Diet and foods for the pregnant

It is the aspiration of every mother-to-be to give birth to a perfectly healthy baby. In order to fulfill this aspiration, it is essential for her to safeguard her own health too. The development of the baby in the womb depends to a large extent on the diet of the mother. The expectant mother should ensure dial her diet is adequate both in quality and quantity to satisfy the nutritional requirements of the baby as well as those of her own body.

For maintenance of health and strength during the period of pregnancy, a woman needs additional quantities of proteins, lion, calcium and vitamins of the B group. Thus her requirements exceed the normal requirements of the female body. She should take care to include cereals, pulses, leafy vegetables, milk and milk products, as well as seasonal fruits in her daily diet. The quantity of food should be appropriate for the kind of work she is required to do, those who have to do more physical work requiring proportionately greater quantities of energy-giving foods.

The pregnant woman should avoid highly spiced foods, eat balanced meals, do not skip meals, eliminate caffeine (tea, coffee, colas) and drink lots of liquids (water and juices), eight to ten glasses per day. Carrots, radishes, cucumbers, ripe tomatoes and such other sources of vitamins should figure prominently in her daily diet.

She should divide her daily intake of food into moderate helpings taken at short intervals rather than stuffing up the stomach in two or three main meals. An increase of 10 to 12 kg in weight during the course of pregnancy is normal, but the increase in any one month should amount to no more than 1 or 1/14-kg. If she puts on weight at a faster rate than this, it may prove hazardous for both herself and her baby. In order to satisfy herself that the rate of gain in weight continues to remain within the desirable limits, she should get her weight checked every fortnight or so.