subject: Foods To Eat When Pregnant For A Proper Pregnancy Diet. [print this page] Being pregnant is one of the most amazing experiences a woman will go through. You want your baby to be born as healthy as can be so it is important to take extra care of yourself. The first thing would be to see your doctor regularly to be sure that things are moving along as they should be. One of the most important things your doctor will go over with you is the importance of a healthy pregnancy diet and the best foods to eat when pregnant.
You need to remember that you are eating for two but that does not mean that you have to eat twice as much food. You simply need to make better choices. So what are the best foods to eat when pregnant? You want to have a diet that is rich in minerals, vitamins and nutrients so that you and your baby will be healthy throughout the pregnancy. Remember that a pregnancy diet low in proper nutrition can lead to many complications, among them low birth weight, developmental disorders and miscarriage.
Foods that contain folic acid such as beans, peas, broccoli, spinach and oranges are one of the top food choices as they help to prevent neural tube defects (spina-bifida) with the baby while in the womb. Always try and ensure that the fruit and vegetables are fresh and organic if possible. Foods such as these also help with common problems such as constipation that come with being pregnant. Your doctor will be aware of the importance of folic acid and as well as assessing your diet, will prescribe a pre-natal vitamin to ensure that you are receiving adequate levels.
The best foods to eat when pregnant will always include greens, soaked grains and pasteurised dairy products such as milk, cheeses and yogurts which are all excellent sources of calcium. Calcium is an essential mineral as your baby will be taking the calcium from you to build its bones and teeth. This will also be a big concern if you choose to breast feed. You may notice that you are thirstier since you became pregnant and it is important that you drink plenty of milk as well as water. Stay away from caffeine-based drinks, soda and all alcoholic beverages. Not only are they bad for you but extremely bad for the baby growing inside of you.
You also want to balance out your diet with plenty of protein but do not think that you need to eat a complete extra steak. The fact is that you only need to consume about an extra 300 calories per day when you are pregnant. If you find that you are extremely hungry, then you may not be getting the proper nutrients that your body requires. It is recommended that you try to stay away from fish due to the potential high mercury content in their systems, but if you do want to eat fish you can go with fresh water fish as it is much healthier. If you choose to eat red meat make sure that is cooked completely. In other words stay away from medium-rare and rare meats.
A good knowledge of the foods to eat when pregnant is very important not only for your baby but for you as well. Your baby will be taking away from you what it needs to make itself healthy and strong. So the better you take care of yourself, the better your baby will be. Make sure that you check with your doctor to see what he or she recommends for a healthy pregnancy diet.
by: Roger Noonan
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