One
of the toughest things to do is maintain a healthy diet while you are
pregnant. In the beginning you may be nauseous or have strange food
aversions or cravings. Toward the middle you might be hungry for
everything in sight! And during the last trimester you may have aches and
pains and feel like there is no room in your stomach for food.
With
all of the body changes just try to remember that you are trying to form a
healthy baby and need to follow a healthy diet! Here are some general
guidelines to help you.
300 calories!
Pregnancy
only requires an extra 300 calories a day for the baby. That's not very
much when you realize that a candy bar has more than 300 calories! So
don't feel that just because you're pregnant you can eat anything and not gain
weight.
Food Pyramid
Following the food pyramid will help to
ensure you're meeting all of your proper nutritional needs. You'll
want 3-4 servings of dairy, 6-11 servings of grains/bread, 3-4 servings of
meat/protein, 2-4 servings of fruit, and 3-5 servings of vegetables.
Protein
Protein
is very important to eat while pregnant. The amino acids that make up
protein help your baby to grow. In fact, low protein diets can cause low
birth weight babies. You'll want to shoot for a minimum of 60 grams of
protein a day.
Prenatal Vitamins
Most
doctors will suggest that you take a prenatal vitamin to increase the vitamins
and minerals important to you and your baby during pregnancy. Prenatal
vitamins typically contain more folic acid, calcium and iron than a regular
multivitamin.
