A healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition. It protects you against many chronic non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats, are essential for healthy diet. Moving further into this, we shall learn about some more food items that a woman should definitely add to her diet while pregnancy, also some food items that a pregnant woman should definitely avoid or probably minimize to the prescribed level.
Food in itself is a vast category to look into, different countries, castes, classes have their own preferable food, tasty food may not always do good to our body. Deciding on what food to eat during pregnancy can come off as a big task, but to help you, we have a list of food items which has two aspects, one is about healthy food, other one is about types of food that should be avoided/reduced during pregnancy.
Healthy Food
1. Breakfast cereals; many women would think of it as something unhealthy or ‘too much carbohydrates’, but when it comes to pregnancy, folic acid is needful for our body and so, cereals should be on our priority list.
Cereals are enriched with folic acid and also iron; both of which are required by our body. Even one single bowl of fortified breakfast cereals every day can dispense enough grains in our body. One bowl of cereals contains almost 400 micrograms of folic acid and that is the adequate amount needed to keep our body healthy and fit.
2. Oranges, as they are not only sweet and tasty but also essential during pregnancy. They are filled with folic acid and most significantly, they are a great source to keep mothers hydrated during that time; Largeman-Roth has said oranges to be satisfactory in terms of supplying fibers to the body and keeping expectant mother’s regular when facing the common concern of constipation. Oranges can be put on the check-list to keep ourselves hydrated and avoid issues like constipation.
3. Milk is a staple in a pregnant woman’s diet and all varieties of dairy milk are packed with calcium, potassium and vitamin D. Organic milk and whole milk should be consumed during pregnancy as organic milk doesn’t contain any added hormones or antibiotics and also whole milk because it is tasty and refreshes our mind more. A vegan woman can replace organic and whole milk with soy milk as it also contains proteins and calcium in high amount.
4. Cauliflower as it is definitely healthy when added in a proper diet and is also very rich in Vitamin C. Food items containing Vitamin C should be prioritized by pregnant women as it helps in the unborn child’s development and growth.
5. Ginger; pregnant women do face a lot of nausea and vomiting and these symptoms may not just remain for one day. These symptoms can also further lead to poor health and mental stress which is not good for both the mother and her baby. Ginger can be added to your diet either by consuming it in teas or candies made from it as this could help you keep check on symptoms like nausea and vomiting. Largeman-Roth has said that “Real ginger beer, such as Reed’s or Fever-Tree, are also good picks.”
Food Items to be Avoided or Minimized
1. Raw or undercooked fish, as these may cause grievous infections in our body, like viral, parasitic, bacterial, norovirus, salmonella et cetera, and are not clean especially for a pregnant woman.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pregnant women are up to 10 times more likely to get infected by Listeria than the general population. This can lead to premature delivery, miscarriage, stillbirth, and other serious health problems, according to CDC.
2. Raw eggs have been noticed to contain salmonella infection, which is not right for the development of a baby. This type of infection is affixed with uterus cramps and premature births or still birth.
Here are few examples of food items that contain raw eggs- poached eggs, scrambled eggs, homemade ice-cream, homemade mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, homemade cake icing, or some homemade salad dressings.
3. Alcohol; we all are aware of the repercussions of being addicted to this substance, however, minimal intake of alcohol is still fine for women, but not when they are trying to conceive a baby.
Alcohol should be completely restricted during pregnancy as it leads to still birth or miscarriage of the baby. Consuming alcohol during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, or intellectual disability for the child. Alcohol can also have a bad impact on the child’s brain or on its growth and development processes.
4. Organ meat, people may think that this item is wrongly accused but, eating too much of organ meat can lead to miscarriage or congenital malformations.
Organ meat is enriched with numerous nutrients and especially Vitamin A but, consuming too much of animal-based Vitamin A is not right for the baby and for the mother, which is why the intake of this food item should be minimal.
5. Caffeine, as we all know is not right when taken a lot, but still there are a lot of caffeine lovers in the world and it may sound difficult to not obtain much during pregnancy. Pregnant women are only recommended 200 milligrams of caffeine to be in taken in one single day and not more than that for the sake of your baby’s health.
Increased intake or higher in take than the prescribed amount of caffeine may tamper fetal growth or lead to low birth weight when conceived. Caffeine intake during pregnancy should be minimalized or kept an eye on for better growth of your baby.
To know more about what food items are healthy and which ones to avoid, read other helpful articles on the following sites:
- Which foods to eat and avoid during pregnancy: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/246404#rules
- 11 Foods and Beverages to Avoid During Pregnancy – What Not to Eat: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-foods-to-avoid-during-pregnancy
- 20 Things Pregnant Women Should Add to Their Diet: https://www.thedailymeal.com/foods-pregnant-women-need-to-eat
- 10 foods to eat during pregnancy for a healthy baby: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/10-foods-to-eat-during-pregnancy-for-a-healthy-baby/articleshow/67471406.cms
- 20 Healthy Foods To Eat During Pregnancy: https://www.momjunction.com/articles/foods-you-should-eat-during-pregnancy_00328986
