Many new mothershave pressing concerns about
pregnancy nutrition. It doesn't matter what stage of pregnancy you're in, or even if you're still trying to conceive: You can begin altering your diet, making your food intake much healthier to benefit you and your unborn child.
Perhaps the biggest concern that moms-to-be face is which foods should be eliminated or trimmed from your diet when you find out you're pregnant. In this article, we will discuss the top 5 nutrition questions that pregnant women usually ask.
Q. Is it all right to consume caffeine during pregnancy?
A. Ideally, you should abstain from all caffeine consumption during pregnancy, but many women find this extremely difficult to do. Caffeine is present in many foods, such as chocolate, and beverages such as coffee, tea, and sodas. It's also present in some headache remedies, making it difficult to avoid.
Doctors recommend reducing your caffeine intake to 150mg per day, which is approximately the amount you consume in a single 8oz cup of coffee. If you drink a great deal of coffee or tea, it's wise to step down your consumption gradually over time. Otherwise, the detox symptoms can make you very ill.
Q. Is eating lunch meat when pregnant okay?
A. It's important to consume protein with every meal once you discover you are pregnant. Even at breakfast, it's important to incorporate a little protein with your carbohydrates. Great sources of healthy protein include nut butters, raw nuts, lean meats, and organic eggs.
In general, it's wise to stay away from processed meats, which contain nitrites. Lunch meat is also usually packed with fillers and sodium, which can lead to water retention. A single slice of lunch meat now and then will do no lasting harm, but it should be eliminated from your diet during pregnancy if possible.
Q. Do I have to switch to an all-natural, all-organic diet right away?
A. Although it's tempting to want to clean out your pantry and refrigerator and get a clean start on your nutrition, you don't have to adopt an "all or nothing" approach.
In fact, you are more likely to stick with a program if you incorporate elements slowly over time. So start with one element that resonates with you, such as eliminating caffeine from your diet. Then begin adding other elements of a healthy diet as you feel comfortable.
The worst thing you can do while pregnant is stress out over simple stuff. Instead, do only as much as you feel you can.
Q. Can I eat sugar when pregnant? What about artificial sweeteners?
A. You should strive to eliminate cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and other sugar derivatives as well as artificial sweeteners from your diet during pregnancy. If you want to control your weight and have a healthy pregnancy, this is one of the best steps you can take to conserve calories and eliminate potentially dangerous chemicals from your diet.
Try incorporating other all-natural sweeteners into your diet, such as raw honey, stevia, xylitol, or agave syrup to tame your sweet tooth. These all natural sweeteners don't pack the caloric punch of regular sugar and don't offer the uncertain chemicals that come with artificial sweeteners.
Q. Is water really all that important during pregnancy?
A. In a word, yes. Water should be your go-to drink of choice during pregnancy, because it offers amazing health benefits with the additional plus of being completely calorie-free.
Water is great for eliminating aches and pains. In fact, it is known as the all natural headache cure. It's also great for flushing toxins from the body and for keeping your elimination regular. Water also helps you feel full, which is a huge bonus if you are trying to keep your weight down.
In general, you should drink half your body weight in ounces every day. So if you weigh 180 pounds, you should drink 90 ounces of water daily, minimum.
