You must change your previous lifestyle and adapt to the new situation. It should be remembered that we plan to feed two organisms, whose need for energy and “building” materials will increase.
Proper nutrition will help you maintain optimal health and ensure proper development of your child.
Basic rules of nutrition
Rule 1: Eat regular and varied meals
- During the day, you should eat 4 to 5 times.
- Each meal should be grains eg. pastries made of flour coarse, cereals, pasta, rice, granola or cereal (source of dietary fiber, B vitamins, iron, manganese, selenium).
- Suitable dairy products: fresh milk (avoid UHT), cream, natural yoghurts, dairy products (provide amino acids, are a source of acidophilus bacteria and of lactose required for the development of proper bacterial flora in the gut).
- Daily eat a variety of dishes from meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits.
- Eat vegetable fats-daily at least one tablespoon of different oils: from flax, olives, grape seeds, rapeseed, sunflower, etc.
- It is advisable to avoid strong stimulants: cigarettes and alcohol (of course), strong black natural coffee, black tea.
- You should avoid carbonated drinks and sweets (those that contain artificial preservatives, colors and flavors). When thirsty-drink mineral still water, natural fresh fruit and vegetable juices, herbal tea, fruit tea, green tea and coffee substitutes.
- Avoid very flavorful and spicy spices and foods.
Rule 2: Always start the day with breakfast
Lack of breakfast is the cause of low blood glucose levels, which can lead to dizziness or fainting. Therefore, breakfast will give you and your child strength for the whole day.
For breakfast, you can eat milk soup with oatmeal, dried fruit. Eggs in any form and dairy products are advisable. It is also often necessary to eat fish for breakfast in combination with dairy products.
Rule 3: Remember the supplements
A deficit is bad, but too much can be even worse.
Main supplements
Folic Acid
Very important from the moment of fertilization itself. Its deficiency causes defects in the child’s neural tube (anencephaly, spina bifida, spinal hernia). These defects occur in the first 3-4 weeks of intrauterine life, when a woman does not know that conception has occurred. The lack of folic acid in the mother’s body can cause miscarriages or other dangerous complications.
Most folic acid is found in: liver, eggs, baked goods made from coarse flour, fruits (e.g. bananas), green vegetables (e.g. Brussels sprouts, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, in smaller amounts in lettuce, cucumbers and peppers).
Iron
Iron deficiency in children is common. It is iron deficiency that is most often the cause of anemia.
It is recommended to give iron supplements to infants, but it is the one that is contained in food or in the form of supplements. Anemia in a pregnant woman increases the risk of anemia in a child by 2 times compared to the children of those mothers who did not have anemia.
Iron exists in two forms:
- The form that is absorbed better – in animal products, for example: red meat or in the liver.
- The form that is absorbed worse – in products of vegetable origin, for example: nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, baking from coarse flour.
Iron deficiency leads to anemia, which affects many women during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester. IYTHealth states: it is necessary to take care of supplementation with iron and vitamin C before pregnancy. You need to pay attention to supplementation with a dose of iron 6-8 mg. You should be careful, because too much iron is bad for our intestines, especially for the bacterial flora (black stools can appear (feces), and even blood in the feces).
Magnesium
Lack of magnesium during pregnancy leads to pathological conditions.
Lack of magnesium leads to premature birth and the birth of children with too little weight, i.e. children who are hypotrophic. It is also the main cause of cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, metabolic disorders and complications during pregnancy.
Expectant mothers should take 300 mg of magnesium daily during pregnancy.
Magnesium deficiency in the body is also caused by prolonged stressful situations, taking natural coffee, alcohol and also eating a large number of sweets. Even those people who are convinced that they lead a healthy lifestyle are subject to an obvious or hidden lack of magnesium.
Calcium
Calcium belongs to the group of basic “building materials” necessary for our body. It is mainly found in the bones, but approximately 5% of calcium is a very important element that affects the maintenance of metabolic balance.
Calcium is necessary for the child to build bones, for the proper development of muscles, heart and nervous system.
If you are expecting a baby, then remember that a lack of calcium has an adverse effect on the development of the fetus. At birth, the child may be underweight, prone to rickets, and may also have developmental defects.
Ideal for supplementing magnesium and calcium in the body of the expectant mother are preparations in the proportion of 2/1 or 3/2 calcium to magnesium. A good combination is alfalfa seed (extract from alfalfa). It should be remembered that synergistically in the processes acts supplementation with omega 3 acids.
Omega 3
The use of omega 3 acids is necessary for a child to be born healthy, and in life smart. The presence of these acids affects the proper development of the child’s body, especially the nervous system. Only then can the child’s intelligence develop properly and all the senses function properly. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is particularly important for the proper development of the brain and vision. Already from the fourth month of pregnancy, DHA is embedded in the retina of the child’s eye and is involved in the conversion of light signals into nerve impulses that are transmitted to the brain. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are divided into two groups: omega 3 and omega 6. Both groups of acids are necessary for humans, but omega 3 acids play a special role in human development. These include ALA (alpha-lipoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).
The recommended daily allowance is 2 g of ALA, and long-chain DHA and EPA-0.25 g.
The only source of DHA for a child is his own mother. However, the body of a pregnant woman can not independently produce enough DHA. The daily requirement for DHA increases fourfold during pregnancy. It transmits DHA to the baby first through the placenta, and then with breast-feeding milk. Supplementation from the third month of pregnancy helps the mother to create an adequate supply of DHA, which the child will use in the second half of pregnancy and when breastfeeding. The expectant mother has two options to choose from: get DHA from plants or from fish. Fish don’t produce Omega-3s. The omega-3 in fish comes from the algae that the fish eats. Therefore, it is important that the fish is marine, for example-mackerel, salmon, cod, tuna, herring. In the scientific literature, attention is drawn to the possible presence of toxic compounds, including heavy metals in fish and fish products. Therefore, pregnant women and children under four years of age should eat fish and fish products carefully. Choose only those that are not farmed and do not contain heavy metals. If you do not know where exactly the fish comes from, then it is better to take omega-3 supplementation instead of fish.
Lecithin
Lecithin is a mixture of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol phosphatides derived from vegetable oils or egg yolks. Phospholipids are found in all cells and are part of cell membranes. They are involved in the metabolism of lipoproteins.
Indications for lecithin supplementation:
- Degenerative processes of the nervous system (most lecithin is found in the membranes and intracellular structures of neurons).
- With increased mental and physical exertion, reduced concentration, memory impairment.
Lecithin is a precursor of acetylcholine-a neurotransmitter that affects the expansion of blood vessels, lowering blood pressure, weakening the heart rate, strengthening the smooth muscles of the bronchi, intestines and bladder, increasing the secretion of glands. Lecithin protects a person from steatosis of the liver, kidneys and heart muscle. Regular supplementation with lecithin improves the lipid profile, which reduces the risk of heart attack.
In the first trimester of pregnancy, most expectant mothers are concerned about nausea in the morning and vomiting. Usually by the 4th month of pregnancy, this passes.
To make it easier to get through this period, follow a few basic rules:
1.Before you get out of bed, drink one acerola (30 mg of vitamin C) and eat a snack prepared in the evening: a tablespoon of muesli with yogurt or fruit (not necessarily something from citrus).
- During the day, eat often, but in small portions.
- Drink at least 2 liters of liquid a day.
When you feel bad you need to:
- drink very slowly, in small sips, not carbonated water
- you can eat a few pieces of almonds (in advance, you need to pour boiling water over the almonds and peel them), some of this helps.
Remember that the future mother’s refrigerator should be full of different food in small quantities. The more varied your diet, the lower the risk of eating mistakes.