Nutrition in Pregnancy

GENERAL INFORMATION:

1.Eat foods as FRESH and raw as possible to obtain maximum nutrients. Foods begin to loose their nutrients as soon as they are plucked from the garden. The closer you are to eating food, from the time picked, the more nutrition you will get. This is especially true of green foods. If you have access to a farmers market and know how the food was raised you can get the best nutrition.

2.Be sure to drink 8 to 10 glasses of unchlorinated water daily (there are a couple of new studies that indicate an increase in miscarriages for women who drink clorinated water).

3.Try to use unsaturated fats - olive oil is GREAT. Limit fried foods, butter or cream based sauces.

4.Limit (or omit) refined sugar and flour. You will get more nutrients. See if you can find other sweeteners than white sugar.

5.Eat small frequent meals(every 2-3 hours apart). This helps maintain a more stable blood sugar(which may reduce nausea in pregnancy).

PROTEIN

1.Daily intake should be 60-70mg. Try to have a little every time you eat.

2.Eat your protein food with a complex carbohydrate (sweet potato, brown rice, whole grain bread etc.). This enhances assimilation of nutrients from each food.

3.If you are having twins you need more protein [80-100mg]. More babies growing = more protein!

4.Try to eat at least 60% of your protein from non meat sources. Especially avoid red meat. This will be much easier on your kidney function which sometimes is stressed during pregnancy.

FRUITS & VEGGIES

1. Eat a total of 8 servings of these every day. This includes any mentioned in other sections.

2. Eat 1-2 root veggies most days. They are reservoirs of minerals needed for cell function, growth and repair.

FOLIC ACID

1.RDA is 800mcg daily. Ideally this is a focus before pregnancy - if not then make sure of your intake as soon as you are aware of the need. Deficiencies in this nutrient are associated with babies who have spinal malformations.

2.Food is always the best source for nutrients. Your body absorbs much more from it than from supplements. Folic Acid is present in prenatal vitamins. But try to eat about 2 cups [equals 2 servings] of shredded dark green lettuces (not iceberg).

VITAMIN C

1.Have at least one serving every day

2.Eat it with an iron food source to help improve the iron absorbtion.

IRON

1. The highest concentrations of iron are in meat. Liver is often recommended as the most dense in iron. But, it filters toxins from the animal. Heart may be a better chooice.

2. Plant sources are just as useful for getting this nutrient. Dulse and Kelp are very iron rich and may be easily added to soups, salads and casseroles.

3. If you choose a vegetarian focus be sure to monitor accurately for a couple weeks so you are sure of your intake. The volume of food necessary to get this amount of iron is higher for vegetarians.