Nutrition is crucial during pregnancy. A healthy diet menu will help you meet the needs of your growing child, keeping you healthy and preparing for lactation. You don’t need to feed two children. All you require is a healthy, balanced diet.
A Balanced Diet
Mothers should consume a wide range of food items from the four food groups, which include fruits and rice, and vegetables, as well as meat and alternative. This is due to the fact that different food groups have different kinds of nutrients. For example, meat and other alternatives contain protein, but do not contain Vitamin C. Selecting various foods will ensure that you receive the proper amount of nutrients from all four food groups. Furthermore, pregnant women should drink adequate quantities of milk and alternative foods to meet their calcium requirements.
Rice and Other Alternatives
The food items in this category offer energy, as well as minerals, vitamins, and fibre. How much energy that a person requires varies based on age, weight, and level of activity. In general, 6 to 7 servings of food will be needed with three servings of whole grains.
Fruits
The need for many vitamins and minerals increases during pregnancy. They are vital to ensure the proper working of your body. Fruits are excellent sources of minerals and vitamins, along with dietary fibre. Two servings per every day are recommended.
Vegetables
As with fruit, vegetables are great sources of minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber. Three servings per every day are recommended.
Meat and Alternatives
This food group contains a protein that is essential to support the growth and maintenance of the tissues of your body, such as the heart, muscles, eyes, lungs, and skin. The pregnant woman needs more protein, which is needed to build the organs of the fetus. In our modern, affluent world, in reality, protein deficiencies are not a problem. It is recommended to consume 2.5 servings of protein each day.
Milk and Other Alternatives
Alternatives and milk provide calcium, which is essential to build a baby’s teeth and bones and also to replenish the baby’s body’s reserves. A minimum of 2-4 servings of milk as well as alternatives are essential.
Additional Nutrients are Required
Iron
Iron is necessary during pregnancy to protect her from being anaemic (a situation where there is a shortage of hemoglobin, or red blood cells found in the blood). An anaemic mother is likely to appear pale and feel exhausted easily.
A second intake is also necessary to increase the iron reserves of your baby so that they can last the baby through the first six months of their lives. Iron is present in liver and meat, fish beancurd wholegrain cereals as well as eggs and green leafy vegetables. Although iron heme is more absorbed by the body than iron that is non-heme Absorption of non-heme iron may be increased by eating vitamin C-rich foods at the same time. It is also recommended to limit the consumption of the liver to a maximum of 50g per week during the first trimester since the liver is a rich source of Vitamin A. Consuming too much Vitamin A in the first trimester could cause birth defects.
Folic Acid
This is essential to grow cells and for cell reproduction. Cells are the basic components of tissues. Folic acid is a key ingredient in the production of blood cells, a lack of folic acids can result in the mother becoming anaemic. Folic acid is present in leafy green vegetables, meat and yeast extract fruit juices, and citrus (e.g. Oranges) as well as beans, fortified foods such as cereals.
Vitamin C
It is essential to take this vitamin each day since our bodies are unable to store it. Vitamin C enhances the body’s capacity to take iron. It is crucial to remember it is true that Vitamin C and Folic acid can be destroyed by heat and cooking. Vitamin C is found in many fruits, including citrus fruits, papayas, and guavas as well as lemons, kiwis, lemons, and also in vegetables.
To avoid the degradation of Vitamin C Avoid storing fruit and vegetables for prolonged lengths of time. The vegetables must also be cooked using smaller amounts of water in order to avoid water-soluble nutrients such as Vitamin C from leaching from the cooked liquid, and as quickly as possible.
Calcium
During pregnancy, you require more calcium in order to sustain your calcium reserves and also to develop the baby’s bones and teeth. The calcium requirement for pregnant women is 1000 mg per day.
Weight Gain
Mothers shouldn’t gain too much weight while pregnant. In the course of pregnancies, an increase of 370 to 480 calories a day is required. This can be gotten by adding healthy, mid-day snacks and 2 portions of low-fat milk or similar.
It isn’t essential to count your calorie consumption daily. You can take your weight gain as a way to gauge whether you’re eating enough during your pregnancy. Knowing your pre-pregnancy weight gain and body mass index (BMI) can be useful as a reference to determine the amount of weight you need to gain during your pregnancy.
To prevent excess weight gain, reduce the number of sugary food items like sweets and drinks with sweetened ingredients. Also, you should reduce your intake of fats by avoiding fried food items like chocolate, kuehs, and chocolate. Other methods of reducing calories include removing your chicken’s skin as well as the fat from the chicken, taking out the fat from the meat prior to eating, opting for soup noodles over cooked noodles, and cooking, stewing, or steaming food items instead of deep-frying.
Also, make sure to consume everything in moderation. This means that you don’t have to cut out chocolate or other fatty and sugary foods in totality, but just one small serving at least once or twice per week!
We understand the importance of nutrition during pregnancy for both mother and baby. Our team decided to form Pregnancy Meals to help mothers with their concerns about what to eat during pregnancy.
We offer the finest nutrition-essential confinement food catering using our home-cooked style of nutrient-rich Pregnancy Meal Delivery in Singapore.
