Eat these so you don't gain weight while pregnant

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Eat these so you don't gain weight while pregnant
Eat these so you don't gain weight while pregnant
Anonim

The life of expectant mothers is not easy, almost from the moment the family finds out about the pregnancy, feeding is continuous

After all, the view that an expectant mother should eat instead of two still holds true to this day. However, this is very untrue, and this misconception is one of the reasons why expectant mothers feel like whales, as they gain up to 20-30 kilos during pregnancy. And society also has its very definite opinion about the body, body image, and beauty of a pregnant woman.

It is a fact that appetite and needs change during pregnancy, and of course it is also true that how much weight you gain depends on your body shape, and in fact, especially towards the end, a considerable part of the kilos you gain can be retained water too.

However, it is true that new mothers do not know what they should eat, so they tend to reach for vitamins and eat more of almost everything that is put in front of them on a "sure thing" basis. The reaction is understandable, as I want the best for the little one, but this is not it.

How much weight can you gain during pregnancy?

This is the question that every pregnant woman asks at least once. Of course, anxiety also occurs, and everyone asks their doctor the question, then reads the forums with dread, because others have gained less weight than them. During the weigh-ins, most women are amazed to learn how much weight they have gained again, and they don't even want to think about how they will lose the excess. Fortunately, it's not that big of a drama, gaining weight is natural, and it's relatively easy to get rid of excess weight after giving birth within a he althy framework.

shutterstock 69226501
shutterstock 69226501

The question arises in many people, why is it a problem if they gain a lot of weight? After all, the baby's interests come first, not our weight. This would be perfectly fine if high weight gain led to he althier babies. But this is not so. What's more, eating too much food, gaining a huge excess can increase the chances of gestational diabetes, make labor more difficult, increase the time of delivery, the likelihood of a caesarean section (which is an open, lower abdominal surgery and as such carries serious risks), and the chance of also increases, so that the child struggles with weight problems in his teenage years or as an adult - pointed out Dr. Michelle Moniz, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the University of Michigan.

How much weight a new mother gains during her pregnancy depends on her original body weight. The recommendations for this changed in 2009 and look like this:

  • For expectant mothers whose body mass index, i.e. BMI, is below 18.5, according to the recommendation, gaining between 11 and 18 kilos is ideal.
  • With a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9, the expectant mother belongs to the normal weight category, and her ideal weight gain is between 11 and 15 kilos.
  • With an index between 25 and 29.9, the pregnant woman belongs to the overweight category, so her ideal weight gain is only between 6 and 11 kilos.
  • With a body mass index above 30, women are already in the obese category, so they cannot gain as much weight even as pregnant women. The ideal weight gain is only between 4 and 9 kilos.
shutterstock 125676827
shutterstock 125676827

The quality of the meal should be improved, not the quantity

Dóra Varga, dietitian at the Endocrine Center in Buda, said that expectant mothers should not increase the quantity of food and meals, but increase the quality!

“There is no need to significantly increase energy intake as an expectant mother, but women's need for certain vitamins and minerals increases significantly at this time. Based on the recommendations, it is not even necessary to increase calorie intake in the first trimester of pregnancy, and only 300 kcal more is needed during the second and third trimesters. During pregnancy, however, the body needs more folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamins A, D, E, vitamin B complex, iodine and zinc. A varied, balanced diet is sufficient to ensure these, and dietary supplements are not absolutely necessary.

This means that the expectant mother should ideally pay attention to the following during meals:

  • Eat at least 4-6 servings of vegetables and fruits per day, as this covers the need for fiber, thus preventing constipation. Vegetables also contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which the expectant mother needs. Green soup vegetables are rich in folic acid (vitamin B9), which, among other things, plays a key role in the prevention of esophageal obstruction disorders.
  • Eat a small handful of oily seeds every day (almonds, walnuts, etc.), because in addition to valuable polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins, they also contain calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and magnesium in larger quantities.
  • Eat dairy products several times a day, as this is how you can meet your increased calcium needs.
  • Choose cereals with a high fiber content: oatmeal, whole wheat, bulgur, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, etc., because these are absorbed more slowly in the body, thus raising blood sugar levels less, and making us feel full sooner and longer.
  • Also pay attention to adequate protein intake, each main meal should be supplemented with a little low-fat meat, cold meats, dairy products, regularly eat legumes as well.
shutterstock 215187748
shutterstock 215187748

Of course, every expectant mother and every person's needs are different, that is, these foods are only guidelines, the help of a specialist may be necessary to create a truly complex, personalized diet."

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