), stirring constantly with a wire whisk. To this, add a half-cup of grated parmesan cheese, and one to two shakes of garlic powder). Continue whisking gently until the cheese is melted (you may need to add a little more milk). Pour over the cooked noodles.