Nutrition During Pregnancy

                                       

Who doesn't love eating yummy foods? While most food is tasty and delicious, some precautions should be taken while you're pregnant. During your pregnancy, you will be consuming a bit more food than usual, since your body will be fueling you and a baby. Extra nutrients and proteins should be consumed in order to feed the growing baby. Eating a variety of different nutritious foods will keep your body healthy and in return will keep the baby healthy and allow continued growth. It is important to start exploring healthy eating options early in a pregnancy. It is essential that the baby’s growth and development continue to be strong throughout the pregnancy and eating foods to help boost your health is very beneficial to both you and the baby.

Remember the baby will be feeding on the foods you ingest. It is important that you eat enough foods that contain calcium, folic acid, iron, and protein; to help sustain the needs of the developing baby. You might be thinking to yourself that you need to change your entire way of eating... Good news! That is not true!  Adding certain foods and subtracting some high-calorie snacks, can help your transition to healthier habits.  Recipes for easy and delicious meals and snacks can be found online or in your recipe box, and within no time you will be eating nutritious and tasty foods that you will love and will benefit the developing baby.

Let us take a moment to discuss what calcium, folic acid, iron, and proteins do to help your body and how it benefits the development of the baby-to-be. We will also address what tasty foods these essential nutrients can be found in.

Calcium is essential as it is the building blocks for the baby's bones and teeth. It makes all the bones in the body nice and strong. Your body can't make calcium, so you need to get it from a variety of foods or with supplements. Calcium can also reduce your risk of hypertension and pre-eclampsia. Here are some food suggestions that are rich in calcium and that are packed with flavor:

                      Milk, oatmeal, orange juice, broccoli, kale, and almonds. 

Folic Acid also is known as folate. Folate is naturally found in foods. It is suggested to start eating foods that contain folate early on in your pregnancy (even prior to pregnancy); and/or foods that are fortified with folic acid. This means that the food has been enhanced with the nutrients. Folic acid plays a big role in helping to prevent birth defects of nervous tissue, the brain, and spinal cord. Folate can naturally be found in: 

Dark leafy greens, avocados, legumes, asparagus & citrus fruits like oranges.

Foods that are fortified with folic acid; 

Breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, and rice

*Please read all labels before consuming*


 

Iron is a crucial mineral that is needed during pregnancy. Iron in the body is used to produce extra blood; hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a substance found in red blood cells and they transport oxygen throughout the body. During your pregnancy,  your body supplies oxygen to the baby. This means the demand for iron goes up with the increase in blood supply. Iron is found in:

Spinach, raisins, kidney beans, lentils, pumpkin seeds AND

dark chocolate (YUM!)

Protein is a type of nutrient found in a variety of foods. Protein is made up of many amino acids joined together, that are the building blocks of your body's cells - and the baby's body and cells. A healthy protein intake during your pregnancy can result in a healthy birth weight. A healthy birth weight can reduce the risk of the child developing diabetes or becoming overweight later on in the child's life. Tasty and healthy sources of protein can be found in: 

Beans, chicken, liver, lean beef, lamb, pork and nuts