Top Pregnancy Nutrition Tips and Ideas

Learning that you are pregnant will start the most exciting and magical time in your life. The news, whether received from a doctor or via a pregnancy test, can instantly alter your thinking, sending you to heaven but also bringing myriads of questions to your mind.

One of the most important things to consider is nutrition during pregnancy. A good pregnancy diet plan will benefit both you and your baby. The selection of the right foods can also alleviate some of the unpleasant conditions that often accompany pregnancy.

So, what should pregnant women eat? Here is a list of the dos and the don'ts.

The foods to eat while pregnant should include a number of important nutrients and minerals. Calcium is one of those. Most people are aware of the fact that calcium is an important bone building block. Foods rich in calcium will help the baby develop strong bones and they will also prevent bone loss in mom-to-be.

Increase the consumption of milk, cheeses, yogurt, beans and fish. Saltwater fish are the ones that have higher mineral content.

Calcium will also overcome problems like pregnancy-induced hypertension. Having a cup of milk before going to bed is a calming and healthy routine that you should learn to master during your pregnancy.

Most pregnant women fall for the assumption that they should be eating for two. As one of them, I need to assure you that the belief is wrong. Indulging in large amounts of food will solely lead to the accumulation of excess weight that you will have difficulties dealing with after the birth of your child.

What should a pregnant woman eat and even more importantly, how much of it will be sufficient? In the first trimester, you should consume the amounts of food that you used to eat before getting pregnant. The third trimester will require approximately 300 additional calories per day. These calories are contained in a diet salad or a glass of low fat milk.

Be very careful about the things you eat, as well. Receiving calories from junk food will be harmful to the baby. Instead, increase the consumption of fruits, vegetables and wholegrain products.

You have certainly heard about folic acid and how important it is during pregnancy. Like most other ladies, I was prescribed folic acid supplements and I took those without ever questioning their importance. Folic acid is really important and you should be getting it from as many natural sources, as possible.

Folic acid is very important during the first months of pregnancy because it helps for the development of a healthy nervous system in your baby.

What pregnant women should eat has to have high folic acid content. Some of the best natural sources include green leafy vegetables, broccoli, citrus fruits, asparagus, all kinds of beans, okra and avocado.

We have already discussed what to eat while pregnant but liquids are just as crucial for your health and for the wellbeing of your baby.

Many pregnant ladies suffer from constipation. In fact, it is one of the most commonly occurring and most difficult to deal with problems. This is why you need to increase the amount of water that you drink on a daily basis.

Always carry a water bottle around. Once you get in the habit of drinking more, you will actually find out that your body is demanding the hydration. Avoid carbonated drinks and soft drinks that contain large amounts of sugar. These have no nutritional value but they will result in needless weight accumulation.

The consumption of alcohol and coffee during pregnancy are two of the big no-nos. As difficult as it is to go without an aromatic cup of your morning beverage, try hard to avoid it during the nine months.

Some studies are ambiguous when it comes to the effect that caffeine has on the baby. Recent experiments claim that there is no connection between coffee-drinking and birth defects. Older studies, however, establish a link between coffee-drinking and a higher chance of miscarriage.

Pregnancy nutrition can be both pleasant and healthy. You will have to introduce minor changes to your diet plan, in order to make it better both for you and for your baby. Reliance on natural ingredients and fresh products is the best way to go. Once you get used to such foods, you will find yourself incapable of going back to your previous ways.