By Barb Dehn, NP

Wondering how to eat healthy during your pregnancy and not gain to much weight? As a Nurse Practitioner and the award winning author of Your Personal Guide to Pregnancy, I have plenty of useful tips and practical advice to help you eat healthy when you’re eating for two!

1st Trimester: Survival Mode (From 1 to 12 weeks)

Many women feel queasy when they first find out that they’re pregnant.  It can be difficult to get excited about the baby when you feel nauseous, have no appetite, or when the thought of food makes you feel sick.
 

It’s important to remember that you’re in “Survival Mode”.  So, don’t feel guilty if you can’t eat much, just do the best you can.  The baby is tiny now, so they only need a few extra calories.  Try these tried and true tips:

• Graze. Eat small, bite-sized portions more frequently. If you eat too much, you’ll feel worse.  Try cut up fruit, cereal or granola bars, or small sips of milk or yogurt.
• Try to feed the baby every 2 -3 hours. Even if you’re not hungry.  Try a popsicle, a sip of juice, ¼ sandwich, or some crackers.
• Take your prenatal vitamin before bed. If taken it during the day is can make you feel worse. 
• Try ginger ale or ginger cookies or candy –  These are all helpful settling your stomach.  If you can’t eat, then suck on ginger candy to get the benefit.
• Mix water with juice. This really helps with morning sickness. Plain water may not taste good, and juice may be too sweet.  Mix equal parts water and juice and sip a teaspoon of the mixture every 5 minutes.  Soon, you’ll have taken in several ounces and feel much better.
• Try breads, cereals and grains. Toast, mashed potatoes, pasta without sauce, tortillas, and rice can all be welcome easy to digest foods that go down easy and stay down.

2nd Trimester: You’re Feeling Better Now (12 to 28 weeks)

Your nausea is probably over by now.  It’s a good time to try and eat a variety of healthy food and a more balanced diet. Most women need to gain about 10 to 15 lbs now.

• Remember to take your prenatal vitamin daily.
• You need 3 servings of protein each day. Chicken, meat, fish, eggs, nuts, soybeans, dairy products and beans are good sources. A serving of meat is about 3 oz or the size of a deck of cards. 
• Get plenty of Calcium-rich foods. Try to get at least 3 servings each day.  Calcium is found in milk, yogurt, cheese, green leafy vegetables, almonds and sardines.  If you don’t tolerate dairy, then try some calcium fortified juice or supplements.
• Try to limit fats and oils. Because many foods contain some fat, it’s best to watch your intake. 1 serving is just 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, mayonnaise, butter, or peanut butter. It’s easy to eat too much.
• Aim for 3 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. Salads are an easy way to get dark greens, carrots, tomatoes and other veggies.  Try to eat the whole fruit and avoid juice, which helps prevent constipation.
• Avoid fast food. Or substitute a salad for the fries, or a carton of milk for a sugary soda.

3rd Trimester: You’re Getting Ready to meet your Baby (28 weeks to delivery)

Your appetite may be decreased now from the pressure of a growing tummy or from heartburn and indigestion.  It’s very important to get plenty of protein and calcium now, because the baby gains between ¼ to ½ lb each week and almost doubles in length too!  So it’s essential to eat a balanced diet now.  See the guidelines for the 2nd trimester above for recommendations for how many servings of various food groups that you need.

• Eat smaller amounts more frequently. Try dividing meals into smaller snacks.
• Avoid carbonated drinks. These make indigestion worse.
• Be sure to get lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. This helps prevent constipation.
• When you indulge in your favorite foods, savor and enjoy them.

 
Barb Dehn, RN, MS, NP is a nationally recognized women's health expert and nurse practitioner, conference speaker, and national Media regular. In 2004 she founded Blue Orchid Press, an innovative publishing company that provides Health Guides for Women. To date, over 3 million guides have been distributed to women across the country in partnerships with pharmaceutical and biomedical companies, and she was given National Inspiration in Women’s Health Award from the National Association of Nurse Practitioners for her work on the guides, making her an award-winning author as well. Barb is an expert at connecting with women both through their health care providers and direct to consumer. Barb is married and has a 12 year old son.

User Rating: / 0
PoorBest