The Guide to a Healthy Diet While Pregnant

While it is not true that women need to eat for two when they are pregnant, there are some vitamins and minerals that a pregnant woman needs more of. In addition to this, there are quite a few foods that women should stay away from completely. If you want to know what the needs are of a pregnant woman as well as what could harm her or the baby, you should read this article.

Your doctor is your number one resource on information on eating right during your pregnancy. You should always consult him in regards to any advice you find before you take action. The Internet is unfortunately full of misleading information, but your doctor can help you to navigate through the garbage. Always trust your doctor, even if you believe things that he does not agree with. If you cannot do that, you should find a new physician. It is crucial that you can feel comfortable relying on what he has to say.

Your body needs a lot more protein, folic acid and iron when you are pregnant. Do what you can to increase your consumption of these nutrients. Protein is good for the growth of your baby and will keep your body from using your own reserves. Folic acid is essential for your baby’s brain development. It can prevent many disorders that affect newborns, so be sure that you get plenty of it in your diet. You can find it most commonly in grains like cereal and bread. Finally, iron is important for both you and the baby. The iron will keep you from becoming anemic, and it will help your body to transport vitamins and other nutrition to your baby through your blood.

There are some foods that can be very dangerous for pregnant women. You should definitely stay away from foods that have not been fully cooked. Some examples includes meats or eggs that are not well done. While most people can handle them without incident, it is far more dangerous for a pregnant woman and should definitely be avoided. You should also stay away from deli meats. Again, you likely never had a problem before, but pregnant women are at a higher risk of suffering from food poisoning. Do not give into the urge, just steer clear from these foods altogether.

Drink lots of water! You might not think about how important it is compared with what you eat, but it is actually even more important. Your baby needs a lot of fluid to surround it and even more to develop properly. To avoid dehydration you should drink about a gallon of water each day. If you have a hard time doing this, you should have a gallon of your own so that you can be sure that you get it in your system throughout the day.

Pregnant women do not need to eat a lot more than usual, but they do need more of certain vitamins. To ensure you are getting the proper nutrition, you should apply the tips above to your diet every day.