What a woman eats during her pregnancy directly affects the nourishment of her baby. Choosing food wisely during these days is of utter importance for the baby and the mother herself. If you are a mother-to-be, it’s high time you should start to follow a routine and choose vegetables and fruits which are full of nutrients.
Post pregnancy, the breastfeeding diet might not be as significant as the pregnancy diet but there are certain things to keep in mind during that stage also. Here let us discuss the importance of pregnancy and lactation diet for the proper nutriment of your baby.
What to Eat During Pregnancy?
A healthy pregnancy diet should be balanced and nutritious to cope up with all the changes that occur during pregnancy in a woman’s body. Balanced food includes the right amount of carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamin, minerals and water to have energy and nutrients for the baby to develop and grow properly. The calorie intake of a pregnant woman goes up a few hundred a day’s depending on her pre-pregnancy weight and other factors. A woman’s body absorbs more iron during pregnancy, hence consumption of more iron-based food is necessary to make sure that the mother and the baby have an adequate supply of oxygen.
Fruit and vegetables, starchy carbohydrate-rich foods are must needs. Consumption of fat should be kept on the check, it should not be more than 30 percent in the diet. Apart from that, calcium, fibre, zinc, iron should be an important component of pregnancy and lactation diet. Uncooked or partially cooked meat, raw eggs, mercury rich food, empty calorie food must be avoided at any cost for 9 months.
What to Eat During Breastfeeding Period?
This is a valid question for every breastfeeding mother whether the food they eat somehow affects their babies. Whether to avoid the food to which your baby has allergic reactions. But the good news is your body exactly knows how many nutrients to take up from the food regardless of what you eat. During breastfeeding also, you need to eat extra 500-600 calories a day and for that, you need to plan your diet. If you drink alcohol or caffeine, it might not directly affect your baby but you have to keep an eye on your newborn if he is irritable or not sleeping.
DocosaHexaenoic Acid (DHA) is an omega 3 fatty acid which you share with your baby through breast milk for your baby’s brain development. You can boost the DHA in your milk by eating the right kind of food.
There are plenty of other things you need to keep in mind to maintain a proper diet as a woman’s body is very vulnerable at this period and for that, you need expert’s advice. Nutriee is a hub of the best nutritionist in Delhi to give you the best consultation on pregnancy and lactation diet during pregnancy and post childbirth stage.
