Struggling To Create A Good Pregnancy Diet for You And Your Baby?
When it comes to a pregnancy diet, it is essential to note that everything you consume will affect your baby in some way. Though it may seem like you are 'eating for two' the phrase is actually false. During my pregnancy, I felt like I needed to eat double the amount of calories to keep up with the growth of my child. However, only 300-400 extra calories are needed each day in a pregnancy diet.
What to Eat
It is important that you understand how to get the most nutrition out of your pregnancy diet. Some foods are more nutritionally beneficial than others. These foods need to be consumed in a larger degree than those that are less helpful to your developing baby.
Important Foods to Include
High protein foods - These include meats, eggs, nuts, dairy products, and peas. Protein is among the most important nutrient needed by your developing baby, and should be a main concern of your pregnancy diet. It is recommended that you get 4-5 servings of protein a day, which each serving consisting of 20-25g. At first, this was difficult for me to achieve, but including meat at every meal and snacking on nuts and yogurt made it easier for me to reach the daily recommendations.
High Calcium Foods - Including milk, cheese, and green vegetables in your pregnancy diet will give you an abundance of calcium. Four servings of this nutrient are needed each day to promote strong bones for your baby. For someone who doesn't like milk, I found that adding a serving of milk to my cereal each morning would help in satisfying the calcium requirement. I also added cheese to many of my dishes, and snacked on broccoli a great deal to get enough calcium.
Iron Rich Foods - Whole-wheat bread, potatoes, raisins, cereal, and leafy green vegetables are all good sources of iron in a pregnancy diet. This food helps with your baby's blood production, and is needed more in the later stages of pregnancy. Typically 2-3 servings of iron are needed each day. I was sure to get enough iron with my pregnancy diet by including bread in my breakfast and/or dinner meals by having toast, sandwiches, or tortillas.
Foods High in Fiber - Fresh fruits, vegetables, rice, and cereal will give you a decent amount of fiber in your pregnancy diet. 1-2 servings are recommended. Not only will fiber help with your baby's development, it will also help prevent constipation, a common experience during pregnancy. Snacking on carrots, broccoli, and apples is how I made sure I had enough fiber each day.
