Pregnancy is a special time of your life ― the anticipation and the pure bliss it brings. But it is also a reminder for you to be careful about your dietary habits. The more you invest in your health at this time and exercise caution about a few things you should vary off, the better it is for your overall well-being and the health of the precious life that you carry.
At Shopexpress, online supermarket in Harare, we bring all the dietary considerations that you need to take during this time.
At this time you need to eat for two lives and not one. Special care should be taken about the quality of foods you are consuming. Including a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables is paramount to well-being. Especially focusing on fibre-rich foods like carrots, radishes, cooked green veggies, and bananas. Moreover, eating more wholesome meals like sugar beans and whole grains is good for the gut and will help in good digestion.
Also check out: Sugar Beans the Superfood
Although eating veggies without cooking, or raw, should be reconsidered and cooking should always be preferred.
The harmful effects of Junk food on your body are no secret. That is why it is not recommended to have junk food during pregnancy. Consuming Junk Food can have the following unwanted effects on the body.
Unhealthy and unwanted weight gain.
Lack of proteins is not good for fetal development.
The child growing up will have similar diet inclinations.
Caffeine has stimulating effects on the body, which can in turn lead to high blood pressure and higher heart rate. These are both undesirable during pregnancy. Thus caffeine intake should be moderated during this special time of your life.
Apart from the need for regular nutrient intake, you do not need double the amount of calories during pregnancy. In fact, you need no extra calories in the first trimester, and 340/day and 450/day extra during the next two respectively. Make a chart and regularly update your calorie intake.
Seafood has healthy fats and omega-8 fatty acids in them which make them very good during pregnancy. But care should be taken to avoid fish that have mercury in them. For instance, bigeye tuna, marlin, and king mackerel are some of the fish that are HIGH in mercury and therefore NOT recommended at this time.
Pregnancy may be hard but it is time to cherish. Although some care has to be taken during this time. Foods low on nutrition and high on salt, and other harmful components like junk food and caffeine-rich foods can be avoided. While high-fiber, nutrition-rich foods can be preferred. Also, remember to take a lot of fluids.
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