subject: 1 Neglected Element of Nutrition for Pregnant Women [print this page] 1 Neglected Element of Nutrition for Pregnant Women
Water is arguably the most neglected element of nutrition for pregnant women. This bold recrimination of the sincere efforts invested into diet for pregnant woman is nonetheless accurate.
Overemphasis on Everything but Water during Pregnancy
Much effort is poured into diet for pregnant woman; even pre-pregnancy eating habits and a balanced diet for post pregnancy weight loss get a turn in the limelight. Water however is missed in the shuffle of learning about realistic portion sizes, recommended servings per day and what exactly constitutes a leafy green vegetable.
This is a real health tragedy because water is at the core of every bodily function. Without it, life would be impossible. Even a slight deficiency in quantity slows or retards major body functions. Water needs to become a power player in proper nutrition for pregnant women.
Importance of Water throughout Pregnancy
There is an entire laundry list of reasons water is important during pregnancy. Only the highlights are written here:
Adequate water consumption prevents water retention
Hydration relieves morning sickness
Increased blood volume during pregnancy needs more water to stay viscous
The amniotic fluid protecting the baby needs to be replaced every hour
Low water intake contributes to hypertension
Premature labor can be caused by dehydration
Urinary tract infections linked to poor water consumption
Pregnancy hormones are balanced, delivered and broken down by water
Lastly, but certainly not least, those all-important nutrients consumed in an effort to get all the nutrition for pregnant women and baby to thrive cannot be delivered to the baby across the placenta if water intake is too low.
No other drink can duplicate water's benefit to the body, including fruit juices, milk or a diet drink. Stick to water with your beverage choices for pregnancy.
The choice of a diet drink pregnancy thirst quencher is especially poor. Diet colas and other caffeinated beverages have a diuretic effect on the body, reducing water levels even more. In addition to this, artificial sweeteners are linked to birth defects and developmental disorders.
Mothers-to-be need to drink more water to maintain healthy body function than they did before the pregnancy. Drinking 64 oz of water per day is a minimum goal; this equals eight, 8 oz glasses.
A better calculation is to drink half the body's weight in water each day. This is a preferable way to determine the body's water needs because the body demands more water as it grows from trimester to trimester. Drinking the same amount of water from beginning to end of pregnancy usually means the third trimester is spent in a state of perpetual dehydration.
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