Pregnancy Nutrition - Tips to Eat Right During Pregnancy
While you are carrying your baby, pregnancy nutrition becomes very important, and, if you are wise, you will educate yourself and motivate yourself to plan and follow a balanced, sensible eating plan.
The same information is given by most authorities: eat whole foods that provide a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Eat at least three times a day; drink the recommended six to eight glasses of water; get plenty of leafy green vegetables and the red and yellow ones, too; choose fruits over refined foods which are full of sugar and altered fats.
So let's examine these recommendations. First of all, do you understand the concept of whole foods? A whole food looks pretty much the way it did when it was still growing. Fruit is best eaten unpeeled if possible, grains unground, and vegetables unpeeled and raw. If cooking is necessary, light steaming is best for vegetables, although meats should be thoroughly baked or boiled. Nuts and seeds are valuable additions to your daily menu.
To make your diet even better, choose organic food or locally grown produce and meat raised with organic principles. All grains, nuts, and seeds should be soaked in water for at least 8 hours before eating them. This breaks down a compound called phytic acid that binds minerals in your system. If you think about it, no seed sprouts without being thoroughly wet first during the germination period.
Whole grain bread or cereal, even 'healthy' granola, is not a whole food. A loaf of bread, after all, will not grow if you plant it. Whole grains are available in natural food stores or in the health food area of most supermarkets. These can be soaked in water overnight and cooked like rice for breakfast cereals, additions to salads and casseroles, or for side dishes at lunch or dinner.
If water is brought to boiling and poured over the grain, the grain will be soft enough to eat after eight hours without further cooking. The grain will be actually still living, will grow if you plant it, and, although chewy, will have a pleasant, nutty taste and superior nutrition.
Many foods considered healthy are far from whole. Brans are only part of the grain, and are the part where the phytic acid is found. Eating bran that has not been properly soaked does not add nutrition but rather impedes it. Soy milk is another product that does not live up to its claim to be a healthy food. It can be used, as can the other milk substitutes, but don't count it as a wonder food.
During pregnancy, you should get from 75 to 100 grams of protein a day. Try to eat a balanced diet that includes meat, dairy products, nuts, seeds, and fish (canned tuna is considered low enough in mercury to be used occasionally). Beans are also a good source of protein, if you can digest them.
To keep blood sugar levels even and energy high through the day, protein should be a part of every meal. Yogurt and other cultured milk products are good sources of protein, and they contain the beneficial bacteria that boost digestion and your immune system. Soaked almonds make a great snack. Nuts can be first soaked and then baked to restore the crunch, if you like.
Most of your daily intake of carbohydrates should come first from vegetables and then fruit, whole rather than juice. These foods supply vitamins and minerals, are low calorie, and contain the fiber that helps with the problem of constipation that plaques some women during pregnancy. They also compliment the meat and other protein you need to eat and turn routine meals into colorful and delicious treats.
Refined sugar should be limited and all artificial sweeteners to be avoided completely. Raw honey, pure maple syrup, and blackstrap molasses are great replacements.
The study of pregnancy nutrition is fascinating, and of course is valuable information for anyone at any stage in life. You may find that changes made now remain with you for your lifetime and that of your new child.
