The "Eating Well for Two" Diet for Pregnancy (and beyond!)
There are 4 main components to this diet that you need to make best friends with --
- Water
- Protein
- The color spectrum of vegetables
- Whole foods - Organic when available
That being said, here's the scoop:
WATER - 3 to 4 quarts, daily
Have you heard of the book "You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty"? If you never do read it, you should at least keep the title forever in your mind. Not only is water an essential for every living thing, it bears more necessity for pregnant women.
In pregnancy, adequate water consumption is necessary to:
- facilitate the increase in your blood volume (it doubles by the eighth month!)
- ward off hypertension
- help prevent the occurrence of urinary tract infections common in pregnancy
- create and replenish the baby's amniotic fluid
- ward off pre-mature labor
- flush out retained water (thanks to hormones)
- and so much more!
PROTEIN - 60 to 90 grams, daily
Protein is so undervalued in our society and that is a big problem. Meat and vegetarian sources are both vital as certain amino-acids and other nutrients are only found in certain sources. So variety is key! As with water, as important as protein intake is to us in general, pregnancy puts in an even higher demand for protein.
The benefits for high protein intake during pregnancy include:
- Healthy fetal development. The amino acids that make up protein are not only the building blocks of all your body's cells -- but they are the building blocks of all of your baby's cells as well!
- More stable blood sugar. Your body needs protein to provide long lasting energy to avoid sugar highs and lows that are also common to pregnancy.
- The ability to fight off infections.
- A defense against fluid-retention.
- Less muscle fatigue and more energy.
- And more!
GREENS AND VEGETABLES - half your meal portion, daily
"Women who are looking towards pregnancy and those in the midst of pregnancy have a friend just waiting to get involved: dark leafy green veggies." -Happy Healthy Living
Aside from the incredible nutrient boost, the benefits of making dark leafy greens (most important) and other colorful vegetables, too, a part of your daily prenatal diet are:
- Help to prevent and resolve constipation -- one of the most common pregnancy complaints.
- Lower risk of UTI's.
- Prevents leg cramps (thanks to the great balance of calcium and magnesium in dark, leafy greens)
- Lower risk of anemia (greens coupled with good protein is a great defense)
- Great support for your skin. During pregnancy your skin goes through a lot! Some is hormone related and some is nutritionally based.
WHOLE, ORGANIC FOODS -
Chemically preserved, artificial, hydrogonated, dehydrated, pesticide laden, genetically engineered, etc... food is no friend of yours. There are so many arguments and debates regarding this topic that I won't address here, but I will say... think about it: What sounds better for you (and your growing baby)? Unadulterated food, pure and natural? Or the above list? It's not hard to get good food, and it doesn't have to be all that much more expensive.
A good rule of thumb: If there are more than five ingredients and/or if even one of them is hard to pronounce, keep moving... don't even think twice and move on.
So with all that covered, here is the "Eating Well for Two" recommended daily diet. No need to stress about it, but do become familiar with it and be intentional about what you feed your body and your baby.
A healthy pregnancy -- a healthy baby -- begins with a healthy diet! Make your nutrition a priority today.
