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What
to eat and what to avoid?
What foods
do I need to eat?
Eating regular, well-balanced meals is more
important when you are pregnant than at any other time of your life.
What you eat provides food for your baby as well as yourself.
You need about 200 to 300 more food calories a day
than when you were not pregnant. Most pregnant women need about 2200 to
2300 total calories each day. Your health care provider will suggest a
range of weight that you should gain. The usual recommended gain is
about 20 to 35 pounds.
Your need for protein increases to 60 milligrams a
day when you are pregnant. Your needs for most vitamins and minerals,
particularly folic acid and iron, also increase. These nutrients are
important for your baby's growth and development. They give your baby
strong bones and teeth, healthy skin, and a healthy body.
Foods that are excellent sources of protein and
vitamins are:
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beans and peas
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nuts
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peanut butter
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eggs
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meat
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fish
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poultry
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cheese, milk, and yogurt.
Good sources of folic acid (also called folate)
are:
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leafy green vegetables, such as collard
greens, spinach, kale, and mustard greens)
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broccoli
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asparagus
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breakfast cereals
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beans
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oranges and strawberries
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yellow squash
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tomato juice.
Foods rich in iron are:
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lean red meats, pork, chicken, and fish
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fortified cereals
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dried fruit
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green, leafy vegetables
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beans
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eggs
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liver
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kidneys
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whole-grain or enriched bread.
If you need financial help buying nutritious
foods, a government program called the Special Supplemental Food Program
for Women, Infants, and Children can help you buy foods like milk, eggs,
cheese, and bread.
How do I
know if I am eating a balanced diet?
Eat a variety of whole, fresh foods. Use the
following as a guideline for what you should eat every day.
Meat,
poultry, fish, beans, or eggs
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You need 2 to 3 servings every day.
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One serving of meat is 2 to 3 ounces of lean
meat, poultry or fish.
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One serving of other, nonmeat foods is 1 cup
cooked beans, 2 eggs, 2/3 cup nuts, or 1/4 cup of peanut butter.
Grains,
rice, pasta, bread
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It is good to have 9 servings every day.
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One serving is 1/2 cup pasta, 1/2 cup cooked
cereal, or 1 slice of bread.
Protein, a major nutrient in this group, is
necessary for growth of new cells and replacement of old ones.
Fruits
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You need 3 or more servings of fruits every
day.
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One serving of fruit is 1 medium apple, 1
medium banana, 1/2 cup chopped fruit, or 3/4 cup fruit juice.
Fruits such as
oranges, grapefruit, melons and berries are the best sources of Vitamin
C. Deep yellow fruits like papaya and mango are good sources of Vitamin
A. It is easy to eat three or more servings of fruit a day: juice or
fresh fruit for breakfast, fresh or dried fruit for a snack, a fruit
salad with lunch and a fruit dessert with dinner
Vegetables
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You need 4 or more servings of vegetables
every day.
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One serving is 1 cup of raw, leafy vegetables,
1/2 cup of other types of raw or cooked vegetables, or 3/4 cup of
vegetable juice.
Vegetables provide vitamins A and C among other
vitamins, minerals and fibre, which can help relieve constipation. Foods
rich in Vitamin C are citrus fruits, cabbage, potatoes, spinach, green
beans and tomatoes. Eating foods rich in Vitamin C helps the body absorb
the iron in foods. The body does not store Vitamin C, so these foods are
needed daily.
Milk,
cheese, or yogurt
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You need 4 servings every day.
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One serving is 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of yogurt,
or about 2 ounces of cheese.
Dairy products provide
numerous nutrients and are especially high in calcium and proteins.
Calcium is essential in the formation of bones and teeth. If your intake
isn’t sufficient, your baby can withdraw calcium from your bones, making
you more at risk of developing osteoporosis later in life. If you don’t
like to drink milk, try flavouring it with chocolate or a drop of
vanilla or serving it chilled over ice. The other ways to enhance milk
intake is to take milk products in place of milk as such. These include
curd, cheese, butter, etc. One cup of curds contains the same amount of
calcium as a cup of milk, so include it with snacks and meals or
substitute plain curd for some of the mayonnaise in salad dressings.
Another way to add milk to your diet is to choose pudding desserts.
Do I need
to take dietary supplements?
Your health care provider will most likely
prescribe a prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement. This will help make
sure you get the vitamins and minerals you need, such as calcium, iron,
and folic acid.
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Calcium.
Calcium needs for pregnant women are the same as nonpregnant women:
1000 mg a day for adult women and 1300 mg a day for adolescents.
Many women do not get enough calcium in their diet, so it's
important to make sure you're meeting your calcium needs every day.
Dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese, and smoothies are great
sources of calcium.
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Folic
acid.
Folic acid is important for spinal cord development of the baby.
Pregnant women need 600 micrograms (mcg) a day. Synthetic folic acid
added to fortified foods and vitamin supplements is almost twice as
well absorbed as the folic acid in natural foods. It is recommended
that pregnant women get 400 (mcg) of folic acid from fortified foods
(cereals and whole grains) and supplements, in addition to eating
foods that are good sources of folate, such as legumes and leafy
green vegetables. Read labels. Many foods are supplemented, and you
should not have more than 1,000 mcg each day. Ask your provider if
you need a folic acid supplement.
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Iron.
Women need 30 mg of iron a day during the last half of pregnancy. An
iron supplement may be necessary to meet this need. Women carrying
twins, women with low iron in their blood, and large women may need
more than 30 mg of iron a day. Iron supplements can be harmful if
taken inappropriately, so ask your provider before you start taking
an iron supplement.
What
substances should I avoid when I am pregnant?
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Avoid alcoholic drinks, tobacco, and drugs.
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Check with your provider before taking any
medicines or herbal supplements. Some medicines and supplements can
cause birth defects.
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Limit caffeine to less than 300 mg a day, or 2
cups of coffee. High amounts of caffeine from coffee, tea, soft
drinks, and chocolate could increase the risk to your baby.
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Avoid herbal teas unless your health care
provider recommends them. Some herbal teas, if drunk in large
amounts, may cause early contractions and increase your risk for
early (preterm) labor.
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Avoid meat, fish, shellfish, and eggs that are
raw or undercooked. Also avoid foods from deli counters, or
thoroughly reheat cold cuts before you eat them. Cook leftover foods
or ready-to-eat foods, such as hot dogs, until they are steaming hot
before you eat them.
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Don't eat unpasteurized soft cheeses, such as
Brie, Camembert, feta, blue-veined, Mexican-style, and Roquefort
cheese because of the increased danger of listeria infection during
pregnancy. Although most cheeses are pasteurized, don't eat imported
cheeses or semi-soft cheese unless you are sure they are
pasteurized. For the same reason, don't drink unpasteurized milk. It
is OK to eat hard cheeses, processed cheeses, cream cheese, cottage
cheese, and yogurt.
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Avoid raw vegetable sprouts and fresh (unpasteurized)
fruit and vegetable juices. They can carry disease-causing bacteria
such as E. coli and Salmonella.
You do not have to eat less salt during pregnancy,
as was thought in the past. A moderate amount of salt helps keep proper
levels of sodium in your body as your baby develops. Use iodized salt.
Is it OK to eat fish?
Fish and shellfish are an important part of a
healthy diet. They contain high-quality protein and other essential
nutrients. They are low in saturated fat and contain omega-3 fatty acids
that can contribute to heart health.
However, nearly all fish and shellfish contain
traces of mercury. Some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of
mercury that may harm an unborn baby's developing brain and nerves. The
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises women who may become
pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid
some types of fish with high mercury levels. Instead, they should eat
fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
Here are some guidelines for eating fish:
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Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or
tilefish (also called golden or white snapper) because they contain
high levels of mercury.
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Do eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a
week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
Five commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned
light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Fish sticks and fast-food
fish sandwiches are commonly made from fish that are low in mercury,
so they are also usually safe to eat.
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Don't eat more than 6 ounces per week of
canned albacore (white) tuna or tuna steaks because they have more
mercury than canned light tuna. Eating oysters and clams may
increase your risk for getting a harmful bacterial or viral
infection. You should avoid eating them or make sure to boil them
for at least 4 to 6 minutes (as you should do with all shellfish).
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Check local advisories about the safety of
fish caught in local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice
is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish
caught from local waters, but don't eat any other fish during that
week.
What should
I do if I don't feel like eating or if I have other digestive problems?
Morning sickness
Many
women have morning sickness during the early months of pregnancy. (In
most cases, symptoms of nausea and vomiting are less common by the
second trimester.) In early pregnancy, the changes in your body can
cause you to feel nauseated when you eat or smell certain foods or when
you get tired or anxious. It may help if you:
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Eat crackers, pretzels, or dry cereal before
you get out of bed in the morning.
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Eat small meals often.
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Avoid greasy, fried, or spicy foods that may
upset your stomach.
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Drink plenty of liquids, but between meals
rather than with them.
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Try crushed ice, fruit juice, or fruit-ice
pops if water makes you feel nauseous.
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Avoid unpleasant odors.
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Get enough rest.
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Ginger has been shown to help some women have
less nausea, but you should talk to your health care provider about
this before you add ginger to your diet.
Constipation
To help
relieve constipation:
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Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, high-fiber
breads, and cereals.
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Get as much as exercise as you can. Walking
and swimming are good choices.
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Try fiber supplements such as pysllium powder,
Metamucil, or Citrucel. (You must drink plenty of fluids when taking
these supplements.)
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Drink more liquids.
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Do not use laxatives unless your health care
provider tells you to.
Diarrhea
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Try eating more yogurt, rice, dry toast, or
bananas.
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Ask your health care provider about taking
Pepto-Bismol or Maalox.
Heartburn
For
heartburn you should:
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Eat 5 or 6 small meals a day.
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Avoid foods that commonly cause symptoms such
as spicy and fried foods, orange and grapefruit juices, peppermint,
garlic, and onions.
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Cut down on soft drinks, chocolate, coffee,
and other drinks with caffeine. Drink instead water, milk, and apple
or cranberry juice.
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Don't lie down for at least 1 to 2 hours after
you eat. If heartburn gets worse when you lie down, raise the head
of your bed 4 to 6 inches.
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Ask your health care provider which antacids
you can take.
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