Nutrition Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy
What you eat during pregnancy is important for the development of your baby and for their future health. Improper nutrition can affect your birth plan and potentially put your baby at risk for different diseases later on in life. To help you prepare, here are some of our top nutrition tips to support a healthy pregnancy!
Please keep in mind that all advice given here is generalized, and you should speak with your healthcare provider about your nutrition plan.
During your first trimester, you should begin by eating the same amount that you ate before pregnancy, but as time progresses, so should your caloric intake. In your second trimester, you should shoot for around 340 extra calories and around 500 extra calories in the third trimester.
As you increase your calorie intake, it is vital to increase them with the proper foods that will fuel your body and help it support your growing baby. Many women do not get enough iron, folate, calcium, vitamin D, or protein even before pregnancy. When you are pregnant, you will want to increase the amounts of food you eat that is filled with these nutrients!
Taking prenatal vitamins is always a great place to start. Prenatal vitamins are important because during pregnancy you need more folic acid to support the baby. These vitamins can help fill in those gaps. Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects, which are serious abnormalities of the fetal brain and spinal cord. If you are trying to become pregnant soon, it is recommended that you start taking prenatal vitamins at least three months before!
Now that you have started your prenatal vitamins, the next step is to fuel your body with the right foods! Some of these important food groups include:
- Protein
- You should strive to take in around 70 grams of protein a day. You can find this in chicken, fish, beef, pork, turkey, tofu, and nuts.
- Carbohydrates
- Carbohydrates are the major source of energy for your growing body. Healthy carbs include quinoa, oats, and brown rice.
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin D has loads of health benefits for you, but it is also necessary to help your baby’s bones, teeth, kidneys, heart, and nervous system to develop. You can find Vitamin D in milk, yogurt, mushrooms, and fatty fish as well as by getting healthy amounts of sunlight on your skin.
- Iron
- During pregnancy, your body needs about double the amount of iron than normal since it is also supplying oxygen to your baby. Look for iron in red meat, fish, poultry, and dried fruits.
Every person will require different nutrients to help them have a smooth pregnancy. You should ask your primary care provider before taking any supplements to make sure they are right for you! If you are newly pregnant and ready to start your prenatal care, send us a message!