Maintaining a healthy diet is a wise choice for everyone. However, for pregnant women, it’s a mandatory rule as their nutrition affects the developing fetus. In order to be sure that your unborn baby gets everything they need to grow into a tiny healthy human being, you must provide them with a variety of essential vitamins and minerals. Enriching your meal plan with these special foods and supplements for pregnant women will ensure that you achieve this goal.
Top 5 Best Foods for Pregnant Women
One very important thing you should understand before outlining your pregnancy diet is that weight gain during this time is inevitable. In fact, women must gain extra weight while pregnant, so increasing your portions is the right thing to do. Your doctor should monitor your weight changes.
The best foods to include in your pregnancy meal plan are:
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Legumes.
They give you fiber and proteins as well as folate and a variety of essential nutrients. Legumes contain very small amounts of fat and are generally considered heart-friendly foods. It’s an important consideration for a pregnancy diet as during this time the risk of hypertension increases. -
Sweet potatoes.
This is one of the best food sources of beta-carotene (vitamin A). Pregnant women are usually advised to increase their intake of this vitamin because it plays a vital part in the growth and development of tissues. -
Leafy greens.
Any kind of healthy diet must include dark leafy green vegetables (and broccoli) as they are some of the healthiest foods on the planet. They are packed with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that keep both your and your baby’s bodies strong. Bear in mind that dietary fiber from leafy greens can help normalize digestion and reduce the risk of constipation and indigestion. Both these issues often occur during pregnancy. -
Berries.
This is another great source of vitamins, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. Add fresh berries to your oatmeal, eat them raw, or include in fresh juices. If you prefer dried berries, choose the kind without syrup as those are high in sugar.
Do NOT eat goji berries during pregnancy as their unique chemical formula increases the risk of miscarriage. -
Avocados.
These fruits aren’t very flavorful, but they are extremely healthy. They provide you with ‘good’ fats and a great number of vitamins and minerals. They also help make your smoothies creamy and are an absolute must-have ingredient for a vegan diet. Note that avocados are rich in potassium, an element that might help prevent leg cramps, which often occur in pregnant women.
Incorporating these foods into your pregnancy diet shouldn’t be difficult as any healthy meal plan contains them by default. Discuss the sizes of your portions with your doctor and don’t forget to increase your intake of fluids as the volume of a woman’s blood increases by 1-1.5 liters during pregnancy.
Best Pregnancy Supplements to Choose
In most cases, pregnant women are prescribed specialized pregnancy multivitamins. However, if you maintain a healthy diet, you might only need an extra dose of some specific elements. Usually, pregnancy supplements include:
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Folic Acid.
This element reduces the risk of neural tube defects and it’s usually advised that women increase their intake of folic acid even before the conception. -
Vitamin A & D.
Vitamin A promotes healthy growth and development of cells, while vitamin D enables our bodies to break down and process calcium. As it’s almost impossible to get a healthy amount of vitamin D from foods, supplementation might be necessary. -
Calcium 650mg.
Pregnant women require more calcium, which is hard to get from diet by default. This supplement might be necessary for vegans and vegetarians, in particular.
Please remember, no matter what kind of products you usually take and how much you trust them, you must always consult a health care provider about taking any supplements during pregnancy. The doctor will have to take some tests and analyze your meal plan in order to determine which nutrients you require.
