What to eat during Pregnancy

In my earlier article I wrote about what foods are to be avoided during pregnancy . But I am sure many women also worry about what to eat during Pregnancy. So here is an entire list of what to eat during Pregnancy and the nutrition these foods provide. Read on.

What to eat during pregnancy

1] Folic Acid –

This super nutrient helps you sail smoothly through your pregnancy phase.

# Benefits to Baby – During the first 3 -4 weeks of pregnancy, the baby is at a risk of developing birth defects and brain and spinal cord defects. Folic acids benefit the baby by minimizing these risks.

# Benefits to the Mother – Folic acids helps in sustaining the pregnancy and reduces the risks of miscarriage and development of Anaemia in the expectant mother.

# RDA during Pregnancy: 600 micrograms (mcg)

# Best Food Sources – Here is a list of what to eat during pregnancy to get folic acid.

Lentils

Asparagus

Spinach

Black beans

White enriched rice

Kidney beans

Broccoli

Turnip greens

Orange juice

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2] Iron –

Iron is the most sensitive nutrient during pregnancy. Most women start pregnancy with already low stores of iron in blood and its harder for them to keep up with the increasing needs of this nutrient. Supplementation is hence necessary to meet the growing demand of increasing blood volume.

# Benefits to Baby –  Helps the baby to reach full term growth, reducing the risks of premature birth.

# Benefits to Mother: Keeps you healthy and energetic and reduces the risks of developing anaemia.

# RDA during Pregnancy:  27 mg; don’t exceed 45 mg

# Best food Sources- Here is a list of What to eat during Pregnancy to get Iron .

Whole Grain

Beef

Spinach

Lamb

Soybean

Kidney beans

Lentils

Olives

Sesame seeds

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3 ] Calcium –

Calcium is an important nutrient of metabolism. It forms the basis for bone formation

# Benefits to Baby – Formation of bones and teeth

# Benefits to Mother : Calcium protects you against high blood pressure problems and helps in replacing your depleted  bone calcium and protects and improves your bone density.

# RDA during pregnancy: 1,000 milligrams (mg)

# Best food sources: – Here is a list of What to eat during Pregnancy to get Calcium.

Milk

Cheese

Yogurt

Tofu

Sesame seeds

Ragi

Sardines and other fishes

Spinach

Turnip and Bean Greens

4]  Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) –

DHA is an important nutrient that is involved in brain function.

# Benefits to Baby: DHA helps in proper brain development. Deficiencies of DHA are related to cognitive impairment or slower neurological development.

# Benefits to Mother: It helps in protection against cardiovascular diseases and Parkinson’s disease in the later years . 

# RDA during Pregnancy: 300 mg

Best Food Sources: Here is a list of what to eat during pregnancy to get DHA.

Salmon

Tuna

Cat  Fish

Blue Crab

Walnuts

Flax seeds

Tofu

Almonds

Winter Squash

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5] Zinc –

This nutrient can help our immunity, vision, skin health and reproduction.

# Benefits to Baby: Development of brain, sensory organs and immunity.

# Benefits to Mother : Co – factor in various metabolic process, keeps immunity and health intact

# RDA During Pregnancy: 11 mg

# Best Food Sources: Here is a list of What to eat during Pregnancy to get Zinc.

Beef

Lamb

Sesame Seeds

Lentils

Cashew

Quinoa

Yogurt

Oysters

Crab

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6] Riboflavin–

Is needed for better utilization of the increased calories you eat.

# RDA during Pregnancy: 1.4 mg

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7] Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) –

It helps in general metabolism, liver detoxification and brain  health. It also improves immunity.

# RDA during Pregnancy: 1.9 mg

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8] Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) –

It helps in better utilization of energy and protein. But the major function is the formation DNA. Brain and nervous system health depends on B12 levels. This is exclusively found in animal sources.

# RDA during Pregnancy: 2.6 mcg

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9] Vitamin C –

It helps in the absorption of iron and other nutrients. Improves immunity, and helps in detoxifying.

# RDA during Pregnancy: 85 mg

# Best Food Sources: 

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10 ] Vitamin D –

It helps in better absorption of calcium by bones and teeth, improves immunity and also helps in maintaining normal blood sugar levels.

#RDA during Pregnancy: 600 international units (IU);

 

You may be also  interested in reading –

– What foods to avoid in Pregnancy

– Indian diet plan for pregnancy

– How to gain less weight during pregnancy

Now you know what to eat during pregnancy. Enjoy eating and have a happy pregnancy.

 

 

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