This is an easy way for you to learn how to eat optimally during pregnancy
Pregnancy is arguably one of the most exciting times in life. This also applies to nutrition, because many questions suddenly arise here. What foods do you unintentionally harm your child with? Is a little red wine in the sauce okay? And why is there this annoying nausea? If you practiced a balanced diet before pregnancy, ate a lot of fruit and vegetables and largely avoided stimulants, you don’t have to change much even with a baby in your stomach. Yet most of us do not have a perfect way of life.
We try to eat healthily, but with the small eating sins and habits like energy drinks, the cigarette after dinner or the party at the weekend with alcohol, we make a spanner in the works for ourselves the bill.
Of course, that’s no longer possible when you’re pregnant! We have the most important tips about nutrition and lifestyle.
Public toxins during pregnancy
You should definitely refrain from smoking, even a cigarette after a meal is harmful. Although it was previously said that if you stop smoking during pregnancy, your child would suffer withdrawal, more recent research has shown that it is better not to do it at all. Especially if you are planning to get pregnant. However, some children simply surprise their parents, and in such a case one should stop as soon as possible. Drinking alcohol is also taboo because it is detrimental to a child’s development and can affect their brain. There are many delicious recipes in which alcohol is overcooked.
Despite the heating, there is always a certain residual alcohol in the sauce or the food. It’s better not to do that!
Care should also be taken with cakes, because sponge cakes in particular often contain alcohol that is not even declared. The following applies here: Better keep your hands off. However, coffee in moderate amounts – according to the latest findings, ideally only one cup a day – is permitted.
The tiresome topic of nausea
As soon as you know that you are pregnant, the nausea starts. Extreme sensitivity to odors and morning sickness, which is often accompanied by vomiting, make life miserable for pregnant women, especially in the first three months. It is rare for women to suffer from these symptoms for the entire pregnancy. Why this is actually the case is still a mystery to scientists. The nausea is believed to protect the fetus from “wrong” foods. Women are often sensitive to foods and substances that could harm the child. In addition, it has been found that a pronounced nausea is related to one. That’s at least a small consolation if you’re so tired of eating.
Eat for two? It’s the quantity that counts
Once the nausea is over, some pregnant women have a particularly large appetite. Others think they have to eat for two because the baby in their womb needs nutrients too. It is true, however, that there is only a small, additional need for calories.
However, the need for nutrients, vitamins and trace elements increases significantly.
It is therefore not important that you eat more, but that you eat as balanced a diet as possible and take in particularly important substances in addition. You can discuss this with your doctor, who can assess the nutritional requirements quite well by examining the blood and the progress of the pregnancy. Too high a birth weight in the child, which is favored by excessive calorie intake, can later lead to obesity and diabetes. So it’s better to consume only a moderate amount of calories!
These nutrients are particularly important now
While only about 10% more energy is needed in the last trimester of pregnancy, there is an increased need for folic acid, iodine and iron right from the start. A balanced diet with lots of fruit, fatty sea fish and lean meat should also be able to cover the increased need. You can fill up with vitamin supplements if needed, but these are not a substitute for conscious eating.
A pregnant woman should definitely avoid these foods!
Some delicious things that you ate as a matter of course before pregnancy should be avoided if you are out and about as a couple. They may contain substances that are harmful to the unborn child. These include particularly raw or undercooked meats, certain cheeses like Parmesan, mozzarella, and blue cheese, and treats like liquorice.
If you want, you can keep track of things more easily.
Ready-made salads, on whose large cut surfaces bacteria can multiply at breakneck speed, should also be avoided. In general, opened packs must be emptied as soon as possible. Greater attention must also be paid to hygiene. Fruit and vegetables should be washed particularly thoroughly and raw eggs or meat should not be placed on the worktop.
This tip helps when shopping
Basically, every pregnant woman can follow the recommendations that apply to a balanced diet anyway. That means eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and high-quality dairy products. However, doctors advise against a purely plant-based diet.
There is a trick when shopping that can have a very positive effect on the health of mother and child: If the pregnant woman prefers organic products and avoids heavily processed foods, then she is doing something good for herself and the child. Author: Susanne Z, 35, has two children aged 8 and 6 and suffered from severe nausea during both pregnancies. She is currently studying to become a nutritionist.
