Eating the proper right amount of food during pregnancy is very important. The present guidelines suggest that pregnant women do not necessarily have to induce themselves in eating too much food in order to answer the need of both the mother and the baby in the womb. Obese pregnant women are at high risk of serious problems including high blood pressure, diabetes, miscarriage, stillbirths, abnormal babies and painful labor.
The new guidelines recommend the general practitioners and others to inform the expected mothers of the health risks of being obese while carrying a baby along with the benefits of shedding weight if planning for a pregnancy. Those who are already suffering from obesity and currently pregnant should avoid going on a weight-reduction diet as this may cause complications for the baby. They are supposed to be on a healthy and proper diet while staying active.
Doctors should advise women not to overeat especially those who are thinking they are supposed to ‘eat for two’. According to the guidelines, no extra calories are needed during the initial 6 months of pregnancy and for the final 3 months, an additional intake of 200 calories per day is sufficient. However, there’s no clear evidence that pregnant women need to put on for a hassle-free pregnancy.
It is usually noticed that women gain weight in a year or couple after giving birth. The general practitioners, midwives and health visitors are recommended to discuss about healthy weight management with the women on their 6th week visit. In order for pregnant women to obtain the right weight during and after pregnancy, asking help to a proper nutritionist regarding weight –loss diet plan is also best recommended.
The guidelines likewise encourage health care provider to keep pregnant women aware that abrupt or rapid weight gain or weight loss may lead to certain complications that may affect the health both the mother and the baby. The women need to be encouraged to stay active, eat a balanced and healthy diet and to practice breastfeeding to their newly born infants.
The guidelines came from nutrition specialists, general practitioners, midwives and specialists in maternal and fetal health at the Centre for Public Health Excellence, NICE. The guidance about exercise, diet, and weight management during pre and post pregnancy are based on intensive research on obesity.
The new guidelines for pregnant women are designed for both the baby and the mother. These guidelines must be observed properly. Most women thought that pregnancy needs to cut on calories but in fact, it is just the opposite. A pregnant woman might need an extra 300 calories daily especially on the later months of pregnancy as the baby grows quickly. However, for women who are very active, thin or carrying multiples, they might need even more. On the other hand, if a woman is already over weight, it is vital to seek a professional’s advice on what and how much to be consumed.
Every person deserves to have a healthy eating especially during pregnancy period. Therefore, always make sure that calorie intake is coming from nutritious foods. Those foods are essential for both the baby and the carrier’s over all health and development. Maintaining a diet which is well-balanced can help incorporate the requirements a dietary guideline requires. These are:
- Fruits
- Lean meat
- Breads made from whole grain
- Vegetables
- Dairy products containing low fat
Experts believed and proved that eating a diet composed of healthy foods can likely to give important nutrients a body needs. However, not only the nutrients received from the daily foods must be obtained but also essential nutrient such as iron, calcium and folic acid. At the early weeks of pregnancy, pregnant women must consult a doctor. During that consultation, most often, you will be prescribed with prenatal vitamins.
Those vitamins are capable and are vital for the growing and developing baby as well as for the mother itself. Consequently, taking pre-natal vitamins does not mean getting diet that is lacking essential nutrients. The vitamins given to you are meant to increment your diet and are not meant to be the only source of a much required nutrients.
Three Vital Recommended Vitamins in the Guidelines for Pregnant Women
1. Calcium
Calcium one of the major vitamin not only pregnant women need but as well as every person. Studies have shown that most women aging 19 and up are not receiving enough amount of recommended calcium which is 1000 mg. Since during pregnancy the baby grows, there is also a high demand in calcium. Therefore, there must be an increased in calcium intake for a much stronger bones. One of the prenatal vitamins a doctor would prescribe would be extra calcium.
Here are some of the good sources of calcium:
- Dried beans
- Tofu
- Almonds
- Vegetables with dark green colors such as kale, broccoli and spinach
- Products containing fortifies calcium including soy milk, orange juice and cereals.
- Low-fat dairy products including cheese, yogurt and milk.
2. Iron
Another essential nutrient a pregnant woman need. The daily required amount of iron is 30 mg. This amount is just enough to enable the body create hemoglobin, the component of the RBC that carries oxygen to the entire body. Those RBC’s are circulating all throughout the body to deliver oxygen and with the help of iron, this activity will be enhanced. During pregnancy, when there is no enough iron in the body, there will be fewer red blood cells that will delver oxygen and as a result, the organs cannot function well. Iron found in meat is easily absorbed compared to iron found in plants.
Consider these products containing more amount of iron
- Dark poultry products
- Salmon
- Eggs
- Tofu
- Red meat
- Dried peas and beans
- Dried fruits
- Enriched grains
- Blackstrap molasses
- Whole wheat bread
- Ready to eat cereal
3. Vitamin B12 or Folic Acid
It is another vital vitamin that is required for pregnant women.. Most health centers recommend all childbearing women to take approximately 400 mg of folic acid everyday. This recommended amount of folic acid is also applicable for women who are planning and preparing to bear a child. It can be taken in the form of a supplement vitamins in addition to the folic acid found in foods. So why do you think this vitamin is of great importance? Many studies have shown that when a pregnant woman takes folic acid 1 month prior to and all through out the first trimester of pregnancy, there is a lower risk of getting a neural tube defects up to 70 percent.
The neural tube is formed during few weeks of pregnancy period; this is even before a woman knows that she is pregnant. This tube will become the baby’s spinal cord and brain and thus, when this does not form properly, the probable result would be neural tube defect, an example of which is the “spina bifida”.
References
http://kidshealth.org/parent/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
http://www.healthywomen.org/
