« Salad Makeover | Main | Pregnant? Don't forget to exercise! »
May 16, 2005
Eating for Two?
Not really. Just because you are pregnant, doesn’t mean you can eat twice as much food as you usually would. Think how small the baby is. Do you actually think he/she needs 1800 calories or so? In reality, you only need about 300 additional calories each day. A good weight gain for normal-weight healthy moms is between 25 and 35 pounds. Women who are underweight when they become pregnant should gain between 28 and 40 pounds. Women who are overweight need to gain between 15 and 25 pounds. Obese women still need to gain at least 15 pounds. Women should consume a variety of foods according to the Dietary Guidelines. Whole grains, leafy green and yellow vegetables, and fruit should be consumed daily to meet nutrient needs and provide enough fiber. Meat, poultry, seafood, legumes, and nuts are important sources of protein, as are zinc, iron, and magnesium. Pregnant women should be encouraged to consume iron-rich foods such as lean red meat, fish, poultry, dried fruits, and iron-fortified cereals. Meat and ascorbic acid-rich fruits enhance the absorption of non-heme iron (ie, from plants and iron-fortified foods). Foods that inhibit iron absorption, such as whole-grain cereals, unleavened whole-grain breads, legumes, tea, and coffee, should be consumed separately from iron-fortified foods and iron supplements. Due to the increased efficiency of calcium absorption, calcium requirements during pregnancy are similar to those in the nonpregnant state. An adequate intake of calcium is 1,300 mg for women aged 14 to 18 years and 1,000 for women aged 19 to 50 years. Caffeine can readily cross the placenta and can affect fetal heart rate and breathing. Since adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes have been linked to high caffeine intakes, prudent advice would be to discourage caffeine intakes above 300 mg/day. To translate that level into servings, the amount of caffeine is about 85 mg/5 oz cup of percolated coffee, 60 mg/5 oz cup of instant coffee, 40 mg/1 oz espresso; 30 mg/5 oz cup of leaf/bag tea, and 36 mg/12 oz cola beverage.
Posted by Lisa at May 16, 2005 02:30 PM
Trackback Pings
To send a trackback, use this url. If you know anything about this subject, please post a comment.