Looking for a Pregnancy Wrapped in Proper Nutrition

By: Jeff Foster

Ensuring her growing baby is getting the best possible healthy growing conditions, is of highest importance for any soon to be mom. At the top of the list is nourishment. Nutrition is the main controllable aspect in working through a successful pregnancy. Because of this it is fundamental that expectant mothers are completely in tune proper nutritional levels in their body. Remember it is not just your body that you are feeding!

The amount of additional calorie intake that pregnant women need may be a complete surprise. You might find it hard to believe that, the daily recommended supplemental calorie intake for for those who are pregnant is only about 300. Of course, that’s some added calories, but it certainly isn’t the several hundred that many pregnant women think that they should be taking in each day. 300 hundred doesn’t sound like much but it is actually about an extra meal a day for a full grown adult?

Weight gain is inevitable during a pregnancy but it need not be disproportionate. For many, the problem is that there is more that just those 300 extra calories that leads to that unhealthy unwarranted weight gain during a woman’s pregnancy. The largest problem is the uncontrollable urges to eat something. Don’t allow yourself to yield to your hunger urges… and don’t justify your unnecessary eating by telling yourself that just because you’re pregnant you need a ton of extra calories.

The fact that you are pregnant does mean does mean you’ll need to take in some extra calories. Protein is one of the nutrients that you should increase your intake of while you are pregnant. Generally speaking you’ll want to ingest about 10 grams per day more than that of a non-pregnant woman or about 60 grams. Lean meats, chicken and fish are good choices or protein. The point to consider is to understand what type of serving size gives way the amount of protein (or any other nutrient) that you actually need. For example with protein it only takes about an ounce and a half to get 10 grams of protein.

Calcium is another necessary element during a pregnancy. Today’s, women who are not even pregnant generally fall short of the recommended daily amount of calcium intake… so increasing your calcium is generally a good idea to begin with. Dairy products are a primary source of calcium in one’s diet. If you use non fat sources of calcium in your diet, this will help keep your calorie intake under control as well. For example green leafy vegetables are for you to get some additional calcium for both you and your unborn child.

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, so a daily supplement can be a good idea. As the blood volume increases as the pregnancy progress, additional iron is needed. The daily recommended amount of is twice what it is for non-pregnant women from 15 mg/day to 30 mg/day. Do not leave iron out of your daily diet because iron is essential! Your healthcare provider will monitor lab work to see if you need to take an iron supplement.

A good source of iron is red meat, but don’t rule out fish and poultry as well. On the market today, there are also many iron enriched cereals that also help to compliment your iron intake.

Vegetarian diets can supply all the needed nutrients, but getting them in the right form can be more difficult. Vegetarians should more closely monitor nutrient levels, but this is not uncommon as a part of a vegetarian lifestyle already, so just stick with your continual game-plan and work closely with your healthcare provider to ensure that you are indeed taking in all the nutrients that you need.

Needless to say, any woman who is expecting should be in communication with her healthcare provider concerning her eating habits. It’s important to adhere to this because each pregnancy is different, and as such, so too will be the body’s dietary needs. Even before the pregnancy it is equally as important that the woman consciously work with her diet so she can get her pregnancy off to a good healthy start.

The focus is to work as a team with your healthcare provider so you can stay healthy provide the best possible growing environment for your future son or daughter.

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