Pregnancy Diet

One of the best ways you can help your unborn child, is through your pregnancy diet. Getting the right foods with adequate nutrition (such as vitamins, mineral, folic acid, calcium, etc.) is so important for your baby now, and in the future. Changing bad habits and forming new, nutritious ones is a great way to start your healthy pregnancy. First and foremost, if you are expecting you must stop smoking, drinking alcohol, doing illegal drugs, taking birth control, avoid all poisons, pesticides, toxic fumes and anything that can harm you and your baby. The first 3 months of development are when birth defects typically form, and they can form because of outside influences such as the items listed above.

Some good tips for putting your pregnancy diet into prospective include;

a) Select your calories carefully: Quality calories not junky calories are so important. Avoid junk food, and unhealthy food with empty calories and very low nutritious value. A 250 calorie donut and a 250 calorie bowl of whole grain cereal, and piece of toast are NOT the same. To lose the weight postpartum you will want to practice good eating habits now. This will help the weight to come off significantly faster. Your baby will certainly benefit as well.

b) Avoid excessive sweets: Sugar is nothing but empty calories, and does the body no good. If you have a sweet tooth and just can’t help but succumb to the temptation, try eating an apple, or piece of fruit instead. Having a chocolate milkshake once a week or a piece of cake every so often is recommended, enjoy yourself!!! But try to avoid too much cane sugar, and focus on naturally found sugars in the fruits and juices you consume. Think of your pregnancy and nutrition and make the right choices for your baby and his or her future!

c) Have your husband do the pregnancy diet with you: Having support while doing any diet is very important. If you are the only one who knows about the diet, what kind of accountability are you giving yourself? Plus, if you see your husband down 5 slices of pizza and you are trying your hardest to eat the chicken salad and bowl of fruit (get that folic acid !!!) you ordered, it is going to be very hard to stick with it. Having a healthy pregnancy is something he can help you with too!

d) Aspartame is NOT your friend: Stay away from artificial sweeteners of ALL kinds!!! These are so toxic and bad for you just imagine what they can do to your baby! Avoid sugar-free gum, and check labels, because anything that says less fat or less sugar may very well have Aspartame or Splenda in it.

e) If you skip a meal, your baby skips a meal: If you are a working woman, or a stay at home mom who is always on the go, sometimes finding time to eat, even when pregnant, can be challenging. Just try to keep in mind that you are the ONLY one who can feed your baby. No one else can do it, only you, so make sure you do!!! He or she can’t cry and tell you it’s time to eat, so you have to just make sure you are eating at least 3 quality meals a day. It’s your pregnancy and nutrition is key to keeping your little bundle of joy healthy and happy. So go get something to eat!

Other things to consider in your diet include: calcium , protein ,

fiber , and folic acid.