What should one eat during pregnancy?

 

What should one eat during pregnancy?

A healthy diet during pregnancy can enhance the well-being of the mother and baby in umpteen ways. Fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat & dairy products, leafy greens, dried fruits, legumes, and whole grains are recommended for proper fetal growth and development. Along with a super-nutritious diet it is also advised to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.

Fruits include berries like acai berries, strawberries, raspberries, goji berries, and blueberries. These berries contain fibre, water, healthy carbs, Vitamin C, and antioxidants that keep blood sugar levels balanced. Other important fruits to be consumed during pregnancy are

Oranges:

Water, vitamin C, and folates in oranges play a major role in keeping pregnant women hydrated and energised. Folate can prevent brain and spinal cord abnormalities in babies.

Avocados:

The monosaturated fatty acids in avocados help in preventing neural tube defects and the potassium in the fruit can prevent leg cramps from occurring frequently.

Apricots:

Apricots are rich in iron, calcium, beta-carotene, silicon, and other nutrients that aid in a baby’s growth and development. The iron content can prevent anaemia while calcium helps in building strong bones and teeth.

Grapes:

The antioxidants like linalool, tannin, flavanol, geraniol, and anthocyanin in grapes boost immunity, besides preventing pregnancy-related infections.

Tomatoes:

The vitamin C, iron, and antioxidants in tomatoes help in protection against cell destruction at some point during pregnancy.

Vegetables and leafy greens play a significant role in pregnancy nourishment. They provide the required calcium and folate with other nutrients like iron, manganese, fibre, potassium, and other important nutrients. Some best vegetables and leafy greens to consume are as follows:

Pumpkins:

Pumpkins are excellent sources of proteins, calcium, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins A, B1, B2, & C, iron, and phosphorus. They are beneficial in reducing abdominal cramps during pregnancy.

Sweet Potatoes:

The dietary fibre in sweet potatoes helps in fighting constipation during pregnancy and vitamin B6 helps in reducing the count of red blood cells in the fetus.

Beetroots:

Beetroots assist in removing toxins from the body, thereby paving way for a fit pregnancy. They also can protect the fetus from approaching birth defects.

Green and leafy vegetables like broccoli, spinach, summer squash, kale, collards, asparagus, turnips, and cabbage are abundant in folates, folic acid, vitamins, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and other nutrients for enhancing immunity, bone health, and aiding brain, tissues & lung development.

Eggs, Lean Meat & Dairy Products:

Dairy products like cheese, milk, and yoghurt support the health of the baby inside the womb by providing necessary amounts of calcium, proteins, phosphorus, zinc, and magnesium.

Lean meats like salmon contain omega-3 fatty acids that help in the development of the baby’s brain and eyes.

It is very important to be careful while consuming seafood as some of them contain mercury which is harmful to both the mother and the baby.

Eggs are the ultimate health food as they are an incredible source of choline which saves babies from developing mental abnormalities.

With legumes, dry fruits, whole grains, water, and all other nutrient-dense foods a baby can grow normal and robust. Their growth can be checked frequently with ultrasound. It plays a special part during a woman’s pregnancy and it is necessary to undergo an ultrasound scan at an interval of 3 months to analyse the fetus’ health condition inside the womb. Trivitron Healthcare provides ultrasound imaging solutions for pregnancy, and other applications like cardiology, urology, obstetrics, gynaecology, and abdomen. The Arietta Prologue helps clinicians to diagnose problems or screen babies at a faster rate without complications.

After the birth of the baby, it is wise to go for a Newborn Screening test to check for congenital conditions like Phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, hearing abnormalities, cystic fibrosis, critical congenital heart disease, and other life-threatening conditions in babies for timely treatment. Trivitron’s array of Newborn Screening kits and instrument help clinicians, paediatricians, and other medical professionals provide accurate diagnostics with confidence.

Conclusion:

A healthy pregnancy calls for 360-degree caution and Trivitron’s state-of-art healthcare solutions enable the building of a healthy community for the common good.