HEALTHY FOODS TO EAT DURING PREGNANCY.

If eating healthy is something that we should aim to do in all stages of our lives, it is incredibly more pertinent during to maintain pregnancy. Pregnant women should eat healthy for two.

Pregnant women should have a varied diet but especially eat the following foods.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.

The vitamins, minerals and antioxidants present within fruits and vegetable are essential for pregnant women. Vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, watercress, asparagus, romaine lettuce, brussel sprouts, etc. are fundamental during pregnancy for their richness in folic acid.

Adequate levels of this vitamin should be maintained from three months prior to the pregnancy up to three months into it in order to prevent the emergence of spina bifida.

Nitric fruits such as oranges, tangerines, avocados, mangoes, red fruits are rich in folic acid.

Other foods rich in folic acid include soya, walnuts, peanuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, etc.

LEGUMES AND CEREALS

Beans, chickpeas, lentils, bread, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, bran breakfast cereals, etc. prevent constipation, maintain the energy levels that a pregnant woman needs, and are healthy sources of protein, vitamins and minerals. All of these foods contribute to the maintenance of folic acid levels needed by pregnant women.

MEAT AND FISH

Pregnant women need to primarily consume white meat such as chicken, turkey, etc. It should be cooked well done to eliminate the bacteria present within them and be consumed two times a week.

Small oily fish such as sardines, anchovies, salmon, mussels, squid, etc. have to be consumed two times per week due to their richness in omega 3, iodine and phosphorous.

Big fish such as red tuna, swordfish, pike and merlin should always be avoided.

MILK AND DAIRY

The ingestion of these products should be slightly incremented during the pregnancy in order to ensure that all calcium needs are.

Cured cheeses and cheeses made with pasteurised cheese are recommended for pregnant women as opposed to soft cheeses. These cheeses release liquids that enable the listeria bacteria to grow, which is incredibly harmful during pregnancy.

EGGS

The immense properties present within eggs make them healthy for pregnant women.

They have to be eaten hard boiled or cooked in order to prevent the presence of the bacteria salmonella, especially in situations where it is unclear if the bacteria has been eradicated from them. The same applies to mayonnaise and salsas that have been made with raw eggs.

OLIVE OIL

New studies have shown that olive oil helps to prevent the emergence of gestational diabetes thereby making it incredibly important during pregnancy.

We recommend that fruits, yogurts and nuts are consumed to manage the appetite between meals and the consumption of sugary drinks and saturated and trans fats should be lowered or avoided.

Lastly, we recommend that pregnant women should always be well hydrated and drink a minimum of eight glasses of water per day depending on the ambient temperature whilst also doing physical exercise such as walking from half an hour to an hour per day.

Dr J. Hurtado Martínez

Medical Director of HealthSalus