Starting off your with a healthy
well balanced
diet is the best thing you do for yourself and your baby. This way, you'll only need to make a few adjustments during your
pregnancy.
Your first trimester
If you find it tough to maintain
a balanced diet during your first trimester, you can rest assured that you're not alone. Due
to queasiness, some women will eat all of the time and gain a lot of weight
in the process. Other women have trouble getting food down and subsequently lose weight.
Preventing malnutrition and
dehydration are your most
important factors during first trimester.
Calories
When you are pregnant, you need
to consume around 300 calories
more than usual every day. The best way to go about doing this is listening to your body when you are
hungry. You should try to eat as many foods as possible from the bottom of the food pyramid.
If you gain weight too slow, try
eating small meals and slightly increase the fat in your diet. You should
always eat when you are hungry, as you are now eating for 2 instead of one.
Calcium
By the second trimester, you'll
need around 1,500 milligrams
of calcium each day for your bones and your baby', which is more than a quart of milk. Calcium is
something that's missing from many diets. Along with milk, other
great sources for calcium
include dairy products, calcium fortified juices, and even calcium tablets.
Fiber
Fiber can help to prevent
constipation, which is a common
pregnancy problem. You can find fiber in whole grains, fruits, and
even vegetables. Fiber supplements
such as Metamucil and Citrucel are safe to take during pregnancy.
Protein
Unless you happen to be a strict
vegetarian, your protein
intake is not normally a problem for women who eat a healthy diet.
Iron
A lot of women will start their
pregnancy off with a bit of
iron deficiency. Good sources of iron include dark leafy green
vegetables and meats. Iron
Supplements should be avoided, as
they can cause internal
symptoms such as cramping, constipation, or diarrhea.
Vitamins
Seeing as how you get a majority
of the vitamins you need in
your diet, you may want to discuss prenatal vitamins with your doctor. Folate is one of the most important, and if you are getting
enough of it, you may be
able to avoid vitamins all together - just ask your doctors to make sure.
