One of the most important things you can do to prepare for the arrival of your new baby is to develop proper nutrition habits. After all, it really is true that you're "eating for two." Everything that you put in your body will affect your little boy or girl, so it's important that you adopt correct nutritional habits. This will not only increase your fertility, but it will help you to feel healthy during those nine months of pregnancy, it will help you have an easier, smoother labor, and most of all, it will contribute to your child's overall health.
Keep in mind that your daily food intake directly impacts the way your body works. It also affects how you heal and how you grow. Further, your nutritional habits help determine that your child will be healthy.
The food we eat on a daily basis affects how our bodies work, how we heal and grow, and how we maintain energy and strength for years to come. It also determines the basic nutritional health that our children are born with, and provides a model for their eating habits during childhood and beyond. This is the one time in your life when the way you eat cannot be a selfish decision; it has to be done with another human being in mind.
Over the course of your pregnancy, your body will undoubtedly gain weight. As it does so, remember that this is Nature's reminder that your body is providing sustenance for your growing child. At the end of nine months, your blood volume should have increased significantly--perhaps as much as 60 percent. Your breasts will grow too, filling with milk. And of course, your uterus will grow so that it can accommodate your unborn child. In order to make these important changes, your body will need about 300 more daily calories, especially during the second and third trimester. It's important to discuss your personal nutritional needs with your doctor. Remember that when you neglect your health, you're also neglecting your baby's!
Having said that, it's a myth to believe that you should be eating twice as much as usual. Your baby certainly doesn't need the caloric intake that you need! The truth is, you only need to increase your calorie intake by about 300 calories daily. And this is only during the second and third trimesters.
Another myth is that delivery will be easier if you don't gain much weight. In truth, there is no notable difference, but if your weight is too low, you run the risk of serious complications--premature birth, for instance.
One other myth is that none of the weight you gain during pregnancy should be fat gain. The fact: any healthy pregnancy will include weight-gain that includes storage of fat. Your body will use this extra fat as energy on the day of labor--and also for breast-feeding.
The moral: Don't use your pregnancy as a time to lose weight. Remember to eat healthy and to eat enough, so that you're supplying the nutrients and energy necessary for a successful delivery and healthy child.
Once a woman learns that she is pregnant, she is counseled by all and sundry about maintaining a healthy diet to ensure good health for her unborn child. Yes, if the mother is healthy, the fetus is healthy and so will be the infant that is delivered. If the unborn baby experiences a great life within the womb and in the outside environment, the child will face fewer health problems while growing up and as an adult. And this is where the Mayo Pregnancy Diet comes in!
Why is there so much stress on nutrition? Just give a thought to all the complications that can arise during a pregnancy - birth defects, toxemia, placenta and fetal membranes separating from the uterus before the onset of labor, miscarriage, or dehydration - and you will get your answer.
The Mayo Pregnancy Diet focuses on food pyramids. These pyramids are based on the idea that what holds good for the pregnant woman holds good for the unborn one too. So foods which can be consumed but are not strictly essential are placed at the top, while foods (giving optimal nutrition) which should be consumed in large quantities are settled at the base of the pyramid. The other categories come somewhere in between.
The food pyramid therefore guides the pregnant woman towards a balanced diet (adequate mix of proteins, carbohydrates, oils and fats, dairy products) which will ultimately result in both mother and baby developing strong bones and a healthy heart via good cell division. Weight is also kept under control.
The Mayo Pregnancy Diet recommends a caloric increase of 300 calories as both, mother and baby require sufficient nutrition. Foods included in the nutritional chart are also those suggested by the Mayo Pregnancy Diet. They are:
(a) Berries and other fruits. Berries provide essential folate as well as vitamin C. (b) Beans are also an excellent source of minerals and vitamins. (c) Zinc and vitamin B are provided by low-fat yoghurt. (d) Calcium is found in low-fat cheese. (e) Beef (lean cuts only). (f) Low-fat milk plus vitamin D. (g) Eggs strengthened with omega-3 fatty acids.
The basic dietary habits emphasized by the Mayo Pregnancy Diet are:
(a) Filling the diet with plenty of whole grain foods, as well as vegetables and fruits. (b) Staying away from foods likely to produce cholesterol in the body. (c) Trans fat to be consumed in a limited amount. (d) Regular small meals to keep blood sugar levels normal. (e) Total abstinence from alcohol. (f) Weight to be controlled by keeping count of the calories contained in various foods.
A word of caution here - the Mayo Pregnancy Diet is to be followed only if the doctor approves it.
A look at the foods suggested in the Mayo Pregnancy Diet chart may make the mother with child feel that mealtimes are going to be rather dull! But there is hope yet! The Internet can suggest literally hundreds of dishes using the very foods suggested in the diet chart. All that is required is ensuring the consumption of essential nutrients while keeping weight under control. Hence, mealtimes can be very promising! After all, every pregnant woman would wish to deliver a healthy baby free of birth defects!
Both Gen Wright & Abhishek Agarwal are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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