Valentin Vasile, fitness trainer who has developed a passion for how the human body can be reshaped using only sports and nutrition, offers us some important advice on pregnant women’s nutrition, in the book “Lifestyle, NOT diet!”.
Beware of empty calories!
The health of the baby is influenced by the quantity and quality of nutrients brought to your body through food, not by the amount of food. And half a cup of berries can have twice as many nutrients as a portion of refined white flour pasta served with sauce, cold meats and hot oil.
Many women use the period of pregnancy to consume large amounts of all kinds of foods rich in empty calories that not only do not bring either the body of the woman or the baby any kind of benefit, on the contrary, they contribute to many unnecessary pounds of fat, a state of fatigue accentuated due to insulin shocks and many other disadvantages.
Foods that contain empty calories: fried foods, cakes, candies, biscuits, all commercial sweets and pastries, fizzy drinks, white flour bread and pasta, white rice, pizza, hamburgers and any other food on a fast food menu, all foods containing sugar or white flour.
How much weight should a woman gain during pregnancy?
The positive scenario is the one in which the pregnant woman increases the quality and quantity of food and it boils down to eating 300-400 kilocalories more than in the pre-pregnancy period. In this scenario, after the birth the woman should be left with just 3.5 to 6 kilograms of adipose tissue which must be taken down. In reality, however, most women are left with 10, 15 or even 20 extra pounds of fat!
An underweight woman should gain up to 18 kilograms during pregnancy, a normal weight woman between 11-16 kilograms and a woman who already had a few extra kilograms should gain up to 10 kilograms.
Any extra kilo over these figures is not useful for either the mother or the fetus, on the contrary!
Of the kilograms accumulated during pregnancy, about 1 kilogram represents the volume of the breasts, between 0.5-1 kilogram the placenta, about 2 kilograms the vascularization of the placenta, about 3.5 kilograms is the weight of the baby at birth, 1 kilogram is due to the thickening of the uterus and about 2 kilograms weigh additional fluids.
In a woman of normal weight who should gain a maximum of 16 kilograms, how many of these should be kilograms of fat? If you subtract everything listed above, you will arrive at 5.5 kilograms of fat.
Even 3.5 kilograms of fat are enough to provide the baby with the necessary amount of nutrients.
So put away the cookies and don’t use pregnancy as an excuse to binge eat foods that you’ll regret when you’re trying to get back in shape.
Recommended foods during pregnancy
Calcium needs of the pregnant woman are considerably higher than the standard needs of the woman’s body. Optimal calcium intake is important for the formation of the baby’s bones and to reduce the risk of preeclampsia.
Try to include in your diet both fermented dairy products as well as plant sources of calcium such as poppy seeds (don’t overdo them because they irritate the stomach and contain opium), prunes (not smoked), sesame seeds, potatoes, almonds, soybeans, mushrooms, hazelnuts, flax seeds, etc.
Also, try to include in your daily menu more of calcium fixatives: boron (present in apple peel), silicon (in mineral water) and foods containing vitamin C (blackcurrants, kiwi and citrus fruits).
In addition, be careful of foods that remove calcium from the body such as: carbonated drinks, cocoa, caffeine (from green tea, coffee) and foods that induce acidity when consumed in excess (meat, dairy, eggs, roe, sweets, pickles ).
Optimal intake of iron is very important throughout pregnancy. Iron is necessary to be able to double the volume of blood in the pregnant woman’s body. Thus, the body prepares for birth, during which it will lose a significant amount of blood.
Try to include in your diet all kinds of vegetables, especially green leafy ones, legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas), lean meat, eggs, dried fruit, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Try combining these foods with those containing vitamin C to improve iron absorption.
A low level of iron in the pregnant woman’s body predisposes to the appearance of iron deficiency anemiahowever iron supplements should only be administered on the doctor’s recommendation.
Zinc is an essential micronutrient both for athletes and pregnant women. An insufficient amount of zinc in a pregnant woman’s diet can lead to congenital malformation.
Try to include foods rich in zinc in your diet throughout pregnancy such as: dried beans, lentils, chickpeas, eggs, lean meat, whole grains, nuts, raw pumpkin seeds and dairy products.
Protein needs of the woman increase during pregnancy. In the standard diet, there is usually a higher amount of protein than is needed in pregnancy, so supplementation is not necessary. Instead, vegetarian mothers they should consult a nutritionist who will compose a diet that contains all the essential amino acids and sufficient vitamina B12which to adopt throughout the pregnancy.
Maintains an optimal ratio of fatty acids throughout pregnancy. Fish and seafood eaten raw (sushi) are prohibited during pregnancyas well as the ocean fish, to avoid mercury contamination.
To maintain an optimal ratio of fatty acids, it is essential to exclude from the diet margarine, butter, fried foods, meat from animals raised on farms, sunflower oil, and to include as often as possible snacks of raw nuts, almonds and hazelnuts , avocado, ground flax seeds, to cook with olive oil and cold pressed flax seeds. Throughout pregnancy, it is forbidden to use fish oil to rebalance your fatty acid ratio.
Foods to avoid during pregnancy
During pregnancy, the consumption of refined sugar, honey and any synthetic sweetener is not recommended. It is preferable that concentrated sweets are replaced with fresh fruit. If you still have a craving for something sweet prepared at home, use it as a sweetener agave syrup or rebaudian stevia extract.
Raw fish, raw eggs, cheeses made from raw milk, sweet milk, smoked meats, sausages, minced meat, all drinks and foods containing empty calories should be completely excluded from a pregnant woman’s diet. As well as alcohol consumption and smoking. In addition, reduce the consumption of coffee and green tea to a minimum.
2023-10-17 14:19:00
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