Wondering what you should or should not be eating? Is your pre-natal vitamin is enough? This article will review pre-natal caloric intake, foods to avoid, healthy eating habits, and whole food supplementation.
To maintain a healthy pregnancy for Mom and baby, a woman needs to eat highly nutritious foods for optimal growth and development. Whole foods are foods that aren’t processed. Whole foods are grown in the ground, raised on a farm, or caught in the sea. Examples of whole foods are raw vegetables, protein (chicken, turkey, beef, and fish), legumes, fresh fruits, nuts, eggs, and whole grains. Pregnancy can be an interesting time in your life where a woman feels extra motivation to become healthier. This newfound motivation is your first feeling of “a mother’s instinct”. Take advantage of this feeling!
Here are a few guidelines to follow during your pregnancy:
Don’t skip breakfast. This is your most important meal of the day. Eggs are rich in omega-3 fats (good fats), vitamin E, and choline.[1]
Caloric intake should increase by about 300 calories per day.
Whenever possible, try to eat organic. Organic produce contains more vitamins and minerals in each food and contain less pesticide residue than non-organic sources.
Eat more raw vegetables and fruits.
Try to stay away from empty calories such as doughnuts, soda, bagels, dessert, chicken wings, french fries, etc. Most of these foods contain white flour, sugar, and/or trans fats. These ingredients can not only be harmful, but also add no nutritional value to you or the baby.
If you have a busy lifestyle, eat out a lot, and aren’t able to follow these guidelines, you may want to consider whole food supplements.
Other precautions should be made to ensure the health of the fetus. All pregnant women should avoid cigarette smoke, alcohol, recreational drugs, unpasteurized cheeses (brie, camembert, feta, blue veined cheeses), and raw fish or rare meat. Avoid eating shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish due to their higher containing mercury content. Tuna and salmon are much lower in mercury and are considered safe 1 to 2 times per week. If you are taking any prescription medications, speak to your doctor about the safety of the medication. Caffeine intake should be limited to 1 – 2 small cups of coffee per day. In recent studies, excessive caffeine intake has been linked to higher risk of miscarriage and low birth weight. Deli meats should be cooked till they’re steaming hot, to avoid listeria contamination. Pregnant women should also try to avoid artificial sweeteners. Saccharine (Sweet n Low) is the one that poses the most threat to the fetus because it is regarded as a weak carcinogen. Saccharine has also shown to cross the placenta and may affect fetal tissues. If you can’t live without artificial sweeteners, Sucralose (Splenda) is considered the safest, and Aspartame (Equal or NutraSweet) being second. These sweeteners have not shown to cross the placenta. As with any recommendation, limit intake to 1 – 2 servings per day. Lastly, if you own a cat, have someone else clean out the litter box, due to potential toxoplasmosis infection.[2]
Whole food supplements are the best quality supplements on the market. Not only are they natural and very safe, they can augment any nutritional program. How do you find a quality whole food supplement? On the label, it should say, “whole food supplement” and under the ingredients, should be words you recognize and can pronounce. For example you should see ingredients like, carrots, beets, broccoli, soy bean, wheat germ oil, flaxseed oil, etc. If the label reads, vitamin E (as alpha d tocopherol), you are looking at a synthetic vitamin. Synthetic vitamins are NOT whole food vitamins. This is a big difference. Synthetic vitamins only contain the ‘active ingredient’ of the vitamin and NOT the whole complex. Where do you get whole food vitamins? Buying supplements from your doctor’s office is the best option. Researching vitamin companies takes a lot of time if you don’t know what to look for. A reputable vitamin company will emphasize their supplements are organic, come from whole foods and are cold pressed (heating denatures the product).
Here are a few suggestions concerning supplementation:
Tuna Omega-3 Oil - provides vital omega-3 fatty acid DHA to support optimal brain and visual health. Several studies have shown taking fish oil supplements are associated with longer pregnancies and higher birth weight. What about the mercury exposure? A study by Consumerlab.com found no detectable levels of mercury in 20 different types of fish oil pills.
Iron - pregnant women need double their usual recommended daily dose of iron to grow and support the placenta, which is rich in blood vessels.
Folic Acid B12 - aids in proper neural tube formation, reducing the risk of birth defects, and supports proper nervous system development.
Calcium lactate - provides an easily absorbed form of calcium balanced with magnesium. Your body needs enough calcium available to produce a whole new skeletal system for your baby.
Multivitamin - because our soils have become so depleted in minerals, a multivitamin is a good idea in case you are unable to afford all organic type foods.[3]
Before starting any nutritional supplement program, it’s recommended to seek the advice from a health care professional.
1 Stipanuk, Martha H., Biochemical, Physiological, Molecular Aspects of Human Nutrition, 2nd ed, pg. 703, 704
2 Walker MD, Allan W., The Harvard Medical School Guide to healthy eating during pregnancy pg. 71 -98
3 www.standardprocess.com, Your Baby’s First Gift-Optimal Prenatal Nutrition