Healthy Diet during Pregnancy

Studies indicate that nutritional during pregnancy has a greater influence on not only the normal development of the fetus and immediate health of the infant after birth, but also the child's health during growth stages and even adulthood. Current recommendations from Nutritionists and Gynecologists for nutrition during pregnancy stress the importance of a proper pattern of weight gain, adequate calorie intake, consumption of proteins, vitamins and minerals for optimal development of a healthy child and preservation of Mother's health. Mother's Weight gain during this process depends on whether she has started underweight or overweight. Being overweight during pregnancy is a problem as it increases the risk of complications, such as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes.

Being underweight isn't healthy either. Women who are more than 15% less than their normal weight requirement may face complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Ideally, a women who is overweight shall not try to achieve her ideal weight with crash dieting long before she conceives. And that is the reason, Doctors stress the need to maintain a healthy weight and a balanced nutrition right from once childhood. When the foundation is right, the future is right !

A woman's daily energy requirements are estimated to gradually increase as she progresses in her pregnancy stages. They increase to an additional 450 calories per day in her third trimester. A pregnant woman is recommended to consume an additional 20 grams of protein a day to support the deposition of protein in the fetal tissues. For vegetarians, protein options are legumes, grains and dry nuts. Doctors recommend a daily intake of prenatal vitamins and folic acid along with Omega-3 for some. No one should take any more nutritional suppliments than these. Ideally, multi-vitamins and folic acid should be the suppliments consumed even during planning for pregnancy. A healthy diet including a variety of foods, vegetables and fruits not only enhances fertility but also provides the nourishment the tiny embryo needs during those early days of conception, even before your Doctor or you know you conceived.

During the first few weeks of pregnancy, the baby needs a sufficient supply of essential nutrients since this is the stage when the vital cells of the baby's body start to form to develop into organs in the next stages. After the first trimester, some of baby's nutritional needs change, like the importance and need of Calcium, as during the second trimester, bone and blood development escalates. Last trimester brings in huge growth spurts, nearly doubling the baby's size, and so at this stage, more protein is demanded.

Dealing with food cravings is definitely not atall easy, ask others and they will tell you their episodes for hours. Making sure to eat only healthy foods when one has food cravings during pregnancy is so tough to keep up with. Its usually easy to indulge and satisfy a food craving that is nutritional, but if it is an unhealthy food craving, the after effects are damaging. It prevents the Mother's body from getting the other essential nutients the baby needs, all that unhealthy food is consumed by her body only, whereas she needs to eat healthy firstly for her baby's needs.

If the cravings interfere with the ability to eat balanced meals and gain weight correctly, then it is certainly the time to ask ones Obstetrician for advice. Registered dieticians and nutrition experts are sometimes brought into the picture by Obstetritian Gynecologists to help the Mother maintain good nutrition throughout her pregnancy, or if she has issues with Gestational  diabetes and High blood pressure. A healthy diet is so important for anyone and everyone...and doubly more for a woman in pregnancy, as she holds the foundation for her child's health.

....Prathyusha