Pregnancy and Healthy Eating: Essential Tips for Mother and Unborn Child

Pregnancy and healthy eating is not a well understood concept and many women make the mistake of thinking they have to eat for two during pregnancy. The calorific requirement during pregnancy is not much higher than for a normal active lifestyle. Pregnant women only need about fifteen percent more calories during pregnancy, however it is vital to understand the change in nutritional requirements.

Adequate protein intake is essential to maintain the health of the expectant mother and also ensure the healthy growth of the developing fetus. The protein requirement of pregnant women is about 60 grams per day which is only 10 grams more than non pregnant women require.

Most American women consume more protein than they actually require and will not need to modify their diet. For women who don't include enough protein in their diet, lean meats, poultry, and fish are excellent sources of protein. Beans, lentils, nuts, eggs, and cheese are also high-protein foods.

Care must be taken not to eat fish which can be high in mercury. Mercury can harm the development of an unborn babies nervous system. Certain fish species such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish and tuna can be high in mercury. Shrimp, salmon, pollock and catfish on the other hand are low in mercury.

Calcium is a mineral which most woman do not consume enough of. This normal deficiency needs to be addressed especially during pregnancy by consuming adequate quantities of milk, yogurt, and cheese. Adequate Vitamin D intake is necessary because it plays a major role in the body's absorption and use of calcium. If Calcium and Vitamin D intake is too low, suitable supplements may be necessary.

Blood volume increases during pregnancy which means the iron intake for pregnant women almost doubles. Since many women normally start their pregnancy with an iron deficiency they need to eat foods which are iron-rich such as red meat, fish, poultry, dark leafy green vegetables and eggs. The body does not absorb iron from eggs and vegetables very efficiently, although eating foods high in Vitamin C at the same time helps to increase the rate of absorption to a certain degree.

Eating foods which contain folate (Folic Acid) is essential during pregnancy because it plays an important role in fetal cell development. Unfortunately most women do not consume enough folate during pregnancy and need to include leafy dark-green vegetables, legumes, citrus fruits and juices, peanuts and whole grains to their diet as they are good sources of folic acid.

It is essential to maintain both the mother's and unborn baby's health during pregnancy and healthy eating is a sure way to guarantee this happens.