Pregnancy is a crucial phase of life where the mother-to-be has to be loved, pampered and cared for nutritionally. Now she is not alone, she has a fetus to feed and therefore incorporation of healthy nutrition in her life style becomes imperative for the well being of both the mother and the child.
Nutrition and pregnancy are interlinked
Let us imagine a hypothetical situation if the mother’s food is low on nutrients. The fetus is solely dependent on nutrition of mother to suck the products via placenta. Eventually this can lead to extreme cases of fetal morbidity and child mortality as well. Thus healthy nutrition (dietary planning and nutrient intake) should be adhered to strictly, more so in pregnancy as both of them are correlated.
Therefore, we may divide the status of nutrition into three stages viz. pre-pregnancy, pregnancy period and post pregnancy.
Nutrition essential to include when pregnant
The following nutrients should be incorporated for health of mother shall ensure proper growth of the child yet to be born:
- Calcium
- Choline
- DHA
- Folic acid
- Iron
- Potassium
- Riboflavin
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Zinc
The details of the above nutrient consumption amounts in pregnancy (RDA) and their sources are provided as under:
1. CALCIUM (1000 mg)
- Builds strong, dense bones
- Found in one cup plain low fat yoghurt; one cup plain milk
2. CHOLINE (450 mg)
- Enhances brain development
- Found in one cooked egg, 3 ounces cooked pork
3. DHA (300 mg)
- Boosts brain development of baby
- Found in fortified eggs , 3 ounces cooked salmon
4. FOLIC ACID (600 micrograms)
- Protects against neural tube defects
- Found in enriched grains and dietary supplements
5. IRON ( 45 mg)
- Prevents anemia
- Found in fortified plant foods
6. POTASSIUM (4700 mg)
- Maintains blood pressure and heart beat
- Found in one cup canned white beans
7. RIBOFLAVIN (1.4 mg)
- Necessary for energy production
- Found in one cup low fat cottage cheese
8. VITAMIN B6 (1.9 mg)
- Bolsters the immune system
- Found in medium baked potato
9. Vitamin B12 (2.6 microgram)
- Helps in red blood cell production
- Found in 3 ounces raw clams
10. VITAMIN C ( 85 mg)
- Prevents scurvy of teeth
- Found in one cup orange juice
11. VITAMIN D ( 200 IU)
- Promotes calcium absorption
- Found in raw egg yolk
12. ZINC (11 mg)
- Critical for cell growth and repair
- Found in plant and animal foods
This process of inducting healthy nutrients in everyday diet should be an ongoing process. Only this shall ensure that the immunity system gets boosted in preparation of pregnancy and is known to be one of the major factors in determining the success rate in conceiving healthy children. Pregnancy nutrition is important for both; the mother and also for her fetus. It is important that pregnancy nutrition is to be supplied carefully in order to end with good and complication free delivery of the healthy baby.
