I can certainly say, when I got pregnant with my oldest, I thought pregnancy was a free ticket to pig out and live on junk food, but I quickly learned through my reading, that is not the case at all!! Another misconception of pregnancy nutrition is that Mom should be eating for two, nope! Not at all. But one of the most swept under the rug, neglected, and black listed parts of pregnancy is nutrition.
We do not see Obstetric models of care including nutrition counciling, or really taking the time to say skip on this, or add that. You get a sheet of things not to eat and most are sent on their way. Which is one of the reasons I am intrigued to write about this.
According to The March of Dimes, women should be including the following into their diet on a daily basis :
- 6 Ounces of Grains Per Day
- Slice of wheat bread
- Wheat Tortilla (6 inches)
- 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta
- 1 cup of cereal
- 1 large pancake (about 4 1/2 inches)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fruits per day
- 1/2 cup of 100% fruit juice (be careful of the amount of sugar in fruit juices)
- 16 Grapes
- 1/4 cup of dried fruit
- 1/2 of fresh, canned or frozen fruit (My best pick would be fresh fruit since you often do not know what canned products are being preserved with)
- 2 1/2 Cups of Vegetables per day
- 1 Cup raw or cooked veggies
- 1 Baked Potato (skip or go light on the butter, sour cream, or bacon)
- 2 Cups of raw leafy greens
- 1 Cup veggie juice
- 400 Micrograms of Folic Acid
- Most likely found in your pre natal vitamin
- 5-5 1/2 ounces of Protein per day
- 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter
- 1 ounce of lean meat
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of nuts
- 1/4 cup of cooked dried beans
- 3 cups of Milk products per day
- 1 Cup Milk
- 2 ounces of processed cheese
- 1 Cup yogurt
- 1 1/2 ounces natural cheese
It really doesn’t sound like a lot of work does it?
We know the typical things to avoid… soda, sugar, caffeine, raw fish, unpasteurized foods, and make sure to keep your water intake up. This was a big one for me in both of my pregnancies. 6 to 8 glasses of water a day! That is what I hated most of all and often got dehydrated. Which is something you want to avoid!
Remember, everything you eat, so is your baby!
You want to give your baby the best start at life, so just be picky and careful for your pregnancy.
It will pay off in the end!
About those “eating for two” myths…I’d like to see a pregnancy eating plan that acknowledges you only need 100 extra calories during the first trimester, and you won’t really have the room or the inclination to eat this way during the last few weeks. I like to focus on food groups and nutrients to include, rather than counting servings.
Dietary sources of Folic Acid: leafy greens, carrots, citrus, liver, nutritional/brewer’s yeast, legumes (lentils & beans), avocados, whole grains (especially rye), asparagus, egg yolks, cantaloupe, apricots & pumpkins.
The MOD and Brewer diets appear to be balanced, and they are certainly an improvement over junk food. But they are missing essential fatty acids and are somewhat mineral-depleting. And what do women with food allergies do with a list like this?
My son was born at home with a CPM in 2008, and my midwife was huge on nutrition. She had 2 rules: dont eat anything you wouldn’t be proud to feed a 2 year old (i.e. soda, cakes, chips, etc…), and in every meal include a whole grain, a fruit or veggie and a low-fat protein. I am obese and despite having no problems with blood sugar or blood pressure, would have been considered high risk by most OBs, but with my wise midwifes simple advice, I beat the odds and was very healthy throughout my pregnancy.