A woman body needs excessive nutrients and nourishment during the period of pregnancy, thus it is essential to follow a perfect diet chart throughout this period. Doctors basically insist on taking extra care during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, and they also clarify that any sort of nutrient lack in your diet could directly affect the development of your baby! The diet chart narrates us what items are good for the health of your upcoming baby and the carrier lady. But, maintaining a healthy diet is not good enough for a healthy future of your baby, you have to shun some foods as well during this period, for the goodness of your own baby. Thus, here have emerged with an apparent list of foods which will instruct you what you should eat and what not during the delicate period of pregnancy, let’s check it out-
Best Food to Eat while Pregnant:
1. Dark and Leafy Greens:
In pregnancy, women need an adequate amount of vitamins, minerals, fiber along with some other beneficial nutrients, thus leafy greens are highly essential for your daily diet, especially the dark ones. Dark green vegetables contain vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, calcium, iron, folate, and potassium, fiber, antioxidants etc. in rich amount, thus they are prescribed for perfect diet chart of a pregnant woman.
Broccoli, kale, spinach, bell peppers, cilantro, cabbages, etc. are some of the mentionable items among them.
2. Dairy Products:
A pregnant lady requires lots of protein and calcium in their daily food to provide the adequate strength to her inside growing fetus, and dairy products are the best source of such nutrients as we all know! Dairy products also reduce the risk of pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, vaginal infection, allergies, preeclampsia, etc. Natural and unsweetened dairy products also contain a high amount of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and vitamin B, thus, they could nourish a baby in a various way, along with the would-be mother.
Milk, cheese, paneer, yogurt, milky beverages, all are beneficial to a pregnant woman, but people, who suffer from a little lactose intolerant should only take yogurt as their essential dairy product. Greek yogurt is only effective in such cases, as it is enriched with more calcium content than other equivalents and work as a natural digestive method because of its Probiotic bacterial component.
3. Legumes:
Legumes are not a single element; it is an entire category which contains several related foods in a distinct group. Any type of lentils, peas, beans, chickpeas, soybeans and peanuts belong from this category. As all these components are plant based thus, they are the innate source of fiber, protein, iron, folate, and calcium. Consequently, they could aid your fetus to grow in a proper way. Besides other good nutrients, legumes are mostly rich in folate which reduces the risk of several birth defects of your baby.
Some of the legumes also with magnesium and potassium as well, which defend the possibilities of underweight after the birth of your baby.
4. Sweet Potato:
Sweet potato is one more must-eat product during the time of pregnancy because of the richness of beta-carotene. This is basically a plant compound which will convert into vitamin A in your body after digesting. Vitamin A is highly essential for the proper fetal growth and it also contains enough amount of fiber as well! Thus, sweet potatoes could help a pregnant lady variously like, they decrease blood sugar spikes, improve the digestive health and work for a better mobility as well.
Though, some ladies avoid this thing because of its natural sugary content, yet, the utmost doctors prescribe sweet potato to the pregnant ladies for a healthy future of their baby!
5. Eggs:
The egg is the perfect example of a complete food, as it contains a few foremost nutrients which a pregnant lady needs. It is also considered as a high-protein substitute of all time. The richness of several vitamins and minerals make this one a must-eat food as well during the fragile period of pregnancy. Eggs are also rich in enough Choline which is crucial for a growing fetus. It has been observed that low Choline often drives the risk of neural tube defects leads reduce brain function of the baby. Thus, doctors always prescribe to eat at least one egg a day throughout the whole pregnancy period.
6. Salmon:
Although, seafood is strictly prohibited in pregnancy but, salmon is definitely not one of them for sure! Omega-3 is an essential nutrient for pregnancy, as it helps to build up the brain and eyes of your fetus. Omega-3 is mostly found in seafood, but some of the seafood comes with other elements too, which may not be good for a growing baby like mercury or bad contaminants! But, salmon fish is probably the one element which could provide you an adequate amount of omega-3 without any other bad contaminants. This fish is also very effective for the bone health of the mother and baby because of the richness of vitamin D.
7. Dry Fruits:
Dry fruits are the natural source of fiber, minerals, and various vitamins, thus, they are highly recommendable for a would-be mother and her growing fetus. Some of the dry fruits contain sorbitol, potassium, and folate which all are essential for a healthy baby at the end of your pregnancy period. But, any of these nutrients should not be taken in overdose; otherwise, it will harm the fetus rather than nourishing it. Thus, several gynecologists prescribe to eat two of each preferably dry fruits in every morning during the whole pregnancy period.
Cashew nuts, raisins, walnut, and almond are the more beneficial dry fruits in this endeavor.
8. Lean meat:
Meat is also a crucial component in pregnancy diet chart due to the abundance of protein element. Meat indicates lean meat as, curvy or thick meat brings a high-protein sufficiency to the body of a fetus-carrying mother, which would not be healthy for her as well as her baby! These lean meats are also rich in iron, Choline and vitamin B along with the enough amount of iron. Thus, lean meat intake is unconditionally essential for a strong and healthy pregnancy.
Beef, pork, and chicken are the main types in such meat category and remember that deficiency of such meat could bring anemia to your baby in future! In addition, these meats prevent the premature delivery and low birth weight problem innately than any other medicine!
9. Fish Liver Oil:
Fish liver oil or cod liver oil is another beneficial thing to eat during pregnancy which contains omeg-3 fatty acid along with vitamin A and vitamin D in huge amount. Intake of fish liver oil during pregnancy leads a higher birth weight of you baby and lower the risk of disease innately. Though higher dose of such thing could be dangerous for the fetus, thus doctors recommend one fish liver oil per day to keep the intake level perfect for a growing fetus.
10. Fruits:
Fruits are essential for our body in normal time, and consequently, the necessity increases itself during the pregnancy when the body needs more nutrients than normal times! The foremost fruits are filled with healthy Carbs, vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants and plant compounds which benefit the needs of a pregnant woman more vigorously. Though most of the fruits come with natural sugar content and some calories yet they also have enough amount of glycemic index value thus, they never cause key spikes in blood sugar.
Try to eat berry type fruits, apples, pomegranate, lemon, and cucumber in pregnancy for a better health of your rising fetus.
11. Wholegrain:
Wholegrain provide us a perfect quantity of calorie which is essential for a pregnant lady. Whole grains are also the natural source of fiber, vitamins, and plant compound which make these elements extremely crucial for a healthy diet. The richness of vitamin B and magnesium also has made this item a must-eat object of this delicate period. Some of them contain a little amount of protein as well, which is significant during pregnancy.
If you are not very fond of whole grain, then try to eat it at least once in a day as a complete meal, and you don’t need to worry about the adequate nutrients of a pregnant lady at all! Oats and quinoa are mentionable tasty ones of those kinds of items.
Best Folic Acid Foods:
Folic acid is good for the health of a growing fetus and carrying mother as we already mentioned above. Some foods are a natural source of folic nutrient and a pregnant person could be hugely benefited if they could bring those items to their daily diet chart.
Broccoli, asparagus, citrus fruits, beans, lentils, avocado, okra, Brussels sprouts, etc. are some of those types of food which are rich in folic acid.
Best Iron Rich Foods:
Iron rich foods are one more beneficial item for pregnant lady thus, doctors always prefer to include iron rich items to their diet chart and insist on following that chart strictly. Dark leafy greens, dried fruits, beans, egg yolk, black strap molasses, lean meat, fortified cereals, and grains, etc. are some those food which are considered as the best iron-rich food ever.
High Protein Fruits:
Protein is crucial for the strength and proper growth of a rising fetus thus; we never underestimate this single nutrient from the diet chart of a pregnant lady. Some of the new age doctors recently prescribe artificial protein supplements in the medicine list of a pregnant lady. But, nature sources of iron are always better than artificial protein supplements. Hence, it would be more effective for your baby if you can include some foods in your daily chart, which are naturally rich in enough iron mineral.
Nuts, dairy products, tofu and soy, meat, poultry products, legumes, etc. are some of those rich iron items, which could benefit your hugely for a healthy pregnancy.
Best Healthy Snacks:
During the pregnancy, ladies often feel hungry and crave for some new, new snacks on every single day. In this hasten we often overlook the healthy substance of a snack and focus only on the taste of the eating snack. Thus, we are referring you some snacks’ name which is extremely tasty as well as healthy for a raising fetus along with its carrier.
English muffin, Greek yogurt parfait, homemade trail mix, apple-peanut butter slice, fruit-cheese granola, avocado with crackers, fruit salads, etc. are some of those kinds of foods.
Foods for Pregnancy Constipation:
Constipation is a common problem of several pregnant women because of the infrequent bowel movement. You have to deal with the abdominal pain and hard tool of the utmost day of the whole pregnancy period. In this crisis, only a few foods could bring you some relief in this problem. Raw vegetables, salads, husk-free fruits, whole grain cereal, celery, cabbage, beans, lentils, pulses, dried fruits, grapefruits, wholemeal bread, etc. are some of those foods which could heal the abdominal irritation and smooth the stool process innately.
How to Tackle Pregnancy Heartburn:
Heartburn feeling is quite a nightmare for the would-be mothers which ruin their entire good feeling of the upcoming motherhood. Apart from the other disgusting problem of pregnancy like swelling, back pain, continuous trips to the bathroom, itchy skin, sleeplessness; heartburn is the worst one for sure. This type of fiery sensation happens when esophagus gets through the indigestion problem. To get rid of this type of heartburn, you need to follow a food chart throughout the whole pregnancy and try to follow some useful tips for a better digestion system.
Eat frequently, drinks lots of water, eliminate those foods which trigger stomach swelling, sleep adequately, avoid market-based antacids, drink one cup of hot water before every big meal, and make your diet chart fill with enough amount of nutrients and minerals.
What is Pregnancy Cramp?
During the first trimester of pregnancy, most of the women face cramping feeling, which occurs because of the initial development of the baby. During this crisis, you may feel pulling sensation on both or one sides of your abdominal. If you don’t tackle it properly, then cramping may cause serious pain, especially when you try to move or stretch or expand the uterus.
You can’t get rid of this trouble, if your pregnancy relates to this cramp feeling, but a few tricks could give you temporary relief from the abdominal pain. Try to sit quietly, or lie down instantly; soak your body in a warm bath, do relax yoga or exercise, place a glass bottle filled with hot water on your acne spot, get plenty of fluid and try to drink lots of water daily.
Foods which you should Avoid When Pregnant:
1. Raw or Uncooked Eggs:
Craving for different types of tasty food is absolutely normal during the pregnancy period but, we should not eat something harmful in this hurry which could injurious to the health of your growing fetus or the mother, isn’t it! The raw or uncooked egg is one of those kinds, which could increase your bad health issues tremendously! When we eat raw or runny eggs during pregnancy, it could taint with salmonella bacteria that causes vomiting and diarrhea in more numbers.
So, say a big NO to any of those foods which contain raw cook like homemade dessert, sauces, cakes, mousse, etc. and eat only when the egg is cooked well and the yolk is firm enough!
2. Unpasteurized Dairy products:
Unpasteurized dairy products are another harmful product during pregnancy and a woman must avoid such thing when she is carrying a fetus in her womb. Though, all the mom-to-be persons are prescribed to drink a lot of milk in the daily diet, yet is has been observed that unpasteurized products carry the possibilities of food poisoning! Thus, we recommend you to always drink milk which is fresh and eat dairy products like ghee, paneer, cream, cheese, etc. which use pasteurized milk to be made.
So, if you are not sure about the pasteurized status of your eating dairy product, avoid the item immediately and take other safer option instead like rice milk, soy milk, oat milk, etc.
3. Unwashed Fruits and Vegetables:
Store-bought fruits and vegetable come with a layer of ingesting harmful insecticide, which contains the toxoplasma Gondi parasite and listeria with their skin. Both of these elements could damage your fetus hugely and provide some incurable disorder to your baby! There is no alternative of hygiene and cleanness, so we can’t give you any solution in this section, and insist on washing your raw vegetables and fruits before cooking or eating for a healthy future of your baby.
4. Raw Vegetable Sprouts:
Although vegetable sprout is hugely beneficial for our good health yet, it should be avoided during the delicate period of pregnancy, especially the when they are in raw form. As, raw sprouts can deliver harmful bacteria and virus to your stomach, which could be the reason of a harmful food poisoning! You can eat vegetable sprouts because of their various nutrient values, but just make sure that cooked enough before eating them.
5. Outside Salads:
Salads are essential for a healthy diet during the pregnancy period as we have already discussed it above, but you must say no to a plate of salad when it is made in a restaurant or come from any outside set up. As in a restaurant-made salad, you are not sure whether it is made of cleaned vegetables, fruits, and cooked meat or egg items or not! Thus, never pick a restaurant-made salad over a home-made on, no matter how tempting it resembles you, after all, hygiene is the of all concern, throughout the whole pregnancy, right?
6. Store-bought Juice:
Store-bought juice is another harmful item while you are pregnant, because of its various harmful preservation components. Juice is always considered as one of the healthiest food supplement of all time, and it works even more effectively for your health when you are carrying a fetus with you! Though foremost pregnant women are prescribed to drink lots of juice daily for nature strength of this item, yet the store-bought juice is a big risk for them because of the harmful chemicals of such products. The inside E. coli and salmonella bacteria of a store-bought or canned juice could bring some dangerous effect to your fetus, thus it is necessary to shun any type of unpasteurized juices during this delicate period. You can drink some package juices which are kept under refrigeration and come with a pasteurized level!
7. Canned Foods:
Canned foods also come with the same problematic elements and they are packed for a longer period of time, which means a lot of unhealthiness and bacteria in one receptacle! One of the mentionable drawback parts of such canned food is that they often contain the harmful element named Bisphenol A at the lining, which directly affects fetal endocrine activity! Thus, we will strictly instruct you to avoid any kind canned food and go only with the fresh items instead. Remember that fresh is good and seasonal is always better than anything else!
8. Nitrate-Rich Foods:
We all know that chemical-contained foods are highly harmful to our health in a natural condition, so it is superfluous to say that such thing could bring huge harm to the health of your growing fetus as well as the carrier. If you validate clearly then, you will find that these nitrate-rich foods are actually not harmful but they are very low in nutrition, but they turn into harmful items while we eat them during pregnancy. As a result of the abundance of these high-nitrate foods in our stomach, the fetus comes with poor development and abnormalities.
Hence, try to avoid any kind of food which is rich in nitrate content! Diet-coca, sodas, sausages, artificial sweeteners, etc. those of type of food!
9. Artificial-sugar Rich Foods:
Sugar rich items are not a very good choice for the pregnancy period, especially during the final month. Artificial sweeteners are not well-filtered by the placenta, thus it may drive you several disputes to your unborn child. Thus, always try to take foods which contain normal sugar instead of an artificial-rich item, though too much of normal sugar is bad for your growing fetal as well! So, we will recommend you to treat your sweet-tooth with a minimum range of sugary item but make sure that they are made of regular sugar only!
10. Carbonated Drinks:
Carbonated drinks are like poison to your fetal, as they contain a huge amount of carbonated element along with artificial sweeteners which both are massively damaging for a pregnant lady! Thus, almost every gynecologist strictly mentions shunning the consumption of any kind of carbonated drinks during the whole period of pregnancy. If you are very much fond of this type of drink or lemonades, then we will recommend you to prepare some lemonade at home and skip the soda portion of the goodness of your growing child.
Foods that Help to Get Pregnant:
You would love to know that, some food not only bring good health to the would-be mother and the growing baby but, at the same time help you magically to get pregnant more effortlessly! Yeah, you heard it right! Foods actually can aid to get the pregnancy in a smoother way, if you can include them in your daily diet chart! These items basically help to increase the fertility of a woman, prevent ovulatory infertility, improve the ovulation, reduce the possibilities of miscarriage, increase the insulation level, aid to regulate reproductive organs and escalate the desire of sex more vigorously.
Wild salmon, beans, whole milk products, leafy greens like spinach, arugula, broccoli, romaine, pumpkin seeds, whole wheat bread, olive oil, etc. are some of those kinds.
FAQ:
1. Can Pregnant Women Take Wine?
There is a big NO for any kind alcohol consumption during the fragile period of pregnancy, as it contains the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome while you are carrying a fetus in your womb! Hence, any kind of wine could by hazardous for your child at any condition. Yet to mention that people, who couldn’t stay away from wine for long could take some small sips of their favorite wine a little on an irregular basis, as wine lend a little hand to the brain development of a growing baby and flushes out the extra toxin from a would-be mother! Thus, it is best to take it once a week in the early period of pregnancy and keep reducing amount gradually.
2. Can Pregnant Women take Honey?
Yes of course! It is safe to take honey throughout the whole pregnancy for a healthy mother but, remember that honey couldn’t provide health to the baby and sometimes, it could germinate bacteria in the gut of a growing baby! It also causes some fetal illness like infant botulism if you take a limitless amount of honey during pregnancy! We will recommend you to take unpasteurized honey during this period to get the goodness of honey in a harmless way.
3. Can Pregnant Women Eat Shrimp?
Though shrimp is an alluring food indeed, and it tempts the utmost would-be mother in an unimaginable amount yet, you must validate first whether it could harm your growing child or not. Some seafood items are strictly prohibited during pregnancy because of the abundance of mercury in them, but you would glad to know that shrimp belongs to that seafood category in which, mercury found in a very low amount. Thus, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to treat your tongue with some mouthwatering shrimp recipes during the craving situation of pregnancy!
4. Can Pregnant Women Eat Pizza?
Pizza is another outside food to whom you can say yes during pregnancy period, but just make sure that the toppings are cooked well and piping hot, before eating. If you are a pizza lover, then we will recommend you to prepare your pizza at home with fresh or unpasteurized and skip the yeast ingredient for the health of your growing child.
5. Can Pregnant Women Eat Mushroom?
People often ask whether eating mushroom is safe or not during pregnancy! Well, a minimum amount of mushrooms could be safe for a pregnant lady if it is in cooked form, but remember that, mushrooms are very dangerous for fetal growth when it is in uncooked form! Hallucinogenic mushrooms and toxic mushrooms are also very harmful darning pregnancy as well as raw mushrooms.
6. Can Pregnant Women Take Green tea?
One or two cups of green tea are safe to have during pregnancy, however, too much of it could bring some additional caffeine extract to your body, which would not be good a carrying mother!
7. Can Pregnant Women Drink Coffee?
Yes, a pregnant woman can drink coffee during their pregnancy, but make sure the percentage of daily caffeine amount should not surpass by overtaking coffee dose! Research says that 200 mg of caffeine are recommendable in pregnancy before the final weeks.
8. Can Pregnant Women Eat Goat Cheese?
Eating cheese is not a good idea during pregnancy, according to the doctors and pregnancy researchers. They confirmed that any soft cheese, which comes with a white rind, should be avoidable throughout the entire pregnancy. If you only take a few slices of such goat cheese only they are cooked thoroughly in a healthy way!
9. Can Pregnant Women Eat Sausage While Pregnant?
According to the recent medical generals, eating sausages is not safe for a woman who is carrying a fetus! Sausages are made of cold curved meats like salami, Parma ham, pepperoni, chorizo, etc. These types of meats carry listeria, or some harmful tiny parasites, which bring huge unhealthiness to the womb. However, you could eat some sausages when they are in hot condition during the early period of your pregnancy.
10. Can Pregnant Women Eat Mayonnaise?
Doctors say a big no mayonnaise when you are pregnant, as mayo is made of unpasteurized eggs, and we have already discussed above that such eggs are how much injurious to a pregnant woman! Though, a small amount mayo could be tolerable, if it comes in a jar and gets in non-refrigerate condition.
11. What Kind of Seafood is Safe during Pregnancy?
Seafood seems very much alluring during pregnancy and it is absolutely normal for craving for such food for any lady! But, what you must validate in such cases is that what type of food is good for your health during pregnancy and what not! This period your body needs protein, vitamins, minerals, iron, and omega-3 fatty acid in huge quantity. It is superfluous to say that seafood or sea fishes are literally enriched with such nutrient in huge amount! But a few of them come with a large amount of mercury which is not good for the health of an unborn child. Thus, you must know well about the goodness and badness of each item of seafood before eating it during pregnancy.
Tilapia, cod, salmon, crab, shrimp, sardines, Pollok, catfish, tuna, etc. are some those seafood you can eat during your pregnancy.
On the other hand, swordfish, shark, tilefish, king mackerel, or any kind of baked or grilled fish are strictly prohibited in pregnancy period!