To Eat or Not to Eat: A Pregnancy Diet Guide
Posted by Jessica on March 1, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Pregnancy is whole new adventure for any woman. It is a time when everything in the woman’s life seems to be undergoing transformations and there comes a need for her and her loved ones to adjust to these changes. If you’re planning for a child then it’s very important for you to know everything that you can possibly know about pregnancy. One of the fundamental issues in pregnancy is nutrition or diet. If you want your baby to be as healthy as possible then you should study up on the foods that you must eat and those that you must avoid.
Food is a vital matter that you need to consider in order to carry out a successful pregnancy. Let’s begin with the foods that you must try to avoid during your pregnancy.
Unprocessed meat or raw meat
These meats can be contaminated with toxic bacteria that exist in the sea such as Coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis, and E-coli or salmonella. A great illustration would be sushi. In certain locations in the sea, fish meat (shark, sword fish, tile fish, and king mackerel) is contained with accumulated levels of mercury–mercury that can cause severe brain damage in the baby, affecting the developmental process in the brain. Another case would be when the fish is contaminated with specific industrial pollution. This pollutant, in scientific terms, is called polychlorinated biphenyls or PCB’s. This very toxic chemical can cause an incredible damage in IQ, memory, abnormality and can result to ultimate autism in the child. Before eating fish, study about the environment that you are living in. Contact the health department in your location and find out it the fish meat is safe.
Raw egg
Raw egg contains salmonella and should be avoided. Egg products like mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, Caeser sauce, homemade ice cream and any food that uses raw egg are also good examples of food to be avoided. Salmonella can cause serious illness and a possible infection in your baby.
You have probably heard that pregnant woman have more appetite for food than a non-pregnant woman. For the most part, this statement is true. However, we often encounter statements that are false such as: “a pregnant woman should eat twice as before in order to carry out a successful pregnancy”. One fact that any expecting woman should know is the need to provide the body with the best nutrition available in the market. This is more important than eating more. A pregnant woman is in need of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Carbohydrates
Rice, pasta and bread are great source of carbohydrates. Other great sources of carbohydrates are potato and corn.
Protein
Meat rich in protein include beef and chicken. Meat can provide a great amount of calories in a day. Beans and dairy products are good providers of protein as well.
Vitamins and minerals
Vitamin B9 is a vital vitamin. Vitamin B9 is known as Folic Acid which helps with nervous system development in your baby. You need to take this in the first trimester of pregnancy. Another important mineral is iron. The purpose of iron is to produce enough blood in your body for the delivery of the nutrition to baby. Calcium and zinc are important for developing the embryo and are best absorbed by the body through the foods you eat.
Learn more about nutrition for pregnant women in http://www.surebaby.com/foods.php.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
