Whether this is your first or fourth pregnancy, chances are you already accept that while carrying your child, you truly are eating for two. While you are pregnant, you can increase your health and your baby’s fitness by eating quality food. However, some foods should not be eaten during the duration of your pregnancy.
Up Your Caloric Intake Healthfully
Nutritional experts interviewed for the MSNBC website note that it takes about 55,000 calories to create a healthy baby. However, don’t start eating junk food to comprise the extra 300 or so calories you and your baby need each day. While you shouldn’t deny yourself cravings for ice cream, it’s always a good idea to add plenty of healthy choices such as low-fat milk, whole-grain bread and fruit.
Drink Plenty of Water, Other Healthy Beverages
Drinking lots of water is always important, but it is especially so during pregnancy. You should carry a water bottle with you and drink from it as much as possible, according to the MSNBC website. Also, loading up on healthy beverages can quench your thirst and add those needed pregnancy calories to your extra diet. Choose drinks like low-sodium vegetable juice or 100 percent fruit juice.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid
You just can’t safely eat some foods during pregnancy, according to Discovery Health. Stay away from soft cheeses, such as brie, feta, goat and Camembert; these are also known as raw and unpasteurized cheeses. To protect both you and your baby, it’s also a good idea to avoid raw or cooked high-mercury fish options, like mackerel, swordfish and shark. Also, you should definitely not drink any alcohol while you’re pregnant.
Load Up on Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Many pregnant women read advice about avoiding high-mercury fish and decide not to eat any fish during their pregnancy, according to the MSNBC website. This is a mistake. Pregnant women need to eat plenty of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids including fish, state the medical professionals interviewed at MSNBC. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in all fish as well as foods like walnuts and flax, help your baby’s vision development. It might even make your future son smarter. While taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements or eating walnuts helps, lower-mercury fish, such as salmon, includes other nutrients like DHA that further help your baby’s brain development.
Like anything else, you can enjoy too much of a good thing, especially during pregnancy. MSNBC recommends you eat no more than 12 oz. of fish per week; even low-mercury fish is potentially dangerous to pregnant women when consumed in mass quantities.
Photo Credit
- pregnancy image by AGphotographer from Fotolia.com
