subject: What to Include in a Perfect Pregnancy Diet [print this page] What to Include in a Perfect Pregnancy Diet
Foods That Contain Iron and Folic Acid
Iron helps build red blood cells in the body. When you don't get enough of this nutrient during pregnancy, your baby will deplete your iron reserves and leave you weak, fatigued and pale. If there is not enough iron in your body, you may also have headaches, experience dizziness, and have difficulty regulating your body temperature.
Iron deficiency is common in pregnant women because their iron needs rise due to the increased volume of blood. To reduce your risk of iron deficiency, include plenty of dark green vegetables, poultry, and lean meats in your diet.
Folic acid is important to have in your diet during the early stages of pregnancy. This nutrient helps reduce your child's risk of being born with spina bifida. With this condition, the child's spinal column does not close completely prior to birth. Spina bifida can cause mental retardation, incontinence and varying degrees of paralysis.
Women should get 400 micrograms of folic acid daily prior to pregnancy. After conception, the amount of folic acid in your daily diet should increase to 600 micrograms.
Prenatal vitamins often contain 800 micrograms or more of folic acid. Although these vitamins may provide you with more than enough folic acid, it is still important to include folic-acid rich foods like citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables and beans in your diet.
Foods That Contain Protein and Calcium
Protein helps build your baby's organs, muscles, fingers and toes. This nutrient is especially important during the second trimester of pregnancy when your baby is developing rapidly.
To ensure you get enough protein to meet the demands of your growing fetus, add a source of this nutrient to each meal. Foods that are rich in protein include whole eggs, lean meats, poultry, raw nuts and beans.
Calcium is important for healthy skeletal development. When you are calcium deficient, your baby will rob the calcium from your bones and leave them porous and brittle. Contrary to what you were taught, milk is a poor source of calcium for pregnant women.
Milk and other dairy products contain chemicals and other additives that can cross the placenta and harm your fetus. Also, pasteurization makes a large portion of the calcium in dairy unusable. Green leafy vegetables such as collard greens are a better source of calcium during pregnancy.
Foods That Contain Omega-3
Omega-3 is a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid that is essential for the healthy development of your baby's brain, retinas and nervous system. Over the long-term, omega-3 has been shown to reduce the risk of developmental delays and behavior problems in youngsters.
Seafood is the most abundant source of omega-3. When you add seafood to your pregnancy diet, remember that some types contain high levels of mercury. Ingesting too much mercury-tainted fish can damage your unborn baby's delicate nervous system. Some safe seafood selections include:
wild salmon
rock and spiny lobster
crawfish
ocean perch
flounder
anchovies
oysters
sardines
tilapia
clams
shrimp
calamari
farmed caviar
With all the conflicting information out there, planning the perfect pregnancy diet can be a challenge. Thankfully, it doesn't have to be this way. If you fill your diet with fruits, vegetables, fish, beans, poultry, lean meats and eggs, your baby will get all the nutrients he needs to grow healthy in the womb.
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