Tips And Dietary Information For Pregnancy Ladies

I am five months pregnant and seem to gain no considerable weight - Will that affect the baby - Do help me out with healthy diet plans for pregnancy

For a woman with normal weight, the recommended overall weight gain during pregnancy is 22-25 lb. An inadequate weight gain can affect the fetus’ health. So, it would be beneficial if you gained the recommended weight. For that, you can add an extra 300 calories to your daily diet. However, remember that the daily caloric intake may vary depending on your normal weight and physical activity. Consult your doctor to find out the right amount of weight you need to gain.

Working Diet Tips For Pregnancy

Now that you are carrying a baby, you need to bring about a lot of changes in your daily life, especially your diet. Firstly, keep in mind that ‘eating for two’ does not mean eating twice the amount of food, but getting twice the amount of nutrition from your food. Give special attention to quality and not quantity. A healthy diet plan for you would be a balanced and nutritious diet that will specifically provide vitamins, protein, iron, and calcium in plenty. It would also mean excluding caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, as these could harm the baby. Follow the food pyramid – more food grains, then vegetables and protein, fruits, dairy products, and finally fatty foods to a small extent.

As far as the nutrients go, adequate protein intake (increased by about 75 grams a day) will help the growth of your baby and increase your blood volume. It also provides for the growth of your uterus, breasts, and placenta. So consume plenty of eggs, fish, meat (lean), chicken, nuts, and peas, which are good sources of protein. Iron is another important nutrient during pregnancy. It forms hemoglobin in your and your baby’s blood and helps fight anemia.

Your doctor will give you iron supplements if necessary, but you can also get the needed iron from foods like egg yolk, legumes, and red meat. Next up is calcium: increase its intake to 1,200-1,500 mg to ensure your baby’s growth of bones, muscles, heart and tooth buds. You can get the calcium you need from milk and milk products, except from butter and margarine.

Finally, increase the intake of all vitamins by 25-50 per cent, and folic acid to twice the amount. The synthesis of blood cells and production of DNA and RNA depend on folic acid. Green leafy vegetables, legumes, egg yolk, lean beef, and liver are good suppliers or vitamins and folic acids. Make sure you eat the freshest foods possible, and don’t overcook them as they may lose their nutritional values. Drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated at all time.