Many times you ask us what is it what can you eat or not during pregnancy, if there is any recommended food or if you have to make a special diet.
It is curious, but many of us and I mean both men and women, we start to worry about our food when we learn that we are going to be parents, something that on the other hand is a very good idea since soon we will have at home to someone who will depend on us for many years, but above all, it will be a stage of life that you will not want to miss for anything in the world.
But we talked about pregnancy feeding. The truth is that if you eat a healthy diet and you have Healthy habits, you practice some sport and maintain an active life, there are few changes that you will have to make, except medical prescription for some type of complication derived from pregnancy that does not have to occur either.
These are our recommendations.
Stay hydrated
Pregnancy will be a stress test, mental and physical, your skin will stretch to adapt to the new ways that your uterus will acquire, so it's important that you hydrate both outside, using moisturizers, and inside increasing normal water intake. We must go from 6 - 8 glasses a day to about 8-12 glasses. We know that drinking without thirst is not the best plan in the world, but we must make that little effort, our body will thank you.
We can take infusions without sugar, always in a moderate way, or skimmed milk to be able to reach that quota. We must of course avoid the intake of sugary drinks, they only provide us with empty calories that decompensate our diet, we should even minimize natural juices because their sugar content is high.
Calories, calories and more calories. What should i eat?
It seems that in recent times everything is measured in calories and has become the most fashionable unit of measure in the western hemisphere.
In general terms it is said that a pregnant woman should increase her daily intake by 300 kilocalories in the last six months of pregnancy as long as it does not look like any additional pathology, such as gestational diabetes that will require greater control of our diet, and that healthy habits and adequate physical activity continue to be maintained. This increase in calories should preferably come from healthy foods (a can of soda with sugar already contains more than 300Kcal and only provides sugar and no nutrients). These are our recommendations:
The extra calories that can be ingested it is necessary that they be through plant products (vegetables, vegetables, legumes and fruits). So it suits limit all those processed foods rich in simple sugars and fats, either because they are foods with unhealthy fats or because they produce very heavy digestions, such as industrial pastries, sausages, etc.
Recommended fatty foods: Olive oils, and sunflower oils, nuts, lean meats and white fish, egg yolk and avocado.
Fatty foods to limit: Blue fish, industrial pastries, dairy desserts, sausages, cold cuts and pates.
Fiber: During pregnancy it is recommended that fiber intake is not neglected since episodes of constipation are frequent. Vegetables, vegetables, tubers and fruits should be present in the pregnant woman's diet.
Protein: In Spain, protein intake is increased by itself with our usual diet. This data is not specific to pregnant women, but to all the population. Therefore, It is not necessary to make dietary considerations in this regard. Just remember that proteins are found in eggs, meat, fish and legumes.
What we should avoid
Moderate consumption:
Stimulating drinks (coffee, tea, infusions, energy drinks and soft drinks ...) as they are associated with harmful effects.
Avoid as much as possible (if we can reduce it to zero much better)
Tobacco: we should not smoke even without being in state, due to its various harmful effects. As an ex-smoker I can say that it is not easy, but it is not impossible. We must always remind ourselves that a cigarette less a day is a battle won and the more battles we win the closer we will be to win the war.
Alcohol: its adverse effects on pregnancy are more than proven.
Industrial pastries, sweets and sugary products: they only provide empty calories, with very low or no quality nutrients. Are those "false awards" that we give ourselves and that in the end they end up undermining our diet.
Sausages and cold cuts: we should always avoid them, not only because of their high fat content, but because they may contain toxoplasmosis.
Brazil nuts
Liver: has a high vitamin A content
Algae: high iodine content
Pike, shark and bluefin tuna: high in mercury and heavy metals and raw fish in general by listeria and anisakis.
Raw or undercooked meats: by toxoplasmosis
Unpasteurized cheeses: by toxoplasmosis
These are some recommendations and as you can see it is more to avoid certain foods rather than to see what we have to eat. Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, the variations in the diet should not be very significant and well, the ham, since they are only nine months.
Acknowledgments | Juan Carlos Montero
