AmeritusAmeritusThere is no requirement to ‘eat for two.’
A lot of pregnant women feel that they are hungrier than usual. This is common during your pregnancy time, but there is no requirement to ‘eat for two’. The rule should be followed even if you are having twins or triplets.
It is essential that you start your day with a healthy breakfast and try avoiding food items that are sugary and contain fat throughout the day. To eat healthy during pregnancy is all about changing the amount of food items. This allows the diet to be varied without cutting down your favourite items.
Consuming the right fruits and vegetables during your pregnancy period
Eating the right amount of fruits and vegetables during your pregnancy period is highly essential. They are the optimal source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre. This can also enhance your digestive power and avoid constipation.
It is essential to eat a minimum of five portions of different fruits and vegetables every single day. You can include fresh, canned, or frozen fruits and vegetables in your regime. However, it is always better to wash them properly when you are selecting fresh ones.
A lot of people think that starchy food items or carbohydrates are not good to be consumed during pregnancy. But this is not true. Scratchy food items are a great source of energy, vitamins, and fibre. They can make you feel fuller without worrying about your calorie intake.
Starchy food items that you can consume during your pregnancy period are bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, maize, oats, cornmeal, and much more. Also, if you are craving chips, then it is better to opt for oven chips as they have less fat and salt.
Ensure that instead of consuming refined scratchy food items, you are opting for wholegrain or high-fibre options like wholewheat pasta, skinned potatoes, or brown rice
Consume a high-protein diet every day.
For pregnant women, it is imperative to consume a high-protein diet every day. This is why it is always suggested to add food items like nuts, poultry, pulses, fish, meat, beans, fish, eggs, etc., to your pregnancy diet.
Also, ensure that you are opting for lean meat and avoid adding extra fat or oil when cooking it. Whenever you are consuming eggs or meat, cook them thoroughly, and there should be no pink meat.
Moreover, for a pregnant woman, eating two portions of fish in a week can help maintain a healthy diet. However, try consuming oily fish like salmon or mackerel and avoid consuming swordfish, marlin, or shark.
Carefully choose your dairy products during pregnancy.
Adding dairy products to your pregnancy diet is essential. You need to consume milk, cheese, or yoghurt as they are high in calcium and other nutrients. Calcium is required for the overall health and strong bones of the baby.
Also, you can choose low-fat dairy options like semi-skimmed, skimmed milk, or low-sugar yoghurt, etc. If you are allergic to any dairy products, then you can opt for options like soya drinks, yoghurts, etc.
Don’t banish foods high in fat and sugar.
Sugary foods or drinks are known to be high in calories. Plus, they can lead to weight gain. This is the reason that most women tend to banish foods high in fat and sugar. However, this is a wrong approach to follow; you can consume them but in moderation. This way, you can maintain a normal weight and keep your cholesterol levels checked. Thus, try to have high-fat and sugar items like fizzy drinks, pastries, chocolates, biscuits, etc., in complete moderation.
To eat healthy during pregnancy should be your ultimate goal. A healthy as well as nutritious diet can aid you in experiencing a safe and hassle-free pregnancy period. Also, if you require any help related to pregnancy diet or treatment, then Ameritus Hospital can be of great help. We have a team of qualified doctors to help you at every step of your pregnancy journey.
