Transcript
Eating Tipsfor YourPregnancy
The nutritional status of
women when becoming
pregnant and during
pregnancy can have
significant influence on infant
and maternal health problems.
Numerous studies of
nutritional education and
counseling before and during
pregnancy have demonstrated
beneficial effects in terms of
improved gestational weight,
increased head circumference,
reduced risk of preterm birth,
and reduced risk at birth of
maternal anemia.
Caloric intake grows with pregnancy and weight gain variesconsiderably. For the average healthy
woman, ideal weight gain is 25-35 lbs during the nine monthpregnancy.
Either excessive or insufficientweight gain can be deleterious to the health of both the baby
and the mother.
In general, mother’s diet needs to be balanced and nutritious,involving right proportions of protein, carbohydrate, and fat
while consuming a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
Specifically, fat should provide no more than 30% of
daily calories with monosaturated fats being
preferable.
Examples are foods such as olive oil, peanut oil,
sesame oil, canola oil, avocado, and many nuts and
seeds.
Excellent sources of carbohydrates are potatoes, rice,
pasta, and bread. Animal-sourced protein includes
lean meat and fish, as well as eggs.
Quinoa is notable as asource of all theessential amino acids.As faras fruits and vegetables,fresh and frozenproduce usually havehigher vitamin andnutrient content aswell as being excellentsources of fiber.
Micronutrient deficiencies can be addressed through diet as wellas supplements.
The value of prenatalvitamins cannot be overemphasized. Folic acid, iron, vitamin D,
calcium, iodine, and zinc are especiallyimportant during pregnancy.
Adequate folic acid before and during pregnancy is critical inpreventing neural tube defects which affect the brain and spinal
cord. Recommended daily intake is 400-600 mcg.
Sources of Vitamin D
Sources of Zinc
During pregnancy, maternal blood volume increasessignificantly and adequate iron supplementation is
required to prevent anemia and promote adequate oxygencarrying capacity.
Vitamin D deficiency iscommon even in the non-pregnant state. Adequate Vitamin D
during pregnancy is critical for normalfetal skeletal development and may be beneficial in mother to
prevent preeclampsia.
Recommendeddose is controversial and ranges from 600-4000 IU/day. Iodine
is important for normal fetal thyroiddevelopment and function.
Clearly, pregnancy
places impressive
metabolic demands on
the mother’s body.
Only through
nutritional
education and
counseling can the best
outcomes for both
mother and baby be
achieved.
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