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Eating for Two Healthfully
Dietary Needs During Pregnancy
By Melinda Copp
Watching what you eat takes on a whole new meaning when you're pregnant. Proper nutrition while expecting is essential to your baby's health in infancy, and also later in life. That means a well-balanced diet including a variety of foods, such as fish, meat, vegetables, eggs, fruit and dairy products, regardless of how you eat when you're just eating for one.
"I'm vegetarian, so I have been very aware of my protein intake," says Lissa McGrath of Panama City, Fla., who is pregnant with her first child. "I eat plenty of soy products, as well as dairy."
Whether or not you're usually careful and cautious about what you put in your body, you have to really step it up when you're pregnant because your baby's health depends on it. And often, all the good vitamins and nutrients you take in are preferentially sent to the baby. That means your health can really suffer if you don't take in enough nutrients for you and Baby.
Choline (recommended intake = 450 milligrams, about 25 milligrams more than what's recommended for non-pregnant women): New research has shown that choline, which is found in milk, liver, eggs and peanuts, helps brain function and memory in babies when Mom consumes plenty of this nutrient during pregnancy.
Omega-3 fatty acids (recommended daily intake = 1.4 grams): This essential fatty acid impacts neurological development and growth. However, it must be consumed in balance with other fatty acids, which can be achieved by eating a balanced diet that includes fish and fish oils. Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, is an omega-3 fatty acid that has gotten lots of attention recently because it is so critical for brain and retina development in utero and in infancy. DHA is passed from Mom to Baby during breastfeeding, and studies are showing that infants whose mothers had higher blood DHA levels had higher birth weights, better sleeping patterns, higher IQs at 4 years old and a lower risk of diabetes. And moms who get more DHA have a lower risk of suffering from postpartum depression. Including cod liver oil in your diet is a very good thing.
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