What are the essential foods women need who are just starting their pregnancy?

Question

Keep in mind that I am referring to everyday meals, snacks, etc that one should never skip, in order to ensure a smooth pregnancy and also most beneficial for your child to be. Someone said that you can find these pills from the market which have been extracted from vegetables/fruits etc, and they fulfill ones complete daily needs...? Also, someone recommended fish oil capsules for omega 3 benefits for the child and mother during pregnancy and post as well. Can someone provide a checklist so that I can just follow that, or recommend a website where I may be able to find the best possible nutrition for my wife and child? Tks.

Answer 1

Pregnancy is a period of great physiological stress for the woman as she is nurturing a growing fetus in her body. It is time of increased nutritional needs, both to support the rapidly growing fetus and to allow for the changes occurring in the body. Throughout pregnancy, recommended intakes of many vitamins and minerals are higher than those recommended prior to pregnancy.
Fetal development is accompanied by many physiological, biochemical and hormonal changes occurring in the mother’s body which influence the need for various nutrients and the efficiency with which the body uses them. These changes include:
Increased basal metabolic rate: Due to fetal growth and development there is an increase in the metabolic rate by about 5 % in the first trimester reaching to as high as 12 % during later stages of pregnancy, which in turn calls for increased caloric requirement.
Gastric changes: There is altered gastric function during pregnancy. Nausea, vomiting and constipation are very common during pregnancy.
Hormonal changes: during pregnancy there is increased secretion of certain hormones like aldosterone, thyroxin, growth hormone and parathyroid hormone.
Altered kidney function: due to fetal and maternal during pregnancy, there is an increased production of various waste materials like creatinine, urea and other waste products.
Choose food wisely:
Since there is an increased requirement of all the nutrients during pregnancy, it is suggested to consume a well balanced diet. A woman's need for calories, protein, vitamins, minerals, and water all increase during pregnancy. With the exception of iron for many women, a careful selection of food can and should provide the additional calories and nutrients required. For healthy women, no special dietary supplements or foods are needed to ensure adequate nutrition. Your daily meals should consist of various food products from the different food groups, such as:
Milk and milk products: Dairy products provide numerous nutrients and are especially high in calcium and proteins. Calcium is essential in the formation of bones and teeth. If your intake isn’t sufficient, your baby can withdraw calcium from your bones, making you more at risk of developing osteoporosis later in life. If you don’t like to drink milk, try flavouring it with chocolate or a drop of vanilla or serving it chilled over ice. The other ways to enhance milk intake is to take milk products in place of milk as such. These include curd, cheese, butter, etc. One cup of curds contains the same amount of calcium as a cup of milk, so include it with snacks and meals or substitute plain curd for some of the mayonnaise in salad dressings. Another way to add milk to your diet is to choose pudding desserts.
Cereals grains, dals and other pulses: Protein, a major nutrient in this group, is necessary for growth of new cells and replacement of old ones.
Vegetables: Vegetables provide vitamins A and C among other vitamins, minerals and fibre, which can help relieve constipation. Foods rich in Vitamin C are citrus fruits, cabbage, potatoes, spinach, green beans and tomatoes. Eating foods rich in Vitamin C helps the body absorb the iron in foods. The body does not store Vitamin C, so these foods are needed daily.
Fruits: Fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, melons and berries are the best sources of Vitamin C. Deep yellow fruits like papaya and mango are good sources of Vitamin A. It is easy to eat three or more servings of fruit a day: juice or fresh fruit for breakfast, fresh or dried fruit for a snack, a fruit salad with lunch and a fruit dessert with dinner.
Meat, fish and poultry: This food group like cereals and pulses provide with proteins necessary for growth and development of the baby.

Answer 2

15 Pregnancy Power Foods Fortified Breakfast Cereal Dried Beans & Lentils Broccoli Nonfat Milk Bananas Lean Meat Cheese Oatmeal Eggs Leafy Greens Whole-Grain Bread Oranges Nuts & Nut Butters Soy Foods Dried Fruit

Answer 3

Congrats! It is great to observe your love towards your wife.

6AM: Milk
7AM: Water 2 tumblers
8AM: any solid healthy meal( u did not mention which part of the world you are)
11AM: a cup of fruits. If you are able get pomegranate it is very very good. one pomegranete a day will keep your wife out of acidity, vomitting sensation, nausia etc.& growth of the child will be fine.
2PM: lunch, more veg, less rice( i am south indian) & a good rasam
5.30PM: Health mix contains raagi, bajra, corn etc, ie rich in proteins, or oat meal etc or milk or atleast horlicks or fresh juices ( u need not stick to onething here, u can try all alternatively)

8PM: chappathis with good side dishes or any healthy tiffin.

if needed milk can be had before going to bed.

if your wife suffers from acidity ask her to chew 1 teaspoon of jeera, the juices should be consumed slowly, and can eat the jeera later. do not go for antacids which will not help for morethan 2 to 3 hrs.

Whatever the chart you come across you are advised to add more fruits and vegs.
All the best.

Answer 4

Nutrition during pregnancy doesnt effect the outcome of the child in any marked way. They've done a lot of studies on the matter. What DOES effect the baby is the mothers over all health and state of nutirtion BEFORE she gets and knows she's pregnant.

She'll use the most folic acid and b vitamins in the first 6 weeks of pregnancy, about the time she finds out she's pregnant. From then on the vitamins and minerals she needs she gets enough of from her prenatal (any one, even store brands) and her diet.

What is effected by her diet during pregnancy is her own body. Her baby will leech calcium from her teeth if it cant get it elsewhere- so the goal is for her to eat well and enough for her own body to have some left over. She gets this from a regular healthy diet, 300 extra calories at most, and her prenatal.

You can actually google it. Unless she's in some 3rd world non industrialized nation, like etheopia her diet when pregnant will not effect the baby.

Taking extra vitamins and suppliments when pregnant is not encouraged unless its under close direction from a doctor. Too much of a good thing is not better- its deadly. To both her and baby.

Answer 5

I had great luck taking Rainbow Light brand Complete Prenatal System vitamins, two of them three times a day. It seems like a lot, but it was so worth it. They compensated for what my diet might have been lacking. I felt better, and gave birth to a healthy (and BIG, almost 9 pound) baby boy in October. I was also told to concentrate on proteins, lots of lean meats, eggs, etc. And no matter what, make sure you are getting your folic acid! Hope this helps! And congratulations!

Answer 6

prenatal vitamins are a must! they will provide you with the vitamins and minerals you might miss out on in your diet. i also take a folic acid supplement since it is important. folic acid can be found in many fruits and veggies so load up on things like broccoli, oranges. you'll want to up your milk products if you're not getting enough (4 servings a day). protein is also important so lots of meat, peanut butter, nuts, etc.
basically just eat as healthy as you can now that you have a little one inside :)
hope this helps!

Answer 7

Wheni had my two children ..i concentrated on milk and a lot of yogurts........along with salads,fresh fish and a simple diet with proteins too..........no pills ........fresh foods are best in reasonable quantiesnever think you must eat for two be happy and occupied.....my children were born in singapore,when i gave birth they gave me a light diet a piece of chicken some mashed potato and a slice of papaya.........i was hungry but thats how you ought to regulate the diet ............never overeat

Answer 8

The Brewer diet is the best. I gained only 20 pounds but had short labors and healthy babies.

Answer 9

Take milk daily, leafy vegetables,egg,fruit salad.

Answer 10

milk, eggs, bread in morning. yoghurt, rice, chapati (wheat) -prefer whole wheat, green vegetables and juice during lunch and breakfast. dont forget daily intake of milk, yoghurt and fruits.