Things To Remember For Your Diet During Pregnancy

Now that you've found out you're pregnant, your whole outlook on life and the way you are living it begins to change----and you begin to take notice of all the pieces of advice that people around you are dropping as if on cue. All those motherly types who know what's best for you, even more than your doctor does, will tell you that eating for two is just what you need to do now, to build up your strength and make sure the baby is well fed. But the other side of the coin is just as adamant: "don't overeat, no no no---be careful, don't gain too much weight, you must stick to a diet during pregnancy".

Well, a lot of that is just baloney. Years ago, when our grandmothers and their mothers were having kids---did they diet during pregnancy?? I don't think so. They walked a lot more, ate homegrown and fresher foods, were physically much more active than we are, and they weren't afraid to put on a few pounds just to be sure that they had some ammunition in case they got sick.

They didn't have grease laden burgers beckoning to them from every corner, or chicken nuggets with fries; there were no prepackaged TV dinners touting their cardboard tasting contents; and the technology then was not anywhere near as advanced as today, so they worked harder, were more physically active on a daily basis, and in doing so---burned more calories in a day just going about their lives than we do today. Pregnancy was something that was an expected fact of life, and it was treated as such, with some celebration, but nothing like the megamillion dollar industry it is today.

So, here we are today with all our conveniences and stressors and in some cases, whacked out ways of looking at pregnancy. What kind of a diet during pregnancy should we be following since our bodies have not yet genetically caught up with our technologically supported lifestyles. The emphasis here is on the word "diet"----which way you take it to mean. Some of us who look at food and the calories jump from the food to our hips and thighs regard the word "diet" to mean just that---reduction of intake of calories so the weight gain during pregnancy is minimal.

Then there are those women who have been sylphs all their lives and don't even know how to spell the word calorie; to them, diet during pregnancy has a very different meaning. They think of a pregnancy diet as the overall plan of eating that they should follow to stay healthy, with little or no emphasis on keeping calories under a certain level to maintain weight gain. To them, diet is how much water you take in on a daily basis, how much protein, vitamins, and a well balanced bag of vegetables and fruit, and lots of fiber to keep the inner works working. Calories?? What are those.

For the rest of us, and really for all of us that feel we should be maintaining the best diet during pregnancy that is possible, we should be following pretty much the same rules. No fatty, greasy fast foods that pile on pounds with empty calories and clog up your system, lots of fresh foods with emphasis on fruits and veggies, good protein sources, lowered salt intake---you swell up enough without adding the effects of too much salt----lots of water, vitamins, and fiber. If you are a calorie and fat magnet, then you would want to watch your calorie intake for sure; but if you eat a well balanced plan for food and get in some meaningful exercise, you will find there's not a whole lot of out-of-control weight gain.

If you are at all a thinking person, this is not rocket science nor is it difficult to remember. What you have been hearing all your life about how to stay healthy and keep your weight within recommended limits also applies when you are pregnant. Why should it be any different? You are growing a tiny life inside you that needs the same nutrients and care as your own body does, so by adhering to a healthy mode of diet during pregnancy, you can take care of both of you just fine.

Dawn Eastman puts forth information and articles on the subject of Weight Gain During Pregnancy. For more information on Weight Loss After Baby visit our site.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 11th, 2009 at 7:51 am and is filed under Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.