Nutrition is most important for our day-to-day activities. When a woman is pregnant she needs to have more calories intake of about 300 extra calories as a baby to needs the energy from it. These calories come from a nutritious diet of proteins, fats, fruits, and vegetables.
Why Is Nutrition Important During Pregnancy?
It is being said that a nutritious diet can also reduce constipation and nausea during pregnancy. One must also take a good amount of fluid inside their body as dehydration has a very bad effect on pregnant women’s
Following are the top nutritious foods that need to be consumed
- Calcium – Calcium is the number one requirement for your bone development and very much important during pregnancy. Calcium also helps to run your nervous system, heart and other muscular functions perfectly. A pregnant women needs 1300 mg of calcium in a day. The best sources of calcium are cereal, juices, milk, broccoli and kale. Milk and juices should be consumed with less sugar in them.
- Folic Acid – This is even told by the doctors to consume as this helps in birth defects and any abnormalities in spinal cord or serious brain development issues. Folate is needed for all the mentioned developments and can be extracted by the body from folic acid. A pregnant woman would need roughly 400 to 1000 mg of folic acid a day before pregnancy. Cereals are the best source of folic acid for the body. Other sources include dried beans, citric fruits like orange, leafy green vegetables etc.
- Vitamin D – Vitamin D is another important nutrient for the development of the baby. Vitamin D helps in building the baby`s bone structure strong and their teeth as well. A pregnant woman will have to consume 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D every day. Morning and evening sunlight are the best source of vitamin D. Many of the pregnant women’s are asked by their doctors to walk in early sunlight for maintaining a good health and for stretching their muscles. Other rich source of vitamin D are fish, milk, eggs (hard boiled), juices (with less sugar content).
- Protein – Protein helps the overall baby`s growth during the pregnancy period. A pregnant woman will have to consume minimum 71 gm for proteins a day for healthy development of the baby. The ideal sources of good proteins are eggs, fish, poultry and meat. In vegetarian section one could consume nuts, seeds of certain fruits and soyabeans, note that soyabeans should not be consumed in fry state, but should be consumed in gravy as this will have less cholesterol in them.
- Iron – One of the most important nutrients is the iron in the food. Iron helps a child develop good blood flow and also have lower risks of anaemia. Iron helps in oxygen supply as well for both the mother and the child. A pregnant woman needs to consume 27 mg of iron in a day for healthy development. The good sources of iron are cereals, beans, vegetables, fish and red meat. If there is less iron content in the body then the mother might experience fatigue many a times which might lead to low birth baby and postpartum depression. One should always consult a doctor to check if they need iron tablets as this is very important for both mother and child.
- Vitamin C – Another important nutrient is vitamin C which when paired with iron helps in development of baby`s brain. A rich source of vitamin C are fruits like tomato, strawberries and oranges. Woman`s can consume the raw fruit or make juices of them but with less sugar content.
- Prenatal Vitamins – Most of the nutrients required for mother and the baby will come from the food the person consumes. But many a times there might be some nutrients which are not easily accessible and might need to be taken from external source. These are called as prenatal vitamins. This are prescribed by your doctors and should only be consumed under his supervision.
Considering the above nutrient supplements, one should visit their doctor periodically and have them checked out. Always follow the guidelines prescribed by your doctor or by the health professionals and do not overeat or consume any medication with prescription.
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