Having all the essential nutrition through meals/diet is crucial for all human beings. It becomes more crucial for you when you are pregnant or mom-to-be. In pregnancy, whatever you eat feeds two persons - you and the baby in your uterus. So, as a pregnant woman, you need to be more careful about your diet. Your doctor or a dietician at a maternity/fertility clinic would have produced a pregnancy diet chart for you. For better health of yours and your baby, you should follow that pregnancy diet plan. Have a look at the best pregnancy foods for information purpose:
1. Dry fruits
Dried fruits are a good alternative to fresh seasonal fruits. As a mom-to-be, you should include them in your diet. For better effect, you should take dry fruits without additional sugar. These dry fruits contain several vitamins and minerals such as iron, fibre, and antioxidants.
2. Seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables
Having enough red, yellow, green, purple, and orange vegetables and fruits can help you and your growing child get several types of nutrients. They contain plenty of vitamins and minerals. For instance, oranges have vitamin C that can help your body absorb iron. Berries have enough antioxidants. While taking fruits and vegetables, you should keep your pregnancy diet chart in mind. Further, you should know what you should take at what time.
3. Avocados
Avocados are rich in fatty acids. These healthy fats help in the development of your baby’s brain and skin. Further, avocados contain antioxidants, vitamin K, and folate that stop your baby from having particular birth defects. In constipation, the presence of fibre in avocados helps you lower or remove the symptoms.
4. Broccoli
Broccoli, kale, spinach, and allied dark leafy green vegetables are superfoods for parenthood or pregnant women. They have plenty of vitamins and minerals such as A, C, & K, calcium, folate, and iron. The presence of fibre and antioxidants in broccoli helps you ease your constipation and allied pregnancy issues.
5. Lean meat and poultry items
Meat contains B vitamins, protein, zinc, and iron. The iron helps in oxygen delivery to your body cells. Protein facilitates your baby growth. You should take 95-98% fat free meat. As far as possible, avoid eating hot dogs and deli meat unless they are cooked well. Taking undercooked meat can cause infection from parasites and bacteria like toxoplasma, listeria, or salmonella. The infection caused by bacteria or parasites can be very harmful to you and your growing child.
6. Greek yogourt
In comparison with normal yoghurt, Greek yogourt has more protein. In addition, it has B vitamins, calcium, probiotics, and phosphorus. All these vitamins and minerals facilitate your pregnancy and baby development. Calcium helps you strengthen your bones and facilitates your body to have a strong skeleton.
7. Eggs
Eggs are an important part of your pregnancy diet. They have plenty of protein and amino acids that facilitate the buildup of cell blocks in your body and your baby’s. Apart from having numerous vitamins and minerals, eggs contain choline, present in yolks, which facilitates the development of brain and spinal cord in your baby. Further, it avoids your growing child having birth defects.
8. Beans
Beans such as lentils, peanuts, peas, and allied others are rich in protein, folates, manganessium, iron, and potassium. All these are crucial for your pregnancy days. The presence of fibre makes beans helpful to you in 2 general pregnancy discomforts - haemorrhoids and constipation.
9. Salmon
Salmon contains plenty of omega-3 fatty acids that are crucial for the development of your baby’s brain. Its consumption may help you keep your mood stable. Apart from omega-3 fatty acids, it has vitamin D and protein in a big amount. Protein and vitamin D is a requisite for the development of healthy teeth and bones in your baby. Further, salmon with sardines, trout, shad, anchovies, and herring has mercury in a lower amount. A pregnant woman needs 8-12 ounces of mercury each week.
10. Sweet potatoes
Due to carotenoids, sweet potatoes are orange in colour. The carotenoids convert into vitamin A inside your body. This vitamin is the need for the development of eyes, bones, skin, and lungs in your baby. Further, sweet potatoes are a rich source of manganese, vitamin C, potassium, fibre, and vitamin B6.
11. Whole grains
Whole grains contain plenty of fibre, iron, B vitamins, folic acid, the antioxidant vitamin E, magnesium, and selenium. Further, they contain phytonutrients that are plant compounds and are helpful for cell protection.
12. Walnuts
Walnuts contain plant-based omega-3s in great amounts. In addition, they contain fibre, magnesium, and protein. You can eat walnuts as a ready snack or in the form of salads.
Conclusion
Having a healthy and balanced diet is for every health-conscious person. As a pregnant woman, you need to take more care of your diet. You need to ensure it contains all the essential nutrients to facilitate you carrying your pregnancy successfully. For better results, you can add the best pregnancy foods to your diet after discussing the same with your doctor.