Practicing Proper Nutrition During Pregnancy

Practicing proper nutrition during pregnancy is vital for a healthy baby and mother so as soon as you start thinking about having a baby, you should start thinking about what you eat. Begin loading up on the foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals, learn the five food groups and balance your meals. And once you do become pregnant, make good nutrition a priority. Talk to your doctor about the foods that will provide the nutrients important to your baby's growth, as well as to your own well-being.

While nutritional needs and your own tolerance for eating will change during the different trimesters of your pregnancy, there are some general guidelines that will be important to follow throughout the nine months. For starters, eat balanced meals, do not skip meals, eliminate caffeine and drink lots of water, six to eight glasses a day.

Calcium is one of the most important minerals you will need during pregnancy. The current recommended amount of calcium intake during pregnancy is 1,200 mg, an increase of 400 mg a day over your usual needs. An increase in dairy products such as skim milk, cheese, yogurt, pudding and ice milk, is an easy way to consume lots of calcium. There are also many good non-dairy sources of calcium, including salmon, kale, broccoli, beans and calcium-fortified orange juice.

Folic acid is essential for a healthy baby and helps in the development of the fetal brain and spine. It is especially important during early pregnancy when many women don't even know that they are expecting.

Women should take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day throughout their pregnancy and may need to take a multi-vitamin or prenatal vitamin to meet this requirement. Some excellent sources of folic acid include dried beans, tofu, peanuts and peanut butter, as well as fortified cereals. Many breads are now also fortified with folic acid. Folic acid can also be found in many dark green vegetables, corn, cantaloupe, squash and beets.

Vitamin B12, found in animal products, is essential for proper nerve and brain functioning for both mother and baby. This is of special concern for women who are vegetarians. Vitamin B12 can be found in fortified soy milk and/or soy meat replacements, as well as vitamin supplements.

Protein intake should be increased by 10 grams a day and can easily be found in animal products including meats, milk and eggs. Some plant foods, such as legumes, seeds and cereal grains, can also provide high quality protein. It is more beneficial if you combine one food from two of these categories in the form of such dishes as hummus, split pea soup, bean tacos or even a peanut butter sandwich.

Nutritional Vitamin Supplements
Nutritional vitamin supplements are big business. Many say they’re unnecessary, while others contend that they’re more necessary than ever. They’ve been a source of controversy and debate for many years. Why? They’ve been around a good long time in one form or another. Cod liver oil was widely given to children daily only 100 years ago. Those same children would never have dreamed that one day people would pay lots of money to not only take fish oil, but take it more than once a day. ...

Working With A Nutritionist
Working with a nutritionist is a good idea if you want to eat healthy but simply don't know how to start. Nutritionists develop personalized nutrition plans to ensure that medical and dietary needs are optimized. A nutritionist may be found in a hospital or nursing home setting as well as in community settings such as health clubs, health clinics, and HMO’s. Their goal is to assist individuals and groups alike to make healthier dietary choices for optimal health. Nutritionists advis ...

Proper Nutrition For Infants
Practicing proper infant nutrition will have life-long effects for your baby, as well as yourself. The very first step towards proper nutrition for your infant is to decide whether to breastfeed or bottle feed. It is important to consider that mother’s milk is the best milk for your baby. There are a few points to remember when considering breast feeding. First, always remember that nature designed breast milk especially for human babies; therefore, it contains just the right amount ...

More Articles...