Tips To Getting The Best Nutrition During Pregnancy

We all know eating a healthy diet is good for us, but when you're pregnant it becomes even more important. Even if you cannot follow a healthy diet before, from now on you need to make some improvement in your eating habits. Start with the basics in pregnancy nutrition. Understanding what foods to eat and what to avoid during pregnancy can help you make the healthiest choices for you and your baby. Take a look at our tips for healthy eating to help you get the best nutrition during pregnancy.

What To Eat During Pregnancy

• eat a variety of foods from different food groups to ensure you get the best of a balanced diet

• eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks daily on a regular basis

• eat a lot of fruit and leafy green and deep yellow vegetables, whole grains, legumes to increase your fiber intake

• drink at least 8 glasses of water per day

• in addition to water, include other beverages such as low-fat milk, fresh fruit juice and soup in your daily diet

• eat fish and seafood for up to 12 ounces or 340 grams a week, this is equivalent to about 2 meals of canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, catfish, cod fish, tilapia, shrimp and crab

• take omega-3 fish oil with a meal as supplement for essential fatty acids and DHA

• use vegetable oils in cooking, such as olive oil, corn oil, grape-seed oil, and sunflower oil

Foods To Avoid During Pregnancy

• avoid seafood high in mercury such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, tilefish; high levels of mercury can cause damage to your baby's nervous system

• avoid raw fish and shell fish especially oysters and clams for they may contain harmful bacteria and viruses

• avoid undercooked meat, poultry and eggs to prevent the risk of bacterial food poisoning

• avoid unpasteurized foods such as fet, brie, camembert, blue cheese, to limit the risk of food-bo
e illness

Foods You Should Limit

• limit your consumption of processed foods, because they usually contain high levels of salt and sugar

• reduce your daily caffeine intake to no more tha
4 cups

• limit your consumption of sweets, cakes, crackers, saturated fats, and sugar, as these will provide unnecessary extra calories that contain no nutritional value for you and your baby

Remember, over-indulgence now means more difficulty for you to regain your pre-natal body shape in the future. So quit eating snacks as much as possible.

If you are worried about not eating certain food groups adequately, ask your doctor about supplements information.