What should be included in the diet during pregnancy?

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The obstetrician-gynecologist answers.

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What is especially beneficial in terms of nutrition during pregnancy? Anonymously.

Nutrition

First of all, food should be balanced and varied. This is the diet recommended by the British Nutrition Foundation British Pregnancy Nutrition Foundation.

Fruits and vegetables

Eat 2-3 servings of fruit and 3-4 servings of vegetables per day. But you should not eat one potato: food should be varied. One serving is about 220 g of vegetables. For it, a medium-sized fruit is counted. It can also be substituted for 1/2 cup chopped fruit, 120 g fresh juice, or 1/4 cup dried fruit.

Cereals

One serving is 1 slice of bread, half a glass of cooked cereals or wholemeal pasta. Aim to eat at least three servings a day.

Dairy products

One serving is a glass of full-fat milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, or 30 grams of cheese. Choose whichever you like best and eat 2-3 servings a day.

Protein foods

For protein, use legumes, lentils, nuts, meat, fish, poultry, or eggs. Eat two servings of any of the above per day. The size of one serving is 150-200 g.

But first of all, it is worth eating meat and fish. Because, for example, you cannot get iron from beans: it is contained in red meat. And fish is a good source of healthy omega-3 fats. To get them to their fullest, it is enough to eat 1-2 servings per week. The size of one portion should be at least the size of the palm of your hand.

However, it is better not to eat some fish. Advice about Eating Fish because of the possible presence of mercury in it. Try to avoid Atlantic mackerel and bigeye tuna, and be careful with large carp.

Additives

Not all nutrients can be fully obtained from nutrition, so pregnant women should take the following supplements separately.

Folic acid

It is the most essential vitamin during pregnancy. Studies show Use of folic acid for prevention of spina bifida and other neural tube defects that 400 mcg of folic acid per day will prevent neural tube defects in a child.

Yes, this vitamin is found in fresh herbs, beans, eggs, beets, avocados, bananas, oranges, and beef liver. But you have to try hard to get the daily rate solely from food. For example, in one small orange, Folate alone contains 29 mcg of folic acid, which is only 7% of the daily value. Therefore, it is best to take this supplement in tablets at a dosage of 400 mcg (or 0.4 mg) once a day.

Moreover, this vitamin should be taken 2-3 months before the planned pregnancy. The neural tube is formed already at 5-6 weeks of pregnancy, and this is only 1-2 weeks of delay in menstruation. WHO generally recommends iron and folic acid for women of reproductive age: their role in promoting optimal maternal and child health for all women of reproductive age to constantly drink folic acid, because 40% of pregnancies occur unplanned.

Iodine

According to WHO Iodine Supplements During Pregnancy, severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy can lead to hypothyroidism in the mother and fetus. It also correlates with congenital malformations, a decrease in intelligence and the formation of goiter in the mother and fetus. And since Russia is a region that is deficient in the Global scorecard of iodine nutrition in 2019 for iodine, then, following the WHO recommendations, pregnant women should take 250 mcg of potassium iodide per day.

Vitamin D

We usually get vitamin D from the sun, but if it is often cloudy in your region or you rarely go outside, then during pregnancy it should be taken in a prophylactic Normal pregnancy - the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation at a dose of no more than 400 IU per day. Or get tested to determine your vitamin D level and take it based on the result.