After you've announced your pregnancy, everyone around you will make it a point to remind you that "during pregnancy you should take food for two people". This statement ought to mean that with a growing foetus inside you, your diet should be balanced and more nutritious rather than increasing the quantity of food you eat.
The primary concern of expecting mothers is baby's health and his unhampered growth and development. For a healthy pregnancy, you surely need more calories, but it is only in the last three months of pregnancy, when doctors advise to increase your daily caloric intake by 200kcal.
During the first few weeks of pregnancy, there are no specific nutritional requirements of the mom-to-be, but a healthy diet is prerequisite for mother's well being and overall embryonic development. With morning sickness and nausea of pregnancy, your appetite may fluctuate and you may refuse to eat, but you must realise the importance of eating well during pregnancy.
It is important for you to start having a nutritious and well-balanced diet from the very first month of your pregnancy. Mentioned below are some foods that your diet during pregnancy must be inclusive of.
- Fruits and Vegetables- Regardless of your pregnancy stage, ample amount of fruits and veggies will always be recommended to you. If you do not wish to eat vegetables, treat yourself with a bowl of fruit custard or a plate full of fruit salad. You can eat fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced fruits and green vegetables to get all essential nutrients.
- Protein Rich Foods- It is recommended that an expecting woman should at least have two portions of foods rich in protein, such as chicken, fish, eggs and pulses.
- Starch Rich Food- your pregnancy diet should have enough amount of whole-grain bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. These foods are healthy for the first few weeks of pregnancy.
- Dairy Products- Milk, cheese and yoghurt tend to provide innumerable nutritional benefits to a pregnant woman. Besides, consuming dairy products along with sea fish/sea salt provides iodine, which is another essential nutritional element for foetal development.
- Folic Acid- During the early phases of pregnancy, a woman requires extra amount of folic acid which aids in producing neural tube that later becomes baby's brain and spinal cord.
- Limiting Sugars and Fats- Expectant mothers must abstain from consuming foods high on sugars and fats as these do not contain nutrients and provide empty calories.
Best Diet to Eat During Pregnancy