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| Life and Nourishment for Two of You | For about 270 days you will walk, sleep, eat and live not only for yourself. There is a new life, your future pride and happiness developing inside of you. Proteins, vitamins, fats, carbohydrates, macro- and microelements are especially necessary for both of you at this important period. And before you begin eating pasta with spicy ketchup, think if it would be so good for your baby.
Should a pregnant woman really eat for two? At the beginning one of you is a tiny developing embryo, who needs much less energy than you do. That is why having a normal weight; you need only 300 “extra” calories a day. But still, doctors elaborated a special formula for you to know how many calories you need. If you spend much time in a sitting position, then multiply your weight by 24, if you are moderately active – by 30, and by 44, if your life is full of movements. The sum will show how many calories you both will need a day. But every rule has its exclusions. In this case there are four of them:
1. Women, who overweight, should make their diet more frugal;
2. Women, who underweight, may need more additional calories;
3. Young women, who are still developing, need their nourishment to be substantial as well;
4. Women, expecting twins should add 300 calories for each of babies.
You should not get upset because of 10 – 15 extra inches. In such situation they are not extra, but tell you that your baby grows normally and receives everything he needs. But if you gain more than one pound per week, do not exclude carbohydrates from your menu. It is true, that refined carbohydrates, containing in sweets are of no use for you, but unrefined ones (vegetables, peas, beans, fresh fruits, etc.) deliver all necessary vitamins, minerals, proteins and cellulose to your organism. These products are useful for you and for your little one as well, they lower the nausea and constipation probability. If you stay hungry, your baby does the same. Your own body tortures are very harmful for the fetus, as he gets his life from it: when you are not even thinking about having breakfast, your baby eats. If you feel any discomfort, like heartburn, then you should keep to a more vegetarian diet.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in minerals and vitamins and have very few calories. Apricots, berries, carrots, beans contain many vitamins and necessary elements. You should eat potatoes and beans as well, as they are the source of protein.
Canned or frozen food gives you nothing useful at all, so it is better to eat berries, fruits and vegetables fresh or lightly cooked on steam or in the microwave oven. The storage place also plays important role in the vitamin preservation process. All fruits and vegetables should be kept in cool dry and dark place.
No calorie becomes as useless as the sugar one. The worst thing about sugar is that it is the most spread component of many products, which are completely not nourishing: sweets, bakeries, etc.
To receive tasty and useful sugar substitution, eat fruits and fruit juices concentrates. They are almost as sweet as sugar, but much better for your and your baby’s health.
You should always read the information written on the label to make sure that sugar is substituted by fruit sugars. Diet for pregnant women also recommends you to shorten the consumption of refined sugar (brown sugar, maple syrup, etc.) up to very insufficient amount. Of course do not reject a bar of chocolate, or a couple of candies, but they should not be among your main and everyday food. Every sweet calorie may be of another source.
In accordance with common standards an adult person should receive no more than 30% of calories, coming from fat. The same concerns women, expecting a baby. It means if your weight is about 130 – 145 pounds, you need about 2500 calories a day and no more than 630 of them are to be brought by fats. And this amount of these calories you will receive from 2.5 ounces of fats. It would be fine to eat some extra cheese or parsley, but you should be very attentive with the consumption of fats, as too much of them will lead you to overweighting. But still, never exclude fats from your diet completely, as it will be potentially dangerous for your developing baby.
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