Healthy Diet During Pregnancy | Shilpy Hospital

Healthy Diet During Pregnancy | Shilpy Hospital

A good diet is essential to living a healthy lifestyle at any time, but it's much more crucial if you're expecting or planning a pregnancy. Eating well keeps you feeling well and provides your child with the nutrients they need.

In general, strive for a balanced diet that includes a suitable ratio of each of the five food groups:

• Legumes and veggies
• Cereals and bread
• Meat, poultry, fish, and substitutes Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Fruit

Protein-rich foods promote the baby's growth. Protein-rich foods include nuts, beans, peas, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, and meat.

The majority of town water contains fluoride, which aids in the development of strong enamel on your growing baby's teeth. Try to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day. According to some water sources, fluoride is not present in tank water.

Even if you are expecting twins or triplets, you won't need to "eat for two." You may notice that you are more hungry than usual.

Every day, have a healthy breakfast since doing so can prevent you from nibbling on unhealthy foods that are heavy in fat and sugar.

In order to maintain a diversified diet while eating healthfully, it's frequently not necessary to completely eliminate all of your favourite foods, just to alter the portions of those meals.

If you acquire gestational diabetes, your doctor or midwife will urge you to watch what you eat.

Veggies and Fruits

Consume a lot of fruits and vegetables since they include fibre, which aids in digestion and avoids constipation, as well as vitamins and minerals. Eating fresh, frozen, tinned, dried, or juiced fruit and vegetables is recommended. Always give them a thorough wash. To benefit from the nutrients that veggies contain, cook them briefly in a little water or consume them raw while thoroughly washing them.

Starchy foods

Consume a lot of fruit and vegetables because they are rich in vitamins and minerals as well as fibre, which promotes healthy digestion and avoids constipation. Consume various fruits and vegetables every day, whether they are fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juiced. Ensure you gently wash them. To take use of the nutrients that veggies offer, either briefly steam them in a little water or eat them raw while thoroughly washing them.

Protein

Protein comes from sources like beef (avoid liver), fish (avoid mercury-rich seafood), and so on.

Make sure all of the meat, poultry, burgers, and sausages are cooked through. Verify that the meat is not pink and that the liquids are not red or pink. Two meals of fish should be consumed every week, one of which should be oily fish like sardines or mackerel.

Dairy Products

Milk, cheese, and yoghurt are examples of dairy products that are crucial because they provide calcium and other essential minerals for your infant. wherever possible, use reduced-fat options. Certain cheeses should be avoided; for more information, see Foods to avoid.

Alcohol

There is no safe amount of alcohol to consume when expecting. The best course of action is to refrain from drinking if you are pregnant, nursing a child, or planning a pregnancy. Alcohol can harm your unborn child.

Eat fewer foods that are heavy in salt, sugar, and fat

All frying fats (like butter), oils, salad dressings, cream, chocolate, crisps, biscuits, pastries, ice cream, cake, puddings, and carbonated beverages are included in this list of foods. Only a modest portion of these items should be consumed. Sugar contributes to weight gain, obesity, and tooth damage since it provides only calories and no other nutrients. Because fatty meals contain a lot of calories, eating more of them will probably result in weight gain.

An excessive amount of saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol levels, which raises the risk of heart disease. Reduce your intake of saturated fat and replace it with foods high in polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat, like oils, spreads, nut butters/pastes, avocado, and spreads.

Avoid eating foods with added salt and avoid adding salt to meals when preparing or eating.

Wholesome snacks

If you feel hungry in between meals, avoid high-fat or high-sugar snacks like chocolate, cookies, crisps, or sweets. Instead, pick one of these wholesome snacks:

Securing food preparation

1. Wash all produce, including fruit, vegetables, and salads, to eliminate any soil that may carry toxoplasma, a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis, which can be harmful to your unborn child.

2. According to Dr. Gaurav Khanna, washing all surfaces, utensils, and hands after handling raw meat will help prevent toxoplasmosis.

3. To prevent contamination and other types of food poisoning from meat, make sure that raw foods are stored separated from ready-to-eat meals (such as salmonella, campylobacter and E. Coli

Use a different cutting board for raw meats

Prepared meals should be heated through to the point of being piping hot, which is crucial for meals that contain poultry.

Also, you must ensure that some meals, like eggs and sausages, are cooked to perfection.