Nutrition during pregnancy is one of the key determinants of infant's health and growth. Guidelines and awareness to diet must initiate before one gets pregnant. One of the significant factors is that the woman who is going to be pregnant must not be either obese or underweight before the pregnancy and must not lack in vitamins and minerals.
Once it is definite that the person is pregnant, she should have well balanced diet. Diet of a pregnant woman must include lot of cereals, legumes, nuts, dry fruits, spinach and various leafy vegetables, products rich in milk or dairy products, fresh fruits and its extract. Healthy refined oil must be taken into use. Suggestions of your health care provider for the supplements of vitamin B, calcium, iron, vitamin D and zinc should be considered.
Vegetarians should consume more of the above mentioned diet, but if you are a non-vegetarian, you must include normal sources of egg, meat and chicken. Try to avoid seafood, because it may result in botulism.
If milk becomes difficult to gulp in, try to consume milk products like paneer, curd, custard, shrikhand, fruit yoghurt and etc. You can also incorporate soya into your normal meals. As soya is rich in iron and is high in protein. Soya can be consumed in any form like soya milk, tofu, soya flour, soya rawa, nutria-nuggets etc. Health stores can easily provide you these products. Or else soya can easily be included in one's diet, by grinding the nutri-nuggets and make it a powder and then add to the wheat flour for your chappatis or parathas. So this way automatically you consume soya.
Sprouted raw dal can also be consumed because when they are cooked they loose its nutritive value. That may be consumed as salads or mix it in the curd or raita. Focus on consuming folic acid green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and legumes which help to develop baby's brain and spinal cord; these are significant in the initial three months. On the other hand, dairy products are important for the development of baby's bones, which are significant in last three months. This also helps in preventing tooth decay in the would-be mother.
Cereals, green leafy vegetables, beans are important for the development of red blood cells of both the fetus and would –be mother. While the whole wheat, fruits and raw vegetables helps to prevent constipation, which is a very serious problem during pregnancy. Pulses rich in protein, beans, fish, meat, eggs are essential for the growth of the baby. One needs to at least take in 7-10 glasses of water and juices which helps in increasing the blood volume and also for the amniotic fluid which protects the baby.
Deficiency of fluids can increase the peril of miscarriages, constipation and electrolyte discrepancies.
Fenugreek leaves helps in the formation of blood. Lettuce is rich in iron, which is easily absorbed by the body. Spinach is also rich in iron, which must be incorporated in the regular diet. Almond is a source of copper, which acts as a catalyst in the synthesis of hemoglobin.
