Pregnancy is physically difficult for many women. You want to be as healthy as possible for your growing baby. That means that you need to pay special attention to your diet. Many people will tell you that you are eating for two. However, that does not mean that instead of 2,000 daily calories you should be having 4,000 calories. You only need a little extra each day, and getting the right foods can really help with your health and weight gain during pregnancy.
Space Your Meals
One of the biggest complains from pregnant women is dealing with nausea or morning sickness. One of the best ways to avoid this problem is to keep some food constantly in your stomach. This does not mean that you are grazing all day long.
Instead, plan on having three regular meals and three snacks every day. Space your meals and snacks so that they are about two or three hours apart. Don't go further than three hours or you may find that your nausea is coming back.
Recognize the Right Meal Size
The next thing you need to understand is the correct meal size. Your meal should not consist of seconds and thirds. One plateful of food is plenty to fill your stomach. In fact, as you progress in your pregnancy you will find that your stomach has less space because of the growing baby and you feel full faster.
Mentally divide your plate into four sections. Fill two sections with vegetables, one with a whole wheat or grain product and the final section with some sort of protein. This can be hard to visualize if you are having some sort of casserole. When in doubt, simply add more vegetables.
411 on Protein
Protein is essential for pregnant women. It is full of amino acids that help grow your baby's body. You also need the iron from protein in order to prevent yourself from becoming anemic. You should have about 70 grams of protein each day, which means about 12 grams of protein in each of your meals and snacks.
Protein is found in a variety of places and can easily be added to your diet. For example, ½ cup of cottage cheese has 14 grams of protein in it. A cup of garbanzo means has 12 grams of protein and three ounces of salmon has 23 grams.
Don't Forget Your Green Vegetables
Finally, eat lots of vegetables. Make sure you eat plenty of dark leafy green vegetables such as Romaine lettuce and spinach. These are high in folic acid, which is necessary for your baby's healthy growth. Other vegetables will give you other nutrients that you need.
For more information on health during pregnancy, contact a company like North Florida Women's Care.
Share18 May 2015
One day I was playing a game of basketball with a friend, and the friend I was playing ball with tripped and took a hard fall to the ground. He hit his head hard, but he insisted he was okay and just wanted to go home and take a nap. I knew in my heart that he was not thinking clearly, and I didn't feel right letting him go home. I talked him into letting me take him to the hospital, and after some tests, it was determined he had a bad concussion. The doctors told me that if I had let him go home and sleep, things could have taken a turn for the worse. I created this blog to remind everyone to look out for each other after injuries. Not everyone thinks clearly after a head injury, and just being a good friend could save a life.