If you are pregnant, you may have been told that "oops, now you have to take care of yourself much more, watch what you eat." And they are partly right, because it is clear that you must follow a proper diet that does not harm you or your baby, but taking care of yourself and watching what you eat is something that should always be done, and not only when you expect a baby.
If this is not the case, if you get pregnant thinking that there are things you could probably do better, keep reading because we are going to discuss what needs to be done to achieve a healthy and balanced diet during pregnancy.
Should we diet?
There are women who are accustomed to dieting, more or less frequently, who feel the need to control much what they eat so as not to gain many kilos. There are others that do not, but think it might be a good idea. The reality is no. No diet if, when talking about diet, we mean controlling calories to control weight gain, going a little (or a lot) hungry.
Come on, you don't have to eat less, but you don't have to eat too much. Far away are those "now eat for two" tips and nobody gives them anymore. A pregnant woman you have to eat the amount that your body asks, without restrictions that make you go hungry and without forcing the baby to be "well fed".
So, does it matter how much weight you gain?
No. It doesn't matter. Gaining too much weight can be dangerous, because there is more risk of gestational diabetes and more risk of obesity (and even of the baby being obese), as it can be to gain too little. Sometimes it is difficult to control this, because there are pregnancies in which you are fatal and it is almost impossible to bring food to your mouth and others that you are very hungry and eat a lot, but there is always something we can do, and it is try to bring as healthy food as possible to your mouth (It is not the same to snack a piece of bread with something like a croissant and five cookies with chocolate). Come on, take one balance diet, with which the weight will be more correct than if you get the first thing you want.
The weight to be gained in a pregnancy, which is still an orientation, but which is considered advisable is as follows:
- Women who have a low BMI (<19.8) would have to increase between 12.5 and 18 kg.
- Women with a normal BMI (19.8 to 26) should increase between 11.5 and 16 kg.
- Women with a high BMI (26 to 29) would have to increase between 7 and 11.5 kg.
- Women with a very high BMI, considered obese (> 29) would have to increase a minimum of 6.8 kg.
How to make a balanced and healthy diet in pregnancy
It is not really too difficult, and for women, who have often carried out some diet, it sure is even easy (unless they have followed some crazy useless miracle diet).
Everything lies simply in look for ingredients as healthy as possible and ensure that throughout the day there is variety. Come on, as shown in the typical food pyramids, make the most consumed foods the whole grains, which are the ones that provide the most hydrates (bread, rice, pasta, all integral), and the vegetable, fruit and legumes (fresh fruit and vegetables, vegetables, also nuts, etc.).
Also consume, to a lesser extent, fish, meat, dairy and vegetable oils, preferably boiled, steamed and grilled cooking.
Eat very few foods that carry sugar, avoid those of refined cereals (white bread, white rice, white pasta), red meats and processed meats, such as sausages or frozen fillets where it can happen that half is not even meat.
Finally, avoid teverything we know that provides many calories but few nutrients: salty snacks, milkshakes, carbonated beverages, pastries, chocolates, candies, sweets, candies, slushies, ice cream, mantecados, mayonnaises, pastry, sweet desserts, high-fat cheeses, soft drinks, pastries, sauces, sorbets, nougat, juices.
Just by following these tips, pregnant or not, you will be following a healthy diet, the weight will be better controlled and both your body and your baby will receive the best nutrients. If you add a little exercise each day, the probability that pregnancy and childbirth go better are greater.
