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Healthy Diet Plans >>
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Prenatal Nutrition |
Prenatal Nutrition
Prenatal nutrition is not only beneficial to the overall health of a pregnant woman but also to the health of her developing baby. Eating well before and during the pregnancy helps women get the essential nutrients their bodies require and also provides the energy their body needs to support and sustain a healthy pregnancy. Following a good prenatal nutrition plan ensures that both you and your unborn child are getting regular adequate nutrition. Good nutritional foods are the building blocks for the growth and development of your baby and what you eat directly impacts your baby’s health. Eating foods like vegetables, legumes, whole grain foods, lean meats and proteins can help you give you baby a strong head start in life. A prenatal nutrition guide not only helps you choose foods smartly but also helps you maintain a healthy pregnancy. The most important meal of the day is breakfast especially during pregnancy when you are actually eating for 2 people. Developing healthy eating patterns before and during your pregnancy is very important to avoid health problems for you and your baby. Weight gain is an important part of every pregnancy and eating the right foods can help ensure that you gain the appropriate amount of weight during your pregnancy tenure. Healthy diet changes can help control the amount of weight you put on in your pregnancy and this is a much better option as compared to drastic diet restrictions. Healthy changes like switching to low fat or skimmed milk, avoiding sugary desserts and snacks and substituting them with low fat options and eating lean meats instead of red meats can help maximize nutrition during pregnancy. Maintaining a prenatal nutrition checklist can help you monitor your daily diet and also ensure good nutrition for your baby. These days there are a number of prenatal nutrition questionnaires which can help you determine which foods you should or should not eat during pregnancy.
Women also need to be aware of certain prenatal diet nutrition facts which are crucial for the development of their baby. Although eating fish is considered healthy during pregnancy, certain fish and fish oil supplements contain high levels of mercury which can cause brain degeneration in a developing child. Prenatal nutrition and brain development of the fetus are interlinked and consuming a wide variety of nutritious foods during pregnancy is very important for fetal brain development. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can negatively affect a baby’s brains development and cause serious impairments. Adequate folic acid and zinc intake during pregnancy can help avoid neural tube defects in the fetus. Omega 3 fatty acids are also very important for fetal brain development and can be obtained through foods like yogurt, eggs, certain margarine brands and certain varieties of fish. On the other hand studies have also shown the co-relation between prenatal nutrition and birth defects. Iodine is very important for the brain development of a growing fetus and an iodine deficiency during pregnancy can cause birth defects like cerebral palsy and mental retardation in a newborn. Iodine is commonly found in iodized salts but it is also important to remember to limit sodium consumption during pregnancy to avoid other complications. Prenatal nutrition and birth outcomes are also inter-related and can be observed in many cases. Lack of prenatal nutrition and obesity before and during pregnancy can cause problems like preterm labor and premature birth which can even cause heart and lung problems for the baby. The risk of child obesity is also higher if the mother gains excess weight and doesn’t take care of prenatal nutrition during pregnancy. Many parents believe that problems like autism are genetic or drug induced but they fail to see the link between prenatal nutrition and autism. Autism is a common problem among children these days which can cause serious developmental disabilities. Neurological disorders in a fetus can take place in all stages of development and lactation and are a result of deficiencies in zinc, copper, iodine and iron. Prenatal nutritional deficiencies in folic acid, essential fatty or amino acids, vitamin A, Vitamins B6 and B12 can all cause developmental disabilities and autism. Therefore doctors stress on the importance of prenatal nutrition for pregnant women to avoid such health complications for the developing child.
There is also a strong relation between prenatal nutrition and psychological development of a child. If a developing fetus has been deprived of good prenatal nutrition during the gestation period, it increases the chances of psychological problems when the child is growing up. Problems like food aversions are a common example of psychological problems associated with prenatal nutrition. A strong link between prenatal nutrition and food allergies has also been observed in many pregnancy cases. Food allergies can sometimes be hereditary and can be passed on from a mother to her unborn child. In many cases doctors recommend avoiding foods like shell fish, peanuts and other nuts in order to reduce the risk of your baby developing food allergies after birth. Prenatal nutrition guidelines can be altered to a certain extent if a pregnant woman suffers from any kind of food allergies. This may especially be true in pregnant women who follow a vegetarian diet. Prenatal nutrition for vegetarians excludes all meats, poultry items, fish, dairy products and eggs and primarily includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and grains. Avoiding even these items because of food allergies can make it very difficult for a pregnant woman to follow a regular healthy diet. It is however important to remember that prenatal nutrition and the development of a baby are closely associated and need to be taken care of properly during pregnancy to avoid developmental problems for the baby. Apart from just concentrating on healthy nutrition during pregnancy it is also important to regularly visit your gynecologist to monitor the health and growth of your baby. Therefore, healthy prenatal nutrition and care are vital to the overall well being of the pregnant mother and just as important to the growth and development of her unborn child.
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| Submitted on May 10, 2011 |
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