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Steps To Take While Pregnant

Eating Healthy Food

To Take While Pregnant

An expecting mother should eat healthy and nutritious food during and after pregnancy. She should follow a well–balanced diet that has sufficient requirements of proteins, minerals, calcium, iron and vitamins and is easily digestible. While doing this one should take care of excessive calories which can lead to permanent obesity.

Generally, most of the mothers–to–be in India are given high calorie food like wheat flour with lots of dry fruits and desi–ghee. There is a concept and belief that the mother must eat food for two, which is all wrong. Ideally she should increase her daily calorie intake by another 300 calories. (The calorie intake should be about 2200–2500 calories) She should also increase milk intake to about 600 ml a day along with dal, fish, meat, eggs and plenty of fresh fruits and green vegetables in her diet.

Food.	Food You Need Extra.	Calories (kcal).
Milk.	100 gram.	83
Pulses.	15 gram.	52
Cereals.	35 gram.	118
Sugar.	10 gram.	40
Fat.	-	-
Total.	-	293

Weight should be watched closely during pregnancy. The normal weight gained by a woman during her pregnancy is accepted as being about 10 kg or about 22 pounds. This may differ from women to women and the maturity of the baby. It may be roughly as 10 per cent at the tenth week, 20 per cent at the twentieth week, 30 per cent at the thirtieth week and 40 per cent at term. If the mother’s weight fails to increase there is risk that the baby will be small in size or there is the risk of intrauterine death. If she gains excessive weight there is a risk of developing toxemia in pregnancy and also obesity with its complications after pregnancy.

Dietetic iron is not sufficient to meet the daily requirement especially in the second half of pregnancy hence supplementary iron is given to all pregnant mothers from 20 weeks onwards. Your physician will prescribe whatever is required. (The requirement increases by about 20 mg/day). If any essential vitamins are lacking in the food, they are given daily from the 20th week onwards.

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