pregnancy-food-foods-an-expectant-mother-should-be-concentrating-on
Thursday, April 26th, 2012Pregnancy Food ? Foods an Expectant
Mother Should Be Concentrating On
Few people eating their morning oatmeal
or digging into their lunchtime sandwich
give a thought to the vitamins and
minerals they?re about to absorb. But
every food we eat contains some of these
essential elements so vital to
sustaining our health and life. During
pregnancy, their mission becomes even
more important, as they fuel the needs
of two bodies.
Expectant mothers need to take in more
of these vitamins and minerals than ever
before. Although prenatal vitamins can
be a good source, expectant mothers can
benefit even more from the foods they
choose. Pregnancy food refers to those
foods which contain the vitamins and
minerals an expectant mother will have
most need of during her pregnancy.
Here you will find a short list of
vitamins and minerals most commonly in
demand during pregnancy, and the foods
you will find them in. True pregnancy
food;
Vitamin A
Broccoli, carrots, spinach, sweet
potatoes, oatmeal and whole grains,
cantaloupe, apricots, and dairy products
are high in vitamin A. Truly deserving
to be called pregnancy food. Unlike
supplements, you can?t get too much
vitamin A from your diet.
B Vitamins
Meat and dairy are good sources of a
wide variety of B vitamins. Vegetarian
sources include oatmeal and whole
grains, beans, peas, nuts, brown rice,
potatoes and tomatoes, spinach,
mushrooms, cauliflower, asparagus, leafy
green vegetables. Also, most fruits are
included. And avocados, bananas, oranges
and grapefruits are a good source of
folic acid as well. Good pregnancy food,
all of them.
Vitamin C and E
While the importance of vitamin C and E
can not be overstressed, nature is
efficient, and you will generally get
what you need from those groups listed
above. Don?t count out nuts and seeds as
a good pregnancy food; they are an
excellent source of vitamin E and
essential fats.
Vitamin D
Get some sun. You may not particularly
feel like it at this time but try to get
a little sun each day, weather
permitting. Your body will take care of
the rest. You can also find D in
fortified skim milk, egg yolks, and
sardines. More about fish as pregnancy
food, in a minute.
Calcium
Almonds, dried figs, broccoli, sardines
and canned salmon with the bones are
good sources of calcium.
Iron and Zinc
Eating dark meat turkey or beef can be a
good source of both iron and zinc.
Oatmeal contains both as well.
Fish as Pregnancy Food - The Good and
the Bad
Eating fish, particularly oil rich
varieties such as salmon, trout, and
sardines is good for you, especially
during pregnancy. The oils in fatty fish
contain particular omega3 fatty acids
not found naturally in other foods that
are essential pregnancy food for the
healthy development of brain, retina,
and nervous tissue of your child.
Omega3?s must be obtained from foods
because the body cannot make them from
other fats.
Although fish is a pregnancy food must,
it may contain contaminants such as
mercury, among others, that are harmful
to your developing baby. The thing to
know here is that the larger varieties
of fish are the ones carrying the
highest contents of mercury. If you
stick to salmon, farmed trout, herring
and sardines, you are generally safe
although you want to eat these in
moderation. Twice, maybe three times a
week at most. You may also enjoy
shellfish if you desire. They are known
to be low in contaminants, but they
offer less omega3 as well.
Remember to eat small and often, this
will keep your blood sugar levels
steady. If you need to cheat on your
diet to stay sane, try to keep it down
to one day out of the week. Stick to the
right pregnancy food and receive a
healthy, happy child. And don?t forget,
it will make it that much easier to get
back into shape after delivery.
Copyright 2008 John Franco. John Franco
has been directly involved in the Health
and Fitness Industry for close to thirty
years. To learn more about pregnancy
food and take the mystery out of how you
should be eating to permanently strip
fat, increase energy and maintain good
health, visit
http://www.fatfreemommy.com and claim
your Free Guide, "Learn The Secrets That
Weight Loss Companies Don't Want You To
Know."
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Few people eating their morning oatmeal or digging into
their lunchtime sandwich give a thought to the vitamins and
minerals they?re about to absorb. But every food we eat
contains some of these essential elements so vital to
sustaining our health and life. During pregnancy, their
mission becomes even more important, as they fuel the needs
of two bodies.