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Diet for Pregnant women
- By James W Kelly
- Published March 5th, 2009
- Women's Health
- Unrated
Pregnancy is a new stage in a woman's life and it brings both physical and emotional changes. Friends and family begin to give advice on the diet of expectant mother. Since the health of the child has been found to be linked to the mother's diet, this becomes very important.
During pregnancy, one's appetite and taste preferences undergo a significant change. Though it is not desirable (10% less than ideal weight) for the mother to be underweight, obesity in pregnancy increases the risk of mother developing hypertension and diabetes. Usually weight gain during pregnancy lies in the range of 10 to 12 kg, but for obese patients it is not advisable to gain more than 7.5 to 8 kg overall.
Each stage of pregnancy has different nutritional requirements. Doctors say that a pregnant woman's requirement is about 2500 cal/day and her diet should include 100 grams of protein, 100 grams of fat
and three glasses of milk besides plenty of green leafy vegetables and fruits. For patients who can't bear the idea of milk, high calcium foods such as yoghurt and cheese are recommended.
Meat is rich source of iron and protein. However, vegetarians need not worry as they can rely on nuts and legumes for he same. Doctors commonly advise expecting mothers to take supplements for calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin D and other trace elements like zinc. However these should be consumed in moderation.
General advice is to eat healthy food but drink lots of water. SInce heartburn is common problem during pregnancy, instead of having three square meals, one should aim to have five or even six small meals throughout the day.
Morning sickness is not always experienced in the morning. Commonly women develop an aversion for fried food, coffee,etc, while some experience a craving for sweet food, however intake of sweets need to be carefully watched.
During pregnancy, one's appetite and taste preferences undergo a significant change. Though it is not desirable (10% less than ideal weight) for the mother to be underweight, obesity in pregnancy increases the risk of mother developing hypertension and diabetes. Usually weight gain during pregnancy lies in the range of 10 to 12 kg, but for obese patients it is not advisable to gain more than 7.5 to 8 kg overall.
Each stage of pregnancy has different nutritional requirements. Doctors say that a pregnant woman's requirement is about 2500 cal/day and her diet should include 100 grams of protein, 100 grams of fat
Meat is rich source of iron and protein. However, vegetarians need not worry as they can rely on nuts and legumes for he same. Doctors commonly advise expecting mothers to take supplements for calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin D and other trace elements like zinc. However these should be consumed in moderation.
General advice is to eat healthy food but drink lots of water. SInce heartburn is common problem during pregnancy, instead of having three square meals, one should aim to have five or even six small meals throughout the day.
Morning sickness is not always experienced in the morning. Commonly women develop an aversion for fried food, coffee,etc, while some experience a craving for sweet food, however intake of sweets need to be carefully watched.