Many pregnant women have to manage hunger and cravings. While it is acceptable to indulge in a "whim of gluttony" from time to time, remember that what you eat also feeds the baby. Therefore, it is essential to follow a healthy diet for both of you to benefit from it. Furthermore, respecting a balanced diet helps to increase weight appropriately during gestation.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Developing Healthy Habits
Step 1. See your doctor for healthy weight gain
Underweight women need to gain more weight during pregnancy. Those who have a high body mass index (BMI or BMI, from the English Body Mass Index) must increase less. General guidelines recommend:
- If you have a BMI of less than 18.5 before getting pregnant, you will need to gain 13-18 pounds;
- If your BMI before pregnancy is between 18, 5 and 24, 9, you will need to add between 11 and 16 kilos by the end of your gestation;
- If, on the other hand, your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, you will have to gain 7-11 kilos;
- With a BMI over 30, you shouldn't gain more than 5-9 pounds.
Step 2. Plan your calorie intake
You don't have to "eat for two". Rather, if your pre-pregnancy BMI was within normal parameters, you will need to add 340 calories to your normal daily diet during the second trimester. In the third, however, you will have to supplement your diet with 452 more calories per day. In principle:
- Always have breakfast.
- Eat small, healthy snacks (yoghurt, dried fruit mix, fruit) between large meals to avoid overeating when sitting down to eat. Keep some ready-made snacks around the house, take them to work, or keep them in the car.
Step 3. Reduce the amount of junk food
While there will be days when you will crave badly to eat mortadella with mayonnaise, you should usually avoid bingeing on unhealthy foods. Try to limit the amount of potato chips, sugary cookies, and sodas in the house. Remember that everything you eat is also absorbed by the baby.
Step 4. Avoid finding emotional gratification in food
Hormones are known to cause mood swings, but you should avoid using food as a comfort tool. Even if you're feeling depressed, try going for a walk or hanging out with good friends. Alternatively, if you just can't resist, choose at least one "happiness" snack, such as a banana, which contains important amino acids that stimulate the production of dopamine and serotonin, mood-enhancing neurotransmitters.
Step 5. Eat slowly
If you gulp down food too quickly, your body won't be able to sense satiety. If, on the other hand, you eat more slowly, taking breaks between bites, your digestive hormones have plenty of time to "inform" your brain that you are full. Enjoy meal time and avoid eating while watching TV or otherwise distracting yourself, otherwise you will not be able to eat your food with awareness.
- Cut your food into small bites so you eat more.
- Put the food on smaller plates, to give you the idea of eating larger portions.
Step 6. Manage your cravings
Listen for the body's signals. If you have a craving for something sweet, the problem could come from a lack of certain vitamins found in fruit, for example. Likewise, if you feel the urge to eat something salty, you may have an imbalance in sodium levels. While you don't have to indulge every craving, pay attention to what your body is telling you.
Part 2 of 2: Hiring the Major Food Groups
Step 1. Include cereals in your diet
You need carbohydrates to maintain adequate energy levels. The healthiest choice is represented by whole grains: about 50% of the grains you eat should be made of unrefined ones, such as pasta, rice or wholemeal bread. Consider purchasing these foods fortified with vitamins, iron, fiber, minerals, and folic acid.
For example, you can incorporate cereals into your diet by eating them for breakfast, choosing a sandwich for lunch, and wholemeal pasta for dinner
Step 2. Eat fruits and vegetables
You need to consume an adequate amount of these foods to absorb many nutrients, as they are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Choose dark leafy vegetables, such as spinach, as they are an excellent source of fiber, folic acid, and vitamin A. Citrus fruits provide plenty of vitamin C. Aim to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
- Salads are ideal solutions because they allow you to combine many food groups. Start with a leafy vegetable (lettuce, spinach, cabbage, arugula, chard), add side vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, cabbage, mushrooms, celery). Finally garnish with tangerines and a few slices of chicken breast, chickpeas or salmon to add the protein.
- Low-fat yogurt and fresh fruit smoothies are a great alternative. Other great ideas are pizza with vegetables or sandwiches with fish.
- Another great option is avocado, which contains the necessary healthy fats.
- You can make a nutritious mix of nuts, banana bits, grapes and dates yourself.
- Check the amount of fruit juice you drink. Since they are high in sugar, they may make you fat.
Step 3. Get adequate amounts of protein
To ensure proper development of your baby, you need to supplement nutrition with a lot of protein. Meat, fish, legumes, eggs and poultry are excellent sources of this nutrient. Fish, in particular, is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, essential for stimulating the growth of the unborn child's brain. Aim to eat 150-200g of protein per day.
- Start the day with protein and fiber. Scrambled eggs with vegetables or a wholemeal sandwich with peanut butter provide the right energy to start the day in the best way and feel fully satisfied and satisfied.
- Try cooking an omelette with fresh vegetables, a salmon fillet, rice and black beans, or edamame.
- But make sure you don't eat the liver.
- Fish with high levels of mercury can be dangerous during gestation. Avoid swordfish, malacanthidae, blue shark and king mackerel.
Step 4. Include dairy products in your diet
Calcium is the main mineral found in milk and is essential for the development of bones and teeth. You can eat Greek yogurt every day. Milk with cereals is also a great combination. For an adequate intake of these nutrients, you should consume three servings of dairy products per day (for example, a cup of milk, a jar of yogurt, and a serving of cheese).
- Goat milk dairy products are a great lactose-free alternative.
- If you have trouble digesting lactose, you can purchase calcium-enriched juices.
Step 5. Add healthy fats to your diet
Your prenatal diet must also include proper fat intake. Choose healthy ones and cut back on saturated and hydrogenated ones, which are found in non-lean meat, butter, industrially processed foods, such as crackers or potato chips. Instead, try to focus on:
- Monounsaturated fats found in nuts, olives, avocado, almonds and peanut butter;
- Polyunsaturated fats found in sunflower seeds, flax seeds and soybean oil.
Step 6. Stay hydrated
You should drink 2.5 liters of fluid every day during pregnancy. While all liquids fall into this count, you should still avoid alcohol when pregnant. You should limit your coffee consumption to one cup or drink a maximum of two cups of tea per day.
- Always keep a bottle of water with you throughout the day.
- If you don't like plain water, you can make water and cucumber, lemon or lime infusions to add flavor and nutrients.
- Water also helps the functions of the digestive system.
Advice
- Talk to your gynecologist to find out if you can take vitamins during pregnancy.
- If you are expecting twins, the diet will be different than that of women expecting only one baby. Check with your doctor to find a specific diet plan for your situation.
