Pregnancy Nutrition: Healthy Eating for Two
There are so many rules for eating while you’re pregnant. No soft cheese. No fish high in mercury. No undercooked meat. You’ve probably read the list again and again in an effort to keep your unborn baby from harm. And remember when you found out you were pregnant and thought, “Oh good, now I can eat whatever I want for the first time in my life!?” I do. But as it turns out, this is the one time in your life when it pays to eat even healthier than you did before you got pregnant.
Well, what exactly are you supposed to eat and not eat while you’re pregnant? I have done the research and eaten my way through two pregnancies, so hopefully you find this information helpful. Of course, you should discuss nutrition with your prenatal care provider, especially if you have a medical condition that requires special attention to your diet.
The foods to avoid during pregnancy are those that could cause harm to either you or your baby. I have pulled this abbreviated list from the Mayo Clinic’s website. Click this link to read the complete list of foods to avoid, including full descriptions and details of the dangers involved with each.
- Seafoods high in mercury. Swordfish, shark, kind mackerel and tilefish. Large and older fish are more likely to contain large amounts of mercury.
- Raw, undercooked or contaminated seafood. To avoid ingesting harmful bacteria or viruses. It’s especially important to avoid oysters and clams and understand local fish advisories.
- Undercooked meat, poultry and eggs. During pregnancy, changes in your metabolism and circulation may increase the risk of bacterial food poisoning. Fully cook all eggs and meats, including hot dogs, deli meats and other preprocessed, refrigerated meats.
- Unpasteurized foods. Avoid unpasteurized juice and soft cheeses that aren’t clearly labeled as being made with pasteurized milk as they can cause food-borne illness.
- Unwashed fruits and vegetables. Carefully wash all fruits and veggies to eliminate harmful bacteria. Avoid raw sprouts of any kind — including alfalfa, clover, radish and mung bean.
- Large quantities of liver. Liver is high in vitamin A, and too much vitamin A may cause birth defects. Just eat small portions.
- Excess caffeine. Health care providers typically recommend limiting the amount of caffeine in your diet to less than 200 mg a day during pregnancy.
- Herbal tea. Professionals are mixed on whether some herbal teas are harmful during pregnancy. Talk to your health care provider to decide which herbal teas are OK for you.
- Alcohol. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy carries many risks such as miscarriage, stillbirth, fetal alcohol syndrome, heart problems, low birth weight and mental retardation. One drink isn’t likely to harm your baby, but no level of alcohol has been proven safe during pregnancy.
Pregnancy nutrition is not only about what foods to avoid or how much weight you should be gaining. More importantly, it should be viewed from the standpoint of what is needed to grow and sustain a health baby. Eating well means getting adequate calories, protein, vitamins and minerals from healthy whole foods. It is potentially the most important part of prenatal care and it is something you’re in charge of—not your doctor or midwife.
I have found a wonderful website by Midwifery Services of South Texas that devotes an entire section of their site to prenatal and postnatal nutrition. It provides information on how many calories pregnant and breastfeeding women need and lists the types of food that make up a healthy diet. This site also provides a handy Sample Pregnancy Diet that you can print out and tack on your fridge. It’s a good reminder of what you should strive to be eating throughout the day. I encourage you to check it out.
The Bradley Method website lists it’s Well Balanced Pregnancy Diet that includes serving sizes which is something most of us could use a reminder on…even when we’re not pregnant!
Ah, yes. The old pickles and ice cream dilemma. I love this quote from Suite101.com. “Some have suggested that if a mother craves pickles and ice cream, perhaps she needs some nutrient or vitamin from those food items in her diet. It is very unlikely that she would need either sodium or sugar since the typical American diet is chock full of both!”
It can be difficult to make smart food choices with all those hormonal changes, temporary nutritional deficiencies and emotions running the show. I like this list of healthy snacking alternatives from Epigee.com.
The most important rule to follow when it comes to satisfying pregnancy cravings is to choose healthy options that are similar to the unhealthy foods you crave. Consider the following healthy alternatives to some common pregnancy cravings:
- Ice cream. Opt for nonfat frozen yogurt, which will meet your calcium needs without the added calories
- Chocolate can be substituted by nonfat chocolate syrup drizzled on top of some fresh fruit
- Candy and Sweets may be substituted by dried fruits such as apricots, or fresh tropical fruit such as mango or pineapple
- Salty Snacks. Opt for popcorn sprinkled with herb blends or sesame breadsticks with spicy mustard dip
- Sour Snacks. Squeeze some lemon on your fish or use in a salad in order to ensure regular yet moderated intake instead of indulging in an empty calorie or sugary lemonade.
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Comments
Eating healthy foods and following a delicate, careful and well premeditated diet with the right foods for both the woman and the baby is crucial. There is no reason to expose the baby to unhealthy factors while the price might be dear later on in its life.
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