Nutrition in Pregnancy
Written by Amanda Levitt, ND
Whether you are newly pregnant and aren’t sure what foods are optimally nutritious for growing a healthy baby or perhaps you have a gaggle of kids at home and realize that your diet primarily consists of leftover chicken nuggets and goldfish, this is the perfect time to clean up your diet and create healthy eating habits for you and your family.
Are you like many Americans, grabbing fast food on the run, packaged convenience foods, and highly processed foods? The first step towards excellent nutrition is stopping and thinking about the kinds of food you eat.
When you enter the grocery store, shop around the perimeter. That is where the “real food” lives. Produce, meat, fish, dairy, eggs, bread…these foods should be the bulk of your shopping cart, with brief forays into the center aisles for specific items on your list.
In the first trimester, many women are nauseous and don’t have much of an appetite. The strategy for this time period is to try to eat small frequent meals of whatever stays down, trying to make the healthiest choices possible. Don’t worry if you aren’t able to eat balanced meals at this point, your growing baby is tiny and will get what it needs from your nutrient stores. As your pregnancy progresses, aim for small frequent meals of nutrient-dense foods to balance blood sugar and maintain energy levels.
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