Healthy eating for pregnancy – Why healthy eating is important?

During pregnancy your unborn baby gets all their nutrients from you. Healthy food choices before, during and after pregnancy help:

you stay healthy and well; and your baby grow healthy and strong.

If you are planning a pregnancy, good diet and a healthy lifestyle will help your body prepare for the pregnancy and give your baby a good start. Healthy eating during pregnancy may also protect your baby against diseases in later life.

During pregnancy you need extra energy and nutrients. You do not need to eat for two, but you will need to eat regular meals with a variety of foods. What you eat is as important as how much you eat.

To achieve and maintain a healthy weight,be physically active and choose amounts of nutritious food and drinks to meet you energy needs .  Here some pregnancy food heroes

Milk – Calcium and vitamin D

Dairy products are the best sources of calcium.  Full of protein and vitamin D,apart from strengthening your bones and taking care of your teeth,they  are also vital for the overall bone development of your growing  baby.  For optimum calcium intake,have yoghurt or buttermilk with your meals,cheese as and when you like,is possible to obtain the nutrients in milk form other sources, milk consumption in pregnancy has been associated with better pregnancy outcomes in clinical research.  Try and choose low-fat options to avoid consuming saturated fat.

Sweet Potato – Rich source of vitamin C

Just one cup of sweet potato contains about 1,900 mg of beta carotene,a vegetable source of vitamin A, ie., three times the recommended daily intake.  Vitamin a is essential for eye and skin development in the unborn baby.  The vitamin is needed for the growth and development of the kidneys,eyes,lungs, heart bones, the circulatory and respiratory system, and the central nervous system.  Eaten boiled or roasted, sweet potato is also a good source of energy,and packed with calcium,iron,potassium and vitamins B6 and C

Avocado – Fruits -Enjoy a variety of fruits with different colours

Healthy fats super foods for developing brains.  Avocado is rich in monounsaturated fats, and also provides some plant-based saturated fats.  It also contains choline, which aids healthy brain development in babies.  One avocado provides nearly a third of the required daily intake of folate,with an increased ability to be absorbed by the body.  Your baby needs folic acid for the development of her deformities.  Folic acid is also known to prevent complication like depression, lethargy,anemia,insomnia, ,mood swings and preeclampsia.  Avocados are also high in carnitine and potassium

Spinach – Green leafy vegetables 

a loaded super food, spinach is a pregnancy power food that provides the maximum micronutrient density per calorie for pregnant mothers and unborn babies.  It is ricj in beta carotene which is converted y the body  for Vitamin A,which apart form helping the unborn baby develop, os also particularly important for women who are close to giving birth:because it can help the body heal with postpartum tissue repair,and also critical while breast feeding.  A single cup serving of spinach provides more than the daily requirements of vitamin A and K, and nearly a full day’s worth of folate.  Spinach is also rich in iron,magnesium and calcium

Nuts – Almonds,Cashew Nuts,walnuts .. etc 

Unless you are specifically allergic,almonds are great snack choice during pregnancy.  The high protein content in them helps in the healthy development of muscle mass in your growing baby, and is important for you to gain enough strength and stamina for the birthing process.  Additionally,almonds are a nutritious source of iron, magnesium,folate,vitamin E and heart healthy unsaturated fats.  apart from adding fibre to your diet,these help support a healthy pregnancy and are a nutritious addition to your diet

Enjoying a wide variety of vegetables, legumes, fruit and whole grains and drinking plenty of water every day can assist with constipation –a common occurrence during pregnancy.

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