Pregnancy and Nutritional Info
Every pregnant woman must have extra info on the nutritional qualities of various vitamins and minerals. Let's learn some vital stuff about nutrition here:-
Calcium
Once pregnant, you have to think of your baby's bones and muscles too. And if you do not take enough calcium during pregnancy, you may be at a risk of developing osteoporosis since the baby will use the calcium from your body for its development, leaving you with poor bone mass. And don't think you can take care of your baby properly what with your body having weak and brittle bones that can crack easily!
Amount Of Calcium Per Day
For pregnant or breastfeeding women over 18 years of age, the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (USRDA) is 1000 mg per day. For teenage girls, the USRDA for calcium is 1300 mg per day.
Here are some tips for great calcium intake:
• Have a minimum of four servings of dairy foods and other calcium-rich foods every day.
• Include milk, cheese, cream soups, pudding, and yogurt in your diet. These are rich in calcium.
• Have lots of green vegetables, especially spinach, broccoli, and greens, dried peas and beans, and seafood.
• Vitamin D helps your body utilize the calcium. Have plenty of sunlight and drink fortified milk for vitamin D.
Iron
Iron is in hemoglobin, which is present in your blood and carries oxygen to all the parts of your body, including muscles. Iron boosts your resistance to diseases and stress. The good thing is that your body assimilates iron greatly during pregnancy. Increase your iron intake to ensure that you and your baby are not deprived of oxygen. Besides this, if you want to stay away from weakness, fatigue, irritability, and depression, go for iron.
Amount Of Iron Per Day
As per URSDA, your daily iron intake should be 27 mg per day during pregnancy and 15 mg per day while breastfeeding.
Some more tips for good iron intake are:
• Consume a minimum of three servings of foods rich in iron everyday.
• Eating a highly fortified cereal for breakfast is the best way to get sufficient iron.
• Enriched grain products and green leafy vegetables are full of iron.
• You have many choices to get your iron from - lima beans, sweet potatoes, dry beans and peas, soybeans, lentils; fruits like apricots, berries, grapes, oranges, watermelon, plums; dried fruits like raisins and prunes; peanuts, molasses, pumpkin, enriched rice and pasta, and soft pretzels.
• See that you take enough vitamin C to fulfill your iron requirements because VITAMIN C HELPS IN THE ABSORPTION OF IRON.
• Watch your cooking methods. Some foods lose iron when cooked. The best way to retain iron is to cook food in the minimum quantity of water and in as less time as possible.
• Using cast iron pots for cooking adds iron to food.
Remember, THE INTAKE OF IRON IS NOT EQUAL TO ITS ABSORPTION.
FOLIC ACID
Folic acid is very important. It minimizes the risk of delivering a baby with neural tube birth defects related to the spinal cord and brain. Do you know about spina bifida? It is a condition in which the spine of your baby is not closed and the nerves remain exposed. These later get damaged leading to incontinence, paralysis, and even mental retardation.
Don't think you can make up for folic acid in the last months of pregnancy. Neural tube defects are prone to occurring in the first month of pregnancy. Hurry! Grab folic acid sources now!
Amount Of Folic Acid Per Day
According to the U.S. Public Health Service, all women who have attained childbearing age should take 400 micrograms of folic acid per day. FDA has made it mandatory for all flour products like buns, breads, and bagels to be fortified with additional folic acid. This is because about 50 percent of the pregnancies are unplanned.
It has been found that taking a higher dose of folic acid (up to 4000 micrograms) a month before pregnancy and during your first trimester is very helpful. But this is only possible in planned pregnancies.
If you already have a child with a neural tube defect, talk to your doctor about the right dose of folic acid before getting pregnant. Folic acid is found naturally in green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, citrus fruits, and several fortified breakfast cereals.