Pregnancy diet
From ChildWiki.com
If the regular diet of the pregnant woman if usually balanced, then she will only need to make a few minor alterations in order to assure the specific nutritional needs of the pregnancy period.
The old concept that claims the future mother has to eat for two is no longer valid. Nowadays, it is considered that the quality of the aliments is much more important, and not the quantity. A correct diet contributes to the woman's health and furnishes the needed nutritional elements to the fetus, for a good prenatal development.
Contents |
[edit] The Four Groups of Aliments
The easiest way to make sure the woman will have a balanced diet, is to eat as variate as possible and to include in the daily pregnancy diet aliments from the four base groups. If the daily diet contains fractions of every alimentary group, then the diet is balanced.
| A. Hydro-carbonated aliments | This is the group of aliments that has to be the base of every meal. It will furnish few calories, will bring nutrients in the diet and will lessen the appetite. |
| CONTAINS: | Bread, rice, corn, other cereals, vegetables rich in amidin as the potato. |
| FURNISHES | Proteins, fibers, energy, vitamins, and minerals. |
| NUMBER OF DAILY PORTIONS | At least 4 a day. |
| B. Diary Products | They are rich in calcium and proteins. |
| CONTAINS: | Milk, cheese, yogurt. |
| FURNISHES | Proteins, calcium, vitamin A, zinc, magnesium and iron. |
| NUMBER OF DAILY PORTIONS | At least 4 a day. |
| C. Meat products and fish products, meat alternatives. | Rich in minerals and proteins. |
| CONTAINS: | Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, beans. |
| FURNISHES | Proteins, vitamin A, B vitamins complex, fibers(in nuts and beans), iron. |
| NUMBER OF DAILY PORTIONS | At least 3 a day. |
| D. Fruits and vegetables. | Rich in vitamins. |
| CONTAINS: | Fresh fruits and vegetables, but also those refrigerated or dehydrated. |
| FURNISHES | Vitamins, folic acid, potassium, iron and fibers. |
| NUMBER OF DAILY PORTIONS | At least 4 a day. The woman should alternate green vegetables with dark colored fruits that are rich in vitamin A, with critics, tomatoes or other fruits rich in vitamin C. It is best to eat a few fresh fruits and vegetables every day. |
[edit] Sweets
Besides the 4 main groups, there are the sweets, witch can be consumed in small quantities. They include juices with added sugar and sugar based products. Sweets are scarce in nutrients. They determine the apparition of dental cavities and weight gain.
[edit] Needed Calories Intake
The calories represent the measuring unit used to express the energetic value of aliments. The daily needed calories intake varies from one person to the other, depending on the metabolic factors and on the physical activity that person does every day. The basal metabolic rate is the rate at which the body consumes energy while resting. It can be measures during medical investigations.
Researches showed that a woman aged 15 to 18 needs an intake of 2110 calories. Those women aged 19 to 49 need 1940 calories. A pregnant woman need a energetic supplement of about 200 calories a day during the last three months of pregnancy. Women that are underweight at the begging of the pregnancy have to eat more. Mothers that are breastfeeding will need during the first three months about 480 calories for that. The next months require about 550 extra calories every day.
The needed supplement of 200 daily calories can be assured by taking snakes between meals. An yogurt, a fruit, a slice of pizza can be considered a snack. This type of snacks is preferred to sweet snacks (biscuits, doughnuts) that have a high fats content and lots of sugar, are scarce in nutrients and will cause excessive weight gain.
[edit] Pregnancy Normal Weight Gain
If at the beginning of the pregnancy, the weight is a lot above the limit, the woman will be medically supervised. She might be required to chance her daily diet as well. Usually women that are overweight when getting pregnant will not gain the necessary amounts for reserves, because they already exist. At the same time, those underweight will gain more than normal, to cover necessities.
At the beginning at the pregnancy, the weight gain will be slow and gradual. Even if before the sixth months pf the pregnancy the fetus is still very small, the weight gain becomes accelerated and it is caused by specific changes that the organism passes through.
At the end of the pregnancy, the woman who had a normal weight when she became pregnant will have 11-13 more kilograms than before the pregnancy, which are usually distributed as in the following table:
| Weight of the baby | 3200-3400 grams |
| Placenta | 480-560 grams |
| Amniotic liquid | 900-1100 grams |
| Uterus | 900-1000 grams |
| Supplementary blood volume | 1700 grams |
| Fat and protein reserves (part of the actual weight gain) | 1800 - 3500 grams |
| Increased fluids volume | 1700 grams (part of the actual weight gain) |
