Pregnancy And Baby Tips

Have A Healthy Pregnancy

You’ve heard expressions like “you are what you eat” and “your body is a temple”. Well, during pregnancy, your body is a factory. Specifically, it’s making a new human being. It’s following the genetic data in the DNA - literally the blueprint plans from which to build a human - and using proteins and nutrients to form what will eventually be about six to ten pounds of infant human.

Your first stop in getting advice for how to have a healthy pregnancy should of course be your doctor. Don’t just rely on a web article to do it all, although we try our best. Note that we said ‘doctor’ here - not your mom or your co-workers. There are a lot of bizarre beliefs that people have about eating during pregnancy, and listening to a bunch of conflicting rumors out there will just confuse you.

A healthy pregnancy diet will basically consist of hearty, nourishing food and stay away from junk foods. Ideally, your healthy pregnancy diet will make allowances for these needs:

* About 1200-1500 mg calcium per day. Remember that calcium builds bones, and if your body lacks this it might draw calcium from your own system, which means your own bones and will increase the risk of osteoporosis. Either eat and drink lots of dairy products or have your doctor supply calcium supplements.

* About 60 grams of protein per day. This isn’t just for the baby’s body, but for the placenta, uterus, and breast tissue as well. It will also help your body make more blood and more amniotic fluid.

* About 60 mgs of iron per day. Too little iron will produce an anemic condition that leads to a host of other problems. In addition to iron-rich foods, such as leafy green vegetables, your doctor might prescribe an iron supplement as well.

* Vitamins. Generally your intake of vitamins will go up about 50% during pregnancy. This is especially true of the B vitamins. Here again, your doctor might prescribe a supplement.

Any healthy diet to follow during pregnancy is going to feature these nutritional elements. The myth is that women get irrational cravings during pregnancy. Actually, it’s that your body is going to have more appetite than normal, so of course you’ll be hungry more often and smelling a whiff of food passing by will be enough to make you hungry. Listening to your body cravings will help you determine if there’s something you’re not getting enough of. A sudden desire for fried chicken, for instance, might be an indicator that you’re not getting enough protein.

During your pregnancy, healthy eating, diet, exercise, and environment will doubtless be on your mind a lot. Of course, staying away from tobacco, alcohol, too much sugar or starch, or empty calories is a given. While you will of course be concerned about all of the weight you’re putting on, you should be focusing on the baby’s health and not how you’ll slim down afterwards. If you breastfeed after giving birth, your body will naturally burn those fat stores in making milk anyway. Also, your doctor will most likely recommend moderate exercise during this time.

Some of the nutritional requirements will be directed at not only your baby’s body, but the development of his or her brain as well. Elements and nutrients like iodine, folate, and taurine help with the formation of the brain. It may seem that these elements are particularly picky, but you have to remember that the human brain is the most complex and sophisticated three pounds of meat out of all of nature. It is naturally high maintenance, and it is only possible to form that due to the uniquely rich, varied, and plentiful diet we are able to provide for ourselves.

It is advised that you don’t skimp on maintenance of your body during pregnancy. Over seventy percent of the human body’s cells form during pregnancy, so this is a crucial time to watch what you’re doing. Here’s a video I’ve included to get you started with a healthy recipe during pregnancy;