Proper nutrition during pregnancy: tips and menu examples

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Pregnancy is a difficult time, it brings only happiness to some, other women suffer and suffer. But in any case, this is a test that most beautiful ladies pass. As soon as women find out that they will have a child, they try to rethink their whole life, some try to get rid of bad habits and normalize their diet. These are the right measures that will only positively affect your he alth in the future.

If you got pregnant and before that were constantly on various diets for weight loss, took dietary supplements and exercised on an ongoing basis, then it is best for you to review your diet, seek help from a certified specialist (nutritionist). He will be able to offer some advice for you so that your body can adapt to the loads. First of all, you need to understand the concept of proper nutrition during pregnancy for women, what it should be, what acceptable weight gain is possible and other nuances.

Weight gain

Many expectant mothers, being in such an interesting position, start eating more than usual, and this is quite normal. However, there are ladieswho are very afraid of spoiling their beautiful figure, and they actually starve themselves, looking with horror at the scales and the growing indicators on them. Why is this happening? This is due to the fact that many women do not have the slightest idea what weight gain is considered normal during pregnancy, therefore everything is calculated in its own way, usually like this: simply three to four kilograms of fetal weight are added to their own body weight and focus on this indicator, trying not to deviate from it.

for a woman in position, the fat reserve is up to five 5 kilograms. If you calculate everything, it turns out that the weight gain will not be far-fetched four kilograms, but much more - about 12-14 kilograms. If you gain less than 12-14 kilograms, then there will be a reason to think about whether you eat enough, whether you harm yourself and your child with your experiments.

It's worth remembering right away: proper nutrition during pregnancy is not some kind of diet that will allow you to be slim even in position, but a diet recommended by doctors that allows your baby to be born he althy.

You need to make a reservation right away, if your weight gain is more than fifteen kilograms, and you are carrying only one child, then you should think and realize thatthe numbers are too high and the problem needs to be addressed. Pregnancy is not a reason not to eat, quite the contrary!

Calculate calories

Proper nutrition during pregnancy is not to eat "for two", but completely different. You should immediately take into account the fact that your companion is a baby, he does not need thousands of calories in order not to feel hungry. Overeating will be bad for both you and him, but are you trying to achieve this? Proper nutrition during pregnancy should only be 300 calories more than the usual rate for you. If you are a nursing mother, then the figures increase to 500 calories. There can be no talk of double servings, sizes, and so on. Are you eating 1500 calories a day? Then during pregnancy, increase the diet to 1800 calories, it's simple.

Proper nutrition during pregnancy also includes proper distribution:

• 30% of the daily ration - breakfast;
• 10% snacks each;
• the third part of the menu should fall on the general menu;
• 20% for dinner.

Eating mode

Now it's time to talk about diet. Proper nutrition during pregnancy should be divided into fractions, you need to eat in small portions, but quite often - every 2.5-3 hours until the beginning of the third trimester. When your tummy is already impressive in size, it is better to start eating seven times a day, every couple of hours.

Nutritionists say that proper nutrition during pregnancy has its own characteristics. For example, the usuala person is recommended to have breakfast half an hour after getting up, but expectant mothers should immediately refresh themselves after waking up. However, there are also limitations. For example, you should not eat up at night, and you should have dinner a couple of hours before you go to bed. Are you suffering from hunger? Then just drink a glass of yogurt, you should not torment yourself and the child, and you can sleep peacefully.

Doctors insist that proper nutrition be varied when planning a pregnancy, but women should eat fish and meat dishes, porridge for women during breakfast and lunch, and leave fruits, salads and dairy products for dinner and afternoon tea.

What foods to include in the diet?

And what is worth eating so that both the baby and you feel good and at ease? The ideal menu of proper nutrition during pregnancy by week should consist of the following products:

• bread (whole grain);
• low fat dairy;
• not raw eggs;
• buckwheat, rice and other cereals;
• cheese;
• soy products;
• vegetables (potato included);
• compotes;
• fruits and berries;
• honey;
• legumes;
• dried fruits;
• vegetable oil;
• nuts;
• lean meat, fish, seafood.

How much food should be?

Proper nutrition during early pregnancy should include foods in the following volumes (daily):

1. Protein food - coupleservings (fist-sized portion).
2. Three pieces of butter.
3. Pair of eggs.
4. Product containing vitamin C.
5. A couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil.
6. Four servings or a glass of dairy.
7. A few potato tubers (baked is perfect!).
8. Serving salad, vegetables.

If you think that there is proper nutrition during pregnancy, so as not to get better, then you will not find this information. Pregnancy always entails weight gain (whatever one may say). The diet will also need to include (before childbirth and after) the following:

• drink plenty of water (from one and a half liters per day);
• sea fish - a couple of times a week;
• sea s alt.
• fruits and nuts.

A word of advice: don't overindulge in carbs, because too much will only lead to weight gain. Until halfway through your pregnancy, consume four hundred grams of carbohydrates per day, and the rest of the term - three hundred grams.

What should vegetarians do?

Vegetarianism is a common thing these days. It is believed that plant foods in reasonable quantities can make up for all the products required by the body. However, when it comes to children, the opinions of experts differ. Convinced vegetarians say that their lifestyle does not interfere with giving birth to he althy children. However, some doctors argue that a child needs animal protein for full development, which contains amino acids, minerals, and, first of all, calcium andiron. Iron deficiency leads to anemia, but if you can't force yourself to eat meat, try eating fish during your pregnancy.

Proper nutrition during early pregnancy is very important, because all mothers want their children to be he althy.

What causes a lack of calcium?

This is not dangerous for a child, because he absorbs vitamins from the mother's material, but a lack of calcium in the body will undermine the mother's he alth: beauty will fade, bones will become brittle, problems with teeth may begin. Therefore, doctors recommend including dairy products in the composition. Proper nutrition in the third trimester of pregnancy or at any other time should be balanced, complete and consist of different products. As you can see, a balanced diet may not contain meat dishes, but then pay attention to plant foods, fish, tofu, nuts, dairy products. It is also worth including wheat bran, sesame seeds, which are rich in calcium and iron, in the diet.

A small recommendation for vegetarians: doctors advise to regularly take tests to check the indicators of microelements, vitamins in the blood to make sure that the food is complete, balanced and enough in the body.

How to eat in the first trimester?

Proper nutrition in the first trimester of pregnancy requires to be excluded from your daily diet:

• instant coffee, alcohol, strong tea;
• fast food, convenience foods, fast foodcooking.

Restrict yourself in the first terms as follows:

• boiled coffee - a cup of the day;
• sweets - a portion for a couple of days;
• pickled, s alted vegetables – minimize as it overloads the kidneys.

Below is a sample menu for a day during pregnancy in the first trimester:

1. Breakfast: a couple of fruits, two toasts with butter, a bowl of porridge with water or butter.
2. Second breakfast: two hundred grams of cottage cheese or a couple of eggs (you can alternate), fruit or fruit salad.
3. Lunch: soup with chicken or vegetable broth, a portion of meat with a side dish, salad.
4. Dinner: fish or meat, legumes - two hundred grams, a couple of tablespoons of garnish in the form of porridge or potatoes, fruit.
5. Before going to bed, you are allowed to drink a glass of kefir, eat unsweetened yogurt or four egg whites.

How to eat in the second trimester?

Exceptions remain the same as in the first trimester. It is better to slightly reduce portions and increase the number of meals in order to avoid heaviness in the stomach.

Menu:

1. Breakfast: two hundred grams of porridge with butter, fruit. It is allowed to drink fresh juices, smoothies.
2. Second breakfast: one hundred and fifty grams of cottage cheese or one egg, fruit.
3. Lunch: a portion of meat or fish, half a portion of soup and also a side dish, a portion of vegetable salad.
4. Snack: two hundred grams of cottage cheese, you can add more dried fruits for taste or you can replace everything with kefir with fruit, it is also allowed to drink kefir with biscuits or sweets, but not daily,of course.
5. Dinner: one hundred and fifty to three hundred grams of fish, a couple of tablespoons of garnish, vegetable salad.
6. Before going to bed, you can drink kefir if you want.

How to eat in the third trimester?

Proper nutrition during pregnancy in the 3rd trimester allows for six to seven meals a day. You need to eat food every two hours, and especially when you feel heaviness. Limit s alt, consult a doctor regarding water intake.

Sample menu:

1. Breakfast: toast with butter or honey, half fruit, or one hundred grams of porridge with half fruit.
2. Second breakfast: one hundred grams of cottage cheese or yogurt, berries and fruits are allowed.
3. Lunch: A bowl of soup and a slice of bread.
4. Second lunch: two hundred or three hundred grams of meat or fish, vegetable salad, dessert if desired.
5. Snack: a serving of nuts, seeds or dried fruit.
6. First dinner: fruit or fruit puree, scrambled eggs and vegetable salad, any meat dish with vegetables, a slice of bread or a portion of a side dish of carbohydrates.
7. Second dinner: half a serving of a protein dish with a salad of vegetables or soup-puree with chicken or fish, smoothies from kefir and fruits are allowed.
8. Before going to bed: kefir or egg white.

Yes, you can increase the calorie content of your diet, but you need to do this through he althy foods, and not with the help of confectionery. Many nutritionists recommend making your own various desserts at home, just use brown sugar, flourcoarse grinding, fruits and cottage cheese. There are also vitamin and mineral complexes especially for pregnant women. If you wish, you can also read different reviews on proper nutrition during pregnancy.

The most common nutrition mistakes

Correct and complete nutrition affects not only the he alth of the mother, but also the fetus. Some women are not even aware that they make mistakes. Which? Now let's figure it out:

1. Irregular food intake. It is not right to eat when you only want it. Lack of a full breakfast or overeating will not bring anything good, but will only lead to digestive disorders.
2. Overeating at night. At a later time, all metabolic processes in the body slow down, because food will put an additional burden on the digestive tract. Extra calories will turn into centimeters on the sides, and sleep will be disturbed. The feeling of hunger is simply worth weakening.
3. Sukhomatka. Such a diet will lead to gastritis or stomach ulcers. The body of a pregnant woman is very vulnerable, therefore it is extremely important that hot food be in the diet.
4. No breakfast. In the morning, digestive juices begin to be actively produced in the body, therefore, in order to avoid gastritis, you should not skip breakfast. Drink a glass of juice, fruit drink or yogurt, and then proceed to a full breakfast.
5. Spicy food. It is not necessary to give up seasonings, but it is worth remembering that spicy food is fraught with danger - it prevents blood clotting. If your doctor has diagnosed you with anemia, ulcers, cystitis, then you will need spicy dishes at all.exclude from the diet.

Some useful tips

Proper nutrition is the key to the normal development of the fetus, and you can avoid a lot of problems in the future if you take care of your own he alth in advance. Consider the following guidelines:

• Eggshell. It is a natural source of calcium. The daily dose is up to two grams. Wash the egg first, cook for three minutes in boiling water. Peel the shells in a blender or coffee grinder. Store the mixture in a glass bowl.
• Meat. The product contains a lot of vitamins, rich in iron, proteins and fats. It is better to eat turkey and duck meat.
• Seafood. They are rich in iodine, zinc, fluorine. Especially useful are mussels, seaweed, squid and shrimps.
• Sweets. Life without sweets is impossible for some, so you should eat he althy sweets or cook your own products.

In order not to have a snack on the go and not worry about whether you have enough nutrients today, you should think over the menu in advance. Do not forget that a hearty breakfast is a fundamental component for the he althy development of the fetus. You will have to reconsider your diet and diet, but can't you do it for your own child? At first, the changes will be small, maybe a little difficult and hard, but once you get used to it, life will seem much easier to you. Eat right, enjoy your pregnancy and quiet hours, because soon you will have to learn how to be a mother, and thisnot an easy task.