Pregnant women should prefer “quality” to “quantity” when
eating to make sure that the baby is supplemented with enough nutrition, and
the mother doesn’t gain too much weight.
Eating properly during pregnancy is incredibly important as
it affects directly the development of the fetus. It’s not just that, the habit
of eating healthily also helps pregnant mother feel energetic during 9 months
of pregnancy. However, in fact, not all women know how to have a scientific and
balanced diet is. To have the healthiest pregnancy, mothers should follow 5
principles below:
1.
Don’t go on a diet
Pregnant women shouldn’t worry about their weight gain every
day. This is absolutely normal as you’re having a small person inside you.
Gaining weight is to be healthy enough for the development of the fetus.
Therefore, pregnant women shouldn’t think about reducing extra calories and fat
every day. According to the experts, pregnant women should eat enough to
increase 1-2kg within the first 3 months of pregnancy, and after 9 months they
need to gain about 10-14kg. Women should also absorb the fat for the proper
development of the fetus. Fat is very important to the vision development and
formation of the fetus’s healthy skin.
Pregnant women
shouldn’t worry about their weight gain every day.
2.
Eat many kinds of food
The platform of a healthy diet is the choice of a many kinds
of food to supply essential energy and nutriments to the health of pregnant
women and the development of the fetus. Aside from a healthy diet, pregnant
women should also supplement at least 400mcg of folic acid during pregnancy.
Absorbing enough folate will minimize the risk of having cervical neck
fractures and neural tube defects by 70%. Folic acid deficiency also increases
the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight and other fetal heart defects.
Pregnant women
should prefer quality to quantity when eating so that the baby can have enough
nutrition.
3.
Eat many meals
In pregnancy, especially the first 3 months, women are
usually tortured by morning sickness. Therefore, eating regularly, dividing
into small meals is very important and useful. Aside from 3 main meals, women
should have 3 extra snacks with their favorite dishes. Dividing your meals into
small ones will help to reduce nauseous feeling, vomiting and stimulate
appetite.
4.
“Quality” over “quantity”
A moderate, balanced diet is extremely important, but women
should prefer nutritious foods such as lean meat, seafood, egg to fast food,
fried food…Pregnant women should choose foods rich in protein, iron, calcium;
at the same time, eat fiber-rich foods to prevent constipation – a common
problem during pregnancy.
5.
Drink lots of water
You need to know that the amount of blood in your body will
increase by 40-50% when you’re pregnant, so drinking enough water is extremely
necessary. Most pregnant women need to drink enough 11-12 glasses of water (equivalent
to 2.5 litters) each day. Boiled and filtered water is the best choice. You can
also drink milk or fruit juice, which are very beneficial to pregnant women’s
health.
You need to know
that the amount of blood in your body will increase by 40-50% when you’re
pregnant, so drinking enough water is extremely necessary.
