Good Eating Habits and Gradual Weight Gain

A healthy diet helps make a healthy baby. During pregnancy, good eating habits are more important than ever. It is not the time to skip meals, eat junk food, or load up on empty calories for quick energy. The foods you eat have a direct effect on the development of your baby from conception to birth. It is important to strike a balance between healthy weight gain and nutritional intake. Try to keep in mind that you are not eating for two, you are eating carefully for one.

It is critical to learn about the nutritional value of the foods you eat and to select your diet with care. Selecting a variety of nutrient-rich foods versus calorie-rich foods will help prevent excessive weight gain, which can put you at risk for high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and permanent obesity. Conversely, a diet too restricted in calories can be inadequate in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Insufficient calorie intake can result in the breakdown of stored fat (or ketones) in the mother's blood and urine, which can be harmful for the fetus.

So, what is the ideal diet? The ideal diet is the diet that fits into your lifestyle and at the same time meets all the nutritional requirements of your pregnancy. Your goal should be to follow a well-balanced meal plan that ensures optimal weight gain. A pregnant woman should increase her caloric intake by about 300 calories per day above her prepregnant state, assuming that her prior caloric intake was adequate. Certain factors may
increase the nutritional requirements above the estimated demands of pregnancy. Some of these factors include poor nutritional status, obesity, young maternal age (teenage pregnancy), multiple pregnancy, closely spaced births, breastfeeding one or more children while pregnant, continued high level of physical activity, certain disease states (such as
diabetes), and use of cigarettes, alcohol, and legal or illegal drugs.

A pregnant woman should consume between 1,800 and 3,000 calories per day, depending on her prepregnant height and weight, and whether her nutritional needs are compromised by any of the factors mentioned above. For example, assuming prepregnant weight is within the "normal range" according to the Body Mass Index, a woman who is 5 feet 3 inches would require approximately 1,900 to 2,400 calories and at least 60 grams of protein per day, while a woman who is 5 feet 7 inches would require approximately 2,100 to 2,700 calories and 70 grams of protein per day.

Just as important as the total number of pounds gained is the rate at which the weight is gained. The rate of weight gain should be 2 to 5 pounds for the first trimester (fourteen weeks) and 3.5 pounds per month for the remainder of the pregnancy (fourteen to forty weeks). Ideally, the total weight gain during pregnancy should be between 25 and 35 pounds, if you were at an appropriate prepregnant body weight. Women with special nutritional requirements will need a customized weight-gain plan.

Don't become obsessed with your weight gain feel free to put away your scale. Your or inadequate weight gain in more than one month (a gain of more than 5 poundsand less than 2 pounds) indicates that your dietary intake may need to be evaluated. If the rate at which you put on weight is excessive and on an upward trend overall, take an inventory of your food intake to pinpoint problem areas. Try cutting down on fried or fatty foods, fast foods and convenience foods, and highly sweetened desserts and soft drinks. Also, monitor your portion sizes more closely.

< previous | next >