What Not to Eat When You are Pregnant

What Not to Eat When You are Pregnant

You are pregnant – the minute you hear those words all kinds of thoughts start running through your mind, and one of the main ones is what to eat and what not to eat when you are pregnant. After all, you want to make sure your baby is healthy and that you remain healthy.

It is important that you avoid foods that high in mercury. Fish are high in protein and omega 3 fatty acids, but mercury is a very real concern, especially for your fetus. Too much mercury has the potential to damage the nervous system of your baby. The FDA and EPA recommend avoiding shark, swordfish, King mackerel, and tilefish.

The FDA and EPA say that 8 – 12 ounces of any of the following seafood are fine for pregnant women to eat. This includes shrimp, crab, tuna, salmon, catfish, tilapia, Pollock and cod. Different doctors have their own idea of what is safe, so talk to your doctor before eating seafood during your pregnancy.

A pregnant woman should always avoid under cooked meat, eggs and poultry. When you are pregnant, you are at risk of bacterial food poisoning. To prevent foodborne illness makes sure the meat you eat if completely cooked. Use a meat thermometer to ensure it is cooked. You should always cook hot dogs and processed meats until they are steaming hot to avoid illnesses such as listeriosis. It’s even better if you avoid completely.

Do not buy raw poultry that is already stuffed as this can cause bacteria to grow. If you choose to buy these types of products make, sure they are thoroughly cooked.

Pregnant women should avoid unpasteurized milk, Brie, feta, blue cheese, camembert, or Mexican cheese as all of these can lead to foodborne illness. Eggs should be pasteurized and not fresh as there is also a risk of bacteria.

When you are not pregnant, the majority of these foods do not pose a risk. However, to your unborn baby a bacterial infection or food poisoning can be life threatening. As a result, the FDA, EPA, and most doctors recommend that you avoid any food that is considered high risk. It is a good idea to speak with your doctor, whom you trust, about what is right for you. Eating a healthy diet is important to your health during your pregnancy, and to your baby’s health.

A Pregnancy Diet Plan That Works

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Of course, the first thing that’s on your mind is staying healthy throughout your pregnancy. Part of staying healthy is ensuring you have a pregnancy diet plan that works.

There are a number of reasons why moms who are expecting need to understand healthy nutrition but the most important is because of the impact what you eat has on your baby. A healthy diet is good for both you and your baby.

Weight gain goes with being pregnant. In fact, it is a positive thing for both mom and baby. This is how nature begins to prepare your body for what is to come. A healthy diet is an excellent way to provide the nutrient for proper weight gain rather than excessive weight gain. When you gain the right amount of weight it will be much easier to lose after the baby is born.

There has also been a direct connection established between your nutritional health and how the effect it has on children later in their life. It’s been established that everything you do in those nine months from your physical activity to the fluids you drink will affect your child’s current growth and the child’s future growth. What you eat while you are pregnancy has the potential to prevent future health problems with your child and you. And of course, the food you eat now will affect your weight gain throughout your pregnancy.

During the first trimester, it is important that you make sure to limit any excess calorie intake. After the first 12 weeks pass, you can add an additional 300 calories per day in addition to your regular calorie intake.

If you are of normal weight, you should expect to gain 25 to 35 pounds during your pregnancy. You should limit your weight gain to no more than 5-10 pounds in the first 20 weeks, and then following that a pound per week. Doctors advise that you lose some weight before becoming pregnant if you are overweight. This will make it easier for you to keep extra weight off during your pregnancy and to lose it after the birth. Statistically women who are overweight have a significantly higher emergency cesarean rate, miscarriage rate, more incidents of gestational diabetes and suffer from high blood pressure more often.

To significantly increase the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy make sure that you eat a nutritional diet, high in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and protein, while avoiding processed foods.

Make Whole Food Vitamins Part of Your Pregnancy Diet

When it comes to nutrition during pregnancy, pregnant women should think about adding whole food vitamins to their diet. This type of vitamin supplement is extracted from natural sources rather than being chemically engineered. That makes these a better choice during pregnancy and after childbirth as well.

Why Mothers-to-be Need to Take Vitamin Supplements as Part of Pregnancy Nutrition

There’s no question – the human body is amazing and has an incredible ability to get what it needs through resources nature has to offer. When we eat a healthy diet, we can extract the right balance of vitamins, fats, minerals, and energy sources to keep the body running optimally. During pregnancy, we must be even more vigilant to ensure we get the nutrients that the fetus requires to develop both mentally and physically into a healthy term baby.

Unfortunately, many of us aren’t eating a healthy well balanced diet and in no other time has the need for specialized pregnancy nutrition been necessary. There are a number of reasons why there has been such a change in the way we eat, which includes convenience, low cost, and availability of processed foods. Adding whole food vitamins makes it easier to ensure some of those essential compounds that are missing from processed foods are received by mother and baby on a daily basis. That’s important for the development of the child and the mother’s overall health.

Why Whole Food Vitamins are Better

Whole food vitamins don’t use synthesized compounds. Rather, they use sources that can be found in nature. This type of vitamin is better assimilated by the body. Sure the best way to get the nutrients we need is by eating healthy – lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, etc.; however, most of us are not able to maintain that on a daily basis. This is even more important when you are pregnant, and so whole food vitamins do a better job of filling that void.

The body can easily recognize these natural compounds and use them compared to synthetic vitamins where as much as 90% pass through never being used by the body. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to take these if you are only going to get 10% value. Instead, by making the whole food vitamins part of your daily nutrition you can be sure the baby and you are getting the maximum nutritional value.

Iron Rich Foods to Eat During Pregnancy

So you have just recently discovered your pregnant – congratulation! That certainly means that life is going to change. One of the first things you will want to think about is your diet and what it is you and baby need right now. Thankfully, it is not actually that difficult to get the correct nutrition during your pregnancy just as long as you stay focused on eating foods that are packed with protein and high in nutrients.

Worrying about the needs of the baby for proper development is common. The good news is as long as you eat well, your baby will get the nutrition he or she needs as they draw their nutrition from you. For example, if you make sure to eat foods that are high in iron you will not have to worry about becoming anemic. If you have a diet that is sufficient in calcium, your baby will have strong teeth and bones.

Your doctor will keep an eye on things by drawing blood at your checkups. If you are lacking nutrients, supplements can be prescribed and you can make changes to your diet. Let’s have a look at the foods that will provide you with the nutrition you need during pregnancy.

Eating a well balanced diet is a great way to ensure you are getting the nutrients you need. Eat a diet that is packed with fresh fruits and vegetables. Strawberries and citrus fruit are high in vitamin C. Good choices since you need about 70 mg of vitamin C a day. Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables and legumes to ensure you get the 4 micrograms of folic acid you need daily.

Foods that are rich in iron are important too. It is recommended that pregnant women get around 27 mg of iron each day. Iron helps your blood cells take oxygen to your baby, and it is important to you too as it brings oxygen to your muscles so they can function properly. Adequate iron will help to decrease your susceptibility to stress and disease. Good sources of iron include fish, chicken, and meat.

If you already eat healthy, your diet during pregnancy won’t need to change a lot. You should avoid processed foods, sugar, too much fat, and white flour. And of course, you should always follow your doctor’s orders when it comes to healthy nutrition for you and your baby.

Best regards.

Pete