What Nutrients need to be improved during Pregnancy

Healthy eating is important for everyone and even more important for pregnant women. And no, it’s not the amount of food you eat. It’s more quality than the amount of food you eat.

The fetus depends only on its mother for food. When you eat, the placenta attached to your baby’s umbilical cord transfers the necessary nutrients to the baby. It implies that an unhealthy diet can then lead to an unhealthy pregnancy. You are breastfeeding to improve your health and that of your baby.

During Pregnancy, the mother is subject to physiological changes. Healthy decisions made during this time cannot overstate.

Foods that don’t usually affect you can be harmful during pregnancy. The American University of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises pregnant women to consume significantly more fruits, vegetables, protein, and whole grains.

Nutritional Requirements during Pregnancy

1. Calcium

Calcium improves growth and strengthens bones in growing children. The mineral helps ensure healthy skeletal structure, bones, and teeth for your baby.

Pregnant women advise consuming around 1000 milligrams of calcium per day.

Your body takings the responsibility of concerned for your little one seriously. Since they cannot produce calcium on their own, they use your body’s reserve to provide them with the necessary nutrients.

Calcium deficiency in a pregnant woman can put her at risk for bone loss during Pregnancy and osteoporosis later in life.

2. Protein

Protein fulfills various functions throughout the body. It helps cells/organs function properly and promotes tissue and cell repair. It improves the increase in blood supply and supports the blood flow to your baby.

Consuming a sufficient amount of protein during your pregnancy can improve your baby’s health.

Protein can affect birth weight, and low birth weight, which can result from inadequate protein supply during Pregnancy, can lead to a variety of health problems, such as increase risk of infection and respiratory distress syndrome (IBS).

The amount of protein you consume should increase as your pregnancy progresses. The third trimester is the period of highest fetal growth and requires more than the first and second trimesters.

It recommend that you consume around 70 to 100 grams of protein daily, depending on your body weight.

Also Read: Benefits Of Drinking Warm Milk Everyday For Everyone

3. Folate / folic acid

Folate helps avoid neural tube defects, congenital disabilities that affect a baby’s brain and spinal cord.

This defect leads to incomplete brain and spinal cord development, including spina bifida (underdeveloped spinal cord) and anencephaly (underdeveloped brain and skull).

Women advised taking folic acid as soon as they discover they are pregnant because most neural tube defects occur within the first 28 days of conception.

It is one of the causes why women trying to get pregnant advise to start taking at least 400mcg of folic acid per day.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology mentions a daily intake of 600 to 800 mcg of folic acid for pregnant women.

4. Iron

Increased blood flow is very important for both mother and child during pregnancy. Pregnant women should consume nutrients about twice as much iron as they take daily.

Iron supports produce haemoglobin, which is necessary for a healthy pregnancy. It also helps transport oxygen to different parts of your body and that of your baby.

Pregnant and nursing mothers should consume between 27 and 47 mg of iron per day.

However, it is important to be careful about how much iron you consume, especially if you take supplements.

Failure to consume enough iron during pregnancy can lead to iron deficiency anemia. It is a condition that occurs when the mother does not have enough iron to make the amount of hemoglobin the body needs.

It can cause weakness and fatigue for the mother, leading to premature birth and low birth weight.