Nutrition in Pregnancy
Healthy Pregnancy
Pregnancy is an exciting time and having a comfortable and healthy pregnancy can help you feel even more excited about your new baby on the way, rather than miserable about your pregnancy.
Nutrition: An overall balanced diet throughout your pregnancy is ideal. Your diet and nutrition directly affect your baby including their growth and prenatal health through delivery, and even beyond if you breastfeed.
Food cravings often come from a lack of nutrients and so if you find yourself with a lot of food cravings, it is your body telling you that it’s not getting what it needs from what you are eating.
During pregnancy you need extra:
Folate – a lack of folate is associated with neural tube defects (such as lesions of the brain and spine which are devastating and can be life-threatening). Taking a prenatal vitamin regularly can help eliminate a folate deficiency but getting extra folate from your diet is beneficial as well. Folate is the active form of folic acid. Most supplements contain folic acid which is the synthetic form of the vitamin but looking for a prenatal vitamin that contains folate instead of folic acid helps provide your body with the active form that you know it can utilize.
Food sources: leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, eggs, lentils, beans, avocado, and liver
Iron – low iron can lead to anemia and anemia in pregnancy can have adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight, preterm (early) birth, and neonatal and maternal death. The amount of iron needed in pregnancy increases even more in the second and third trimesters. Iron supplementation can help treat restless legs syndrome (RLS) as well, which is a common symptom of pregnancy. Getting sufficient iron from your diet can help.
Food sources: meat, fish, poultry, liver, spinach and other leafy greens
Protein is vital to grow a healthy baby and your needs for protein go way up in pregnancy. (You also need extra protein when breastfeeding so keep that in mind if you are planning on doing that once baby arrives.) You need protein to help grow fetal tissue, including the brain, as well as for your breast and uterine tissue during pregnancy. Protein also plays a role in your increasing blood supply.
Food sources: eggs, fish, poultry, meat
Calcium is vital for bone health and protein utilization. In pregnancy, calcium also plays a role in the prevention of preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy that includes high blood pressure and excessive swelling.
Food sources: sardines, leafy greens (kale, collard greens, bok choy), and broccoli. Dairy products are also a source of calcium.
Water - you need extra water when you are pregnant to help prevent dehydration and keep up with your increasing blood volume.
The most common reason that so many people crave salty foods, like pickles, is because your blood volume almost doubles when you’re pregnant which can lead to electrolyte (i.e. salt) imbalances. So make sure you are drinking plenty of extra water to help keep up with your extra blood volume.
Drinking enough water can also help with the bloating and puffiness that can occur during pregnancy.
Make sure to drink extra water if you exercising, sweating, or traveling.
EPA/DHA provides you with fatty acids that are beneficial for your baby’s developing brain as well as your brain function, skin, and blood. Fish oil also works as a natural anti-inflammatory. Many prenatal vitamins have added EPA and DHA but if yours doesn’t, this may be a supplement you will want to add to your prenatal vitamin regimen.
Food sources: fish and fish oil. Eating fish 2-3x/week can help you get enough EPA and DHA. Make sure you are eating wild-caught fish with the lowest levels of mercury, which include: anchovies, catfish, clams, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, hake, herring, mackerel, oysters, Pollock, salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimp, sole, squid, tilapia, and freshwater trout.
Do I need a prenatal vitamin? Yes! A high quality prenatal vitamin is important during this time to make sure that you are meeting the nutritional requirements that you and your growing baby need, especially if you aren’t getting enough nutrients from you diet.
My favorite is Thorne’s Basic Prenatal because it provides you with a reliable source of the nutrients you and your growing baby need and provides vitamins in their active forms to make sure your body can utilize them.
Healthy weight gain – Weight gain is necessary to not only grow a healthy baby but to keep yourself healthy while doing so. You don’t want to focus on not gaining too much weight and sacrifice your baby’s health, or your own health. The average weight gain necessary for a healthy pregnancy and baby is 25-35 lbs (you may need to gain more or less depending on your pre-pregnancy weight). Weight gain comes from a variety of needs including breast enlargement, uterus enlargement, the placenta, amniotic fluid, the fetus, extra blood and fluid volume, and extra fat storage (that you will need to help you recover after labor and to breastfeed).
In order to grow a healthy fetus, and gain a healthy amount of weight, you need about an extra 250-350 calories per day. We are so used to hearing “eating for two” when in reality you’re eating for one plus an extra 250-350 calories a day, not double the calories! Everyone will gain a different amount of weight during their pregnancy, and remember, a healthy mama and baby are the most important things, not the amount of weight you gain (or don’t gain).
Congratulations on this exciting time in your life. Up these nutrients in your diet and your baby and your body will thank you!
Contact Dr. Sahni today to find out how to get your nutrient status checked and what you can do about any deficiencies that you may have.
*Always check with your physician before starting any new diet or supplement regimens.