Nutrition and the Best Foods to Eat During Pregnancy-Part 1
Nutrition and the Best Foods to Eat During Pregnancy-Part 1. Health Tips For Pregnant Women. Fit To Be Pregnant: Nutrition and Fitness. Tips Revealed-Introduction: Getting pregnant and childbirth are two of life’s greatest miracles. Most women, when asked the question, “What was the most memorable event in your life?” often cite pregnancy and childbirth. It’s like a gift from above.
There is just no denying the powerful emotions that pregnancy and childbirth can create in parents.
However, while pregnancy is glorious and a rewarding experience, the hard truth is that there is a nutrition and fitness aspect that cannot be neglected. There is also a flip side to this shiny coin. Many women often end up feeling that pregnancy has ruined their shapely figure and the stretch marks have disfigured them.
They automatically assume that once they’ve given birth, their bodies will never go back to the shape they originally used to be.
Weight gain, stretch marks, a loss of sex appeal, etc. are negative consequences that women consider a trade-off to having a bouncy little baby. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes… pregnancy will result in weight gain. This is only natural and in fact, it’s healthy. However, the weight gain can be maintained without letting it get out of control.
All weight that is gained during pregnancy can be lost after pregnancy.
After all, it’s just fat and the principles of fat loss are set in stone regardless if it’s a pregnant woman or an obese man. It will take you time to shed the fat… but there is no hurry. Slow and steady wins the race. With patience and persistence, you can definitely lose the excess fat after childbirth. If you persist, you can even get fitter and be in better shape after childbirth than you were previously. Your body is a marvelous organism and it will adapt to whatever demands you place upon it. What truly matters is that you believe that it can be achieved. You must release any false beliefs that pregnancy and childbirth will result in you becoming an overweight, dumpy or unattractive woman.
The natural state of things will mean that you gain weight during pregnancy and you’ll lose it all after childbirth.
Even the world’s most female celebrities have had the following things to say about pregnancy and weight gain.
“You have to eat to feed your baby. And I have a girl, so I want her to see some day why her mom has good self-esteem and good body issues. It gets you down sometimes, I’m not going to lie. I’ve had days where I’m like, ‘Ugh, I wish this was easier.’ But it’s not, and that’s OK.” – Jennifer Love Hewitt
“I’m taking it week-by-week so I don’t get frustrated with myself. If I had a long-term goal and that’s all I thought about, I think it would set me back more.” – Jessica Simpson
“I think if you ask any pregnant mom, they’re like ‘I want my body back. But it takes time. It takes nine months for your body to get that way, and it’s putting on that weight on purpose. The second I start to get down like, ‘What happened to my body?’ I look at my beautiful baby—and I’ve never been more appreciative for this body that I have.” – Hillary Duff
The point to take away from all this is that it is normal to gain weight and it takes time to lose it. Will you feel down and depressed now and again? Yes, you will. But you will persist and ultimately, you will get the body you desire.
There is much more to just losing weight after childbirth. You’ll also need to know how to eat right during your pregnancy, how to do certain exercises to stay fit and strong, what types of supplements to use, etc. This book will give you helpful tips and techniques that you can use to get healthy and stay n shape during and after your pregnancy. Do note that this is all just advice. It will only work if you adhere and apply the information within this book to your life. You ready? Happy Reading!
1 – Pre-conception:
What you need to know! Before even getting pregnant, you should be aware that your health, habits, diet, fitness level and many other factors will directly or indirectly affect your pregnancy and the fetal development. One example would be pregnant women who have the smoking habit. This does a lot of damage to both the mother and the child within. If you’re going to get pregnant, you should eliminate all your negative habits prior to conception. Ideally, you should exercise more, eat a clean diet, avoid alcohol and smoking is a definite no-no. If you have any issues with substance abuse, etc. you should eliminate all these before planning to have a baby.
Proper nutrition is crucial in the stages of pre-conception and during pregnancy.
The beautiful baby in your belly is physically incapable of providing for itself. All the food and nutrition it gets is determined by you. Surely you want nothing but the best for your baby. A fetus also does not display any visible signs of malnourishment during your monthly check-ups. That means, even your doctor will not be able to ascertain if the baby is getting all the nutrients it needs. Therefore, you will have to ensure that you’re eating enough for two and getting all the necessary vitamins and nutrients. Only by being proactive and taking an active interest in your nutrition will you be able to keep both the baby and yourself healthy and happy.
Here are a few tips if you’re in the preconception stage.
No smoking & no alcohol
- No negotiation here.
Consume 400 to 800 micrograms (400 to 800 mcg or 0.4 to 0.8 mg) of folic acid daily.
- You should speak to your doctor about this. He/she will be able to guide you in this matter.
- Folic acid reduces the risk of birth defects related to the spine and brain.
Get your other health problems under control
- If you’re diabetic, obese, have asthma, etc. you should get all these problems under control first before getting pregnant.
- All these health issues may cause pregnancy complications.
Get fit and healthy Exercise more.
Build up your strength and stamina. When you’re pregnant, it will be easier on your body if you’re strong and healthy. Ask your partner to play an active role If your partner smokes or engages in detrimental activities, they should try and quit for the sake of the baby. At the very least, if they can’t quit, they shouldn’t smoke around you or tempt you by consuming alcohol around you.
Nutrition and the Best Foods to Eat During Pregnancy
The ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, once said, “Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food.” This definitely holds true when you’re pregnant. A clean, healthy and wholesome diet will work wonders for you and your baby. We live in a society that is smothered with a plethora of food choices. The hard truth is that the majority of these foods are detrimental to our bodies in the long run. Additives, preservatives, chemicals, processed foods, junk foods, genetically modified foods, etc. are all part of our diet these days and are wreaking havoc on our health.
Obesity has become an epidemic.
The numbers of people suffering from diabetes, high cholesterol, digestive issues, etc. have skyrocketed. The main culprit – our diet. Changing one’s diet and eating clean is a Herculean task. You absolutely can’t do it overnight and don’t even think that willpower will work. You will need to make small changes to your diet gradually till you form the habits of eating right. That is why, it is imperative that you start making these changes 3 months before getting pregnant. You’ll then be able to ease into a healthy diet relatively smoothly and easily.
How many calories should I consume?
Many women wonder about this. They do not want to consume too many calories for fear of putting on weight… but then they have all these sudden food cravings that seemed to pop out of nowhere.
The first thing you should note –
Do NOT obsess over your calories when you’re pregnant. Now is really not the time to be analyzing and counting your calories. Pregnancy gives you the permission to take 9 months off from the calorie counting and agonizing over the numbers. That being said, it’s also not a free pass to gorge yourself on whatever food comes your way. Eat sufficient food but eat the proper food. Restricting your calories could potentially harm your baby. Low birth weight, poor fetal development, weakness in the mother, etc. are all often related to not consuming enough food.
Always remember, whatever weight you gain can be burnt off after childbirth.
A warning though –
If you consume too many calories there are problems too. You will gain too much weight which will put you at risk for diabetes, heart problems, early labor, preeclamsia, etc. It’s all about balance. Eat enough for both you and your baby. Eat healthy and eat in moderation. Before going any further, you will need to calculate your prepregnancy Recommended Daily Caloric Intake. This is actually just your normal caloric requirement if you were not pregnant.
Now we’ll look at the foods that you should be consuming during your pregnancy.
Truth be told, healthy foods are healthy foods whether you are pregnant or not. It doesn’t matter if you’re male female, young or old… Good food choices are always beneficial. The only difference is that now, you’re pregnant and it’s even more important to eat right because another life depends and is affected by your food choices. Yup… the pressure is on.
Foods You Must Eat
In the fitness industry, there is a saying, “Calories are not created equal.” That means, you could eat 300 calories from different foods and have a world of different results. For example, if you ate 2 bananas and 2 apples a day, which would roughly be 300 calories. What if you got all 300 calories from 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream?
Would the benefits be the same?
Guess which one is going to be better for your baby?
1.Eat whole foods
Whole foods could also be called single ingredient foods. For example, a broccoli is a single ingredient food. You pick it up… you know what it is… and you know it grew from the ground.
Now let’s look at white bread?
Most people have no idea how it was made, what ingredients were used… and how in the world did they get the bread so white, anyway? The moment you have no idea what goes into the food, it’s best you avoid it. White bread uses refined flour that is bleached white and all kinds of artificial ingredients go into making a loaf.
None of it is doing your body any favors. Avoid processed foods and stick to natural foods.
2.Eat fruits and veggies
This is common sense. We all know that fruits and vegetables contain a ton of vitamins and minerals that do us good. Be consistent with your diet. You must eat these daily. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. You can’t eat 7 apples on Saturday and expect to get the job done. It doesn’t work that way. Consistency is key.
3.Make sure you’re only eating good carbs
Carbs have received a bad reputation over the years. The truth is that carbs are essential for us. This is especially so when you’re pregnant. Carbs give you energy and make up a sizeable chunk of your required calories. What matters is that you consume carbs from healthy sources. Fruits vegetables, whole grain breads, potatoes, oats, quinoa, brown rice, etc. are all excellent carb sources. Pizzas, white bread, white flour products, etc. are bad carbs that should be avoided.
4.Eat enough protein
These are essential too. Get your proteins from lean meats, eggs, beef and beans. Once again, focus on the “single ingredient” requirement. A few cuts of lean chicken breast are good. A chicken nugget is NOT good. A slab of steak is good. A few sausages are NOT good.
5.Try and keep it organic if possible
While this can be a little costly, it is highly beneficial. If you can afford to eat organic for the 9 months that you’re pregnant, go for it. Organic foods are free of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. In the event that your budget does not allow you to go completely organic, then make sure some of the foods that you consume are organic. Foods such as apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries have been found to contain high levels of pesticides. So, try and keep these organic, if you can.
6.Eat the right kind of fat
Extra virgin olive oil and virgin coconut oil are two of the best types of fat you can consume. In fact, of the two, the coconut oil is better.
Saturated fats are found in meat and animal products such as butter. These are best eaten in moderation. If you forget everything mentioned earlier in this chapter and just print out and follow the food list below, you will do just fine.
