When you are pregnant, you are responsible for the well-being of two lives - you and your baby. The baby growing in your womb is dependent on you for nutrition and its survival. Eating the right kind of pregnancy foods will ensure that your baby develops normally and healthily. That does not really mean you splurge and gorge on pastries, cakes and all the other junk food. You really just need to eat the right kind of foods, which can help your baby to have a good start in life.
There is a well-known saying that goes something like "breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper". Nothing could be truer for pregnant women. Most women would say that they could hardly eat anything in the morning due to the morning sickness. Fair enough! You can have a light breakfast if you want or have it in shifts. For example, you can have a fruit when you wake up and then after about an hour have something substantial. Tea and coffee on an empty stomach are not the right kind of pregnancy foods since both of these are stimulants and they will be absorbed by your baby as well. If you really need something like tea or coffee, you can have it after breakfast.
Missing breakfast or any other meal for that matter is also not advisable, since that will mean that your baby will also miss a meal. This in turn would make him deficient on nutrients and even make you feel sick. You do not need to fill yourself up on pregnancy foods but you definitely need to eat!
Calcium is one of the most important nutrients during pregnancy. Why? This is because calcium and vitamin D are required for the formation of the baby's teeth and the entire skeleton. If your intake of calcium is not up to the mark, your baby will try to fulfil his calcium requirements through you. This can lead to a calcium deficiency in your body and cause problems like osteoporosis and dental problems later in life. Therefore, make sure you take pregnancy foods like yogurt, cheese, and milk. The doctors recommend at least five servings of these types of foods every day. You can also take a calcium supplement after checking it up with your doctor.
During the later months of the pregnancy, most women avoid or reduce their water intake since it makes them go to the bathroom often (primarily because the growing uterus exerts a pressure on the bladder most of the time). However, water is essential if you want to avoid problems like haemorrhoids and constipation. The repeated trips to the bathroom will only help in expelling the toxins from you and your baby's body. Therefore, water is an integral part of the pregnancy foods.
The right kind of pregnancy nutrition will not just help your baby but also help you to avoid weight gain and other problems later in life. Do not just choose foods by taste, choose them by the amount of nutrients they have. The more nutritious these pregnancy foods are, the better it is for you and the baby!
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