Pregnancy is a time of joy and anticipation. As the weeks go
buy you start to feel your baby growing and developing inside you. During this
time, you will to eat nutrient dense foods. You are also concerned about gaining
the appropriate amount of weight. Many women concentrate on having a healthy
pregnancy, but most do not realize that they needed to start this process many
months before they become pregnant. Healthy eating habits before conception are
just as important as healthy eating during each trimester of pregnancy.
One of the most important aspects of having a healthy baby
is what you eat before you conceive. You should begin eating a healthy diet at
least a year to 18 months before you begin trying to become pregnant. This gives
your body adequate time to resolve any minor nutrient deficiencies and for you
to lose excess weight if necessary. It is very important for you to be at a
healthy body weight when you become pregnant. This will decrease the risk of
birth defects and other problems. A health body weight is defined as a BMI of
19-24. If you are overweight, the developing fetus will be at risk for higher
birth weight which will increase the risk of obesity as adults. Healthy babies
are born from healthy mothers—it is that simple.
Weight loss can be achieved by an increase in exercise and healthy
eating. Focus your meals on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and
low fat dairy products. An important aspect of this renewed eating plan is to
start incorporating foods that your developing baby will need to grow properly.
These foods should contain calcium, iron, and folic acid.
Incorporating enough calcium in your diet is important since
you will need to eat an increased amount during pregnancy. Calcium is an
important nutrient for the development of the baby’s skeleton and if you do not
intake enough calcium the fetus will begin taking for your bones and you are at
risk for osteoporosis. Good food sources of calcium are low fat dairy products,
such as milk and yogurt, and dark leafy green vegetables.
Iron is another major focus of your new diet plan. Iron is
important for not only fetal development to help you avoid iron deficiency anemia.
If you do not eat enough iron fortified foods the baby will take the iron from
your body. Some good sources of iron are chicken liver, beef, and oysters. Aim
to keep your beef intake down to a maximum of twice a week. Other vegetable
sources of iron are iron fortified cold cereal, iron fortified oatmeal,
lentils, and a variety of beans, such as kidney beans. Choose to eat these
foods without any dairy products as the calcium in dairy products can inhibit
iron absorption.
Another important nutrient to incorporate into your diet is folic
acid (a B vitamin). This nutrient will help to decrease the risk of neural tube
defects in the developing fetus. Folic acid is found in orange juice, spinach
and other leafy green vegetables. A variety of beans are also good sources of
folic acid.
