It has been generally found that during the period of pregnancy pregnant women often increase their daily food intake by 100kcal during their first trimester and 300kcal during the second and third trimester. Like for instance, an additional snack before bedtime comprising of a fruit, a serving of milk or yogurt and a few biscuits is often enough. A daily prenatal multivitamin supplement is often recommended during the pregnancy period. What a woman eats for every day, even before her pregnancy, is important for her health as well as for the health of the coming baby.
Hence it is required that the diet before pregnancy and during the pregnancy period should contain the vitamins and nutrients that the body normally requires helping your baby develop and grow the way he or she should. For a normal weight gain during pregnancy it is required to avoid certain food items such as those discussed below:
Raw eggs
Fish high in mercury
Soft cheese
Raw Meats and Seafood including sushi
Deli meats including hot dogs
Refrigerated smoked seafood
Refrigerated pātes or meat spreads
Unpasteurized milk and juices
Alcohol
Liver
The food items rich containing different nutrients such as iron, carbohydrate, fat, calcium and other nutritional values include the following:
Blackstrap Molasses
Canned beans
Baked potato with skin
Clams
Pork Liver
Mussels
Shrimp
Sardines
Turkey
Enriched breakfast cereals
Cooked beans and lentils
Pumpkin seeds
Beef Liver
Beef
Enriched pasta
Canned asparagus
Oysters
Chicken Liver
The weight gain varies depending on the women who have healthy babies. The following chart includes the recommended weight gain during pregnancy based on your pre-pregnant weight. If you do not know your BMI, you can also use the BMI Calculator.
For gaining this healthy weight it is required to increase the daily energy intake.
Pre-Pregnant BMI
Healthy Weight Gain during Pregnancy
less than 20
28 - 40 lb
20 - 25
25 - 35 lb
greater than 27
15 - 25 lb
Increase Daily Energy by
First Trimester
100 kcal
Second Trimester
300 kcal
Third Trimester
300 kcal
According to the American college of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ACOG recommends increasing the intake of the 4 basic food groups to the following:
4 or more servings of fruits and vegetables
6 - 11 servings of whole-grain and other grain products
4 or more servings of milk products
3 or more servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and lentils
For a healthy food during pregnancy it is required to take iron rich foods. Folic acid is especially required for closing of fetus neural tube. Thereby helping in preventing prevent spina bifida, a very serious birth defect. Folates can also be acquired in good quantity from spinach and can also be found from the green vegetables salads, melon, hummus, and eggs.
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