During pregnancy calories consumed should come from a balanced diet consisting of protein, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Sweets and fats should be kept to a minimum.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet can also help reduce some symptoms of pregnancy, such as nausea and constipation.
What to do to have a healthy pregnancy?
- Take a prenatal vitamin.
- Exercise regularly.
- Write a birth plan.
- Ask your doctor.
- Change your household chores (avoid harsh or toxic cleaners, heavy lifting).
- Track your weight gain (normal weight gain is 25-35 pounds).
- Buy comfortable shoes.
- Eat foods rich in folate (lentils, asparagus, oranges, fortified cereals).
Also read: STRETCHING AND FLEXIBILITY EXERCISES
Tips for a healthy pregnancy:
Before you can take care of your new baby, you need to take care of yourself.
Here are some tips:
-
Consult your doctor as soon as you think you are pregnant.
-
Take a prenatal vitamin
-
Exercise regularly
-
Write a birth plan
-
Ask your doctor.
-
Change your household chores (avoid harsh or toxic cleaners, heavy loads).
-
Track your weight gain (normal weight gain is 25-35 pounds).
-
Buy comfortable shoes
-
Eat foods rich in folate (lentils, asparagus, oranges, fortified cereals).
-
Eat foods rich in calcium (dairy products, canned fish, soy).
-
Eat more fish (except those that contain a lot of mercury).
-
Eat foods that contain fiber
-
Don't eat soft cheeses (unpasteurized styles like brie and feta can contain bacteria that can cause fever, miscarriage or pregnancy complications).
-
Eat vegetables
-
Eat five or six balanced meals a day. But don't overeat. You only need about 300 to 500 extra calories a day. Keep a food diary.
-
Limit caffeine
-
Drink plenty of water (six 20 cl glasses of water per day).
-
Don't drink alcohol
-
Wear sunscreen
-
Fly smart (avoid air travel if possible during early and late pregnancy)
-
Avoid changing the cat litter (to reduce the risk of toxoplasmosis).
-
Give in to cravings - sometimes
-
Know when to call your doctor with concerns
-
Don't smoke; avoid second-hand smoke
-
Get enough sleep
-
Wear your seat belt
-
Do not take over-the-counter medications or herbal remedies without consulting a doctor.
-
Consult your dentist
-
Take pregnancy classes
-
Babysit for a friend to gain hands-on experience.
-
Visit the maternity services
-
Practice relaxation techniques daily (yoga, stretching, deep breathing, massages).
-
Don't take too much medicine
-
Exercise, but don't overdo it
-
Stretch before bed to avoid leg cramps
Don’t hesitate to also read: 30 DAY KETTLEBELL CHALLENGE, HOW DOES IT WORK ?
What nutrients does a pregnant woman need?
All nutrients are important and the following ones play a key role in your baby's growth and development during pregnancy:
- Folic acid
- The iron
- Calcium
- Vitamin D
- DHA
- Iodine
Vitamins and other nutrients during pregnancy.
During pregnancy, your baby receives all the nutrients it needs from you.
So you may need more items during pregnancy than before.
Taking prenatal vitamins and eating healthy foods can help you get all the nutrients you and your baby need during pregnancy.
Make sure your prenatal vitamin contains folic acid, iron, and calcium. Most contain the right amount of each.
Talk to your doctor to make sure you're getting enough vitamin D, DHA, and iodine every day.
Do not take any supplements without your doctor's approval.
Read: 10 MINUTES WITH DUMBBELLS THAT SCULPT THE WHOLE BODY
What are prenatal vitamins?
Prenatal vitamins are multivitamins intended for women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
Compared to a regular multivitamin, they contain more of certain nutrients you need during pregnancy.
Your health care provider can prescribe a prenatal vitamin, or you can buy one over the counter without a prescription. Take a prenatal vitamin every day during pregnancy.
If you are planning to get pregnant, start taking prenatal vitamins before you get pregnant.
Your body uses vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from food to be strong and healthy. During pregnancy, your growing baby gets all the nutrients it needs from you.
So you may need more vitamins during pregnancy than before. If you are pregnant with multiples (twins, triplets, or more), you may need more nutrients than if you are pregnant with a single baby.
Your prenatal vitamin contains the right amount of nutrients you need during pregnancy.
If you are vegetarian, have food allergies, or can't eat certain foods, your doctor may recommend taking a supplement to help you get more of certain nutrients.
A supplement is a product you take to compensate for certain nutrients that you don't get enough of in the foods you eat.
For example, your provider may recommend that you take a vitamin supplement to help you get more vitamin D, iron, or calcium.
What is folic acid?
Folic acid is a B vitamin that every cell in your body needs for healthy growth and development.
Taking folic acid before and during early pregnancy may help prevent birth defects of the brain and spine called neural tube defects (also called NTDs).
Some studies show that taking folic acid may help prevent heart defects and birth defects of your baby's mouth (called cleft lip and palate).
Before pregnancy, take a vitamin supplement containing 400 mcg of folic acid every day.
Take a vitamin supplement containing 400 mcg of folic acid every day, even if you are not trying to get pregnant.
During pregnancy, take a prenatal vitamin every day that contains 600 mcg of folic acid.
Check the product label to see how much folic acid it contains.
If you are at high risk of having a baby with an NTD, ask your doctor how you can safely take 4,000 mcg of folic acid daily to help prevent an NTD.
Start taking 4,000 mcg at least 3 months before you become pregnant and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
You are at high risk if:
-
You have had a pregnancy with an NTD in the past.
-
You or your partner has an NTD.
-
Your partner has a child with an NTD.
-
Do not take multiple multivitamins or prenatal vitamins. You may end up absorbing too many other nutrients, which could be harmful to your health.
You can also get folic acid from foods. Citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, and beans are all excellent sources of folic acid.
Some foods are also fortified with folic acid, such as cereals, bread, rice and pasta.
What is iron?
Iron is a mineral. Your body uses iron to make hemoglobin, a protein that helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.
You need twice as much iron during pregnancy as you did before. Your body needs this iron to make more blood to carry oxygen to your baby. Your baby needs iron to make his or her own blood.
During pregnancy, you need 27 milligrams of iron per day. Most prenatal vitamins contain this amount. You can also get iron from foods. Good sources of iron include:
- Lean meat, poultry and seafood.
- Cereals, breads and pastas with added iron (check the package label)
- Green leafy vegetables
- beans, nuts, raisins and dried fruits.
- Foods containing vitamin C can increase the amount of iron your body absorbs. It's a good idea to eat foods like orange juice, tomatoes, strawberries, and grapefruit every day.
- Calcium (in dairy products like milk) and coffee, tea, egg yolk, fiber, and soy can prevent your body from absorbing iron. Try to avoid these when eating iron-rich foods.
If you don't get enough iron during pregnancy, you may experience:
- Infections.
- Anemia: You have too little iron in your blood.
- Fatigue: You feel really tired or exhausted.
- Premature birth: Your baby was born too early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy.
- Low birth weight. This means your baby weighs less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces at birth.
What is calcium?
Calcium is a mineral that helps your baby's bones, teeth, heart, muscles, and nerves develop. During pregnancy, you need 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day.
You can get this amount by taking your prenatal vitamin and eating foods that are high in calcium.
Good sources of calcium include:
- Milk, cheese and yogurt
- Broccoli and Kale
- orange juice to which calcium has been added (check the package label).
If you don't get enough calcium during pregnancy, your body takes it from your bones and gives it to your baby. This can lead to health problems, such as osteoporosis, later in life.
Due to osteoporosis, your bones become thin and break easily.
What is vitamin D?
Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. It also helps your body's nerves, muscles, and immune system function. Your immune system protects your body from infections.
Vitamin D helps your baby's bones and teeth grow.
During pregnancy, you need 600 IU (international units) of vitamin D each day. You can get this amount through diet or from your prenatal vitamin.
Good sources of vitamin D include:
- Fatty fish, such as salmon
- Milk and cereals to which vitamin D has been added (check the package label).
What is DHA?
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a type of fat (called an omega-3 fatty acid) that helps with growth and development.
During pregnancy, you need DHA to help your baby's brain and eyes develop. Not all prenatal vitamins contain DHA.
Ask your doctor if you should take a DHA supplement.
During pregnancy, it is recommended that women consume 8 to 12 ounces of low-mercury seafood each week.
Good sources of DHA include:
- Herring, salmon, trout, anchovies, halibut, catfish, shrimp and tilapia.
- Orange juice, milk and eggs with added DHA (check the package label).
What is iodine?
Iodine is a mineral your body needs to make thyroid hormones, which help your body use and store energy from food.
You need iodine during pregnancy to help your baby's nervous system develop. The nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and nerves) helps your baby move, think, and feel.
During pregnancy, you need 220 micrograms of iodine per day. Not all prenatal vitamins contain iodine, so be sure to eat foods that contain it.
Ask your doctor if you should take an iodine supplement.
Good sources of iodine include:
- The fish
- Milk, cheese and yogurt
- Enriched or fortified cereals and breads (check the package label)
- iodized salt (salt with added iodine; check the package label).
Tips to help increase your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and baby.
What can I do to make my baby look beautiful during pregnancy?
- Eat healthy foods.
Eating healthy foods is especially important for pregnant women. Your baby needs nutrients to grow.
Eat plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, foods rich in calcium, and foods low in saturated fat.
- Take a daily prenatal vitamin.
Taking a daily prenatal multivitamin can help you get the right amount of essential nutrients you and your baby need during pregnancy. These include folic acid, iron, and calcium.
- Stay hydrated.
A pregnant woman's body needs more water than before pregnancy. Try to drink at least eight cups of water a day.
- Go to your prenatal care checkups.
Women should have regular prenatal checkups with a health care provider.
Mothers who do not receive regular prenatal care are much more likely to have a low birth weight baby or other complications. If possible, consider group prenatal care.
- Avoid certain foods.
There are certain foods that women should avoid eating during pregnancy.
Do not eat:
- Raw or rare meats
- Liver, sushi, raw eggs (also in mayonnaise)
- Soft cheeses (feta, brie)
- Unpasteurized milk
- Raw, unpasteurized animal products can cause food poisoning. Some fish, even cooked, can be harmful to a growing baby because they are high in mercury.
- Do not drink alcohol.
Do not drink alcohol before and during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of having a baby with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
FASD can cause facial abnormalities, severe learning difficulties and behavioral problems.
Alcohol can impact the health of the baby from the early stages of pregnancy, before the woman knows she is pregnant. Therefore, women who may be pregnant should also not consume alcohol.
- Do not smoke.
Smoking is unhealthy for you and your unborn baby. It increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), premature birth, miscarriage, and other poor outcomes.
- Move.
Exercising daily or staying active in other ways can help you stay healthy during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about the right level of physical activity for you.
- Get a flu shot.
The flu can make a pregnant woman very sick and increase the risk of complications for your baby. The flu vaccine can protect you from serious illness and help protect your baby after birth.
Ask your doctor about getting a flu shot.
- Get enough sleep.
Plenty of sleep (7-9 hours) is important for you and your baby. Try sleeping on your left side to improve blood circulation.
- Reduce stress.
Stress reduction is essential to improve birth outcomes. Pregnant women should avoid stressful situations as much as possible.
Ask your loved ones to help you manage stress in your life.
- Plan the right time to get pregnant.
If you choose to get pregnant at a time when you know you are healthiest, it increases your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and birth.
This not only means that women need to make sure they are healthy before getting pregnant, but also that they need to take their age into account.
Mothers who have children early in life (before age 16) or late in life (over age 40) are at greater risk of having a preterm birth.
Additionally, women who become pregnant again too early (less than 18 months between births) are even more likely to have a premature baby.
If you want to find other Fitness and Wellness articles, take a look at the fitness shop review and best seller sections of the blog you will find plenty of workouts and exercises to do at home. And if you want to know more about sports nutrition (food supplement) to gain muscle or lose fat, do not hesitate to consult the fitness clothing collection .
You can download my complete fitness guide “ The essentials for a body in top shape ” for free and subscribe to our Facebook page and our Instagram account .
Thank you for reading, I am personally responding to the comment.
Looking forward to corresponding with you!
