Healthy Food Choices In Pregnancy

Everyday you have the opportunity to eat from a wide selection of foods. Sometimes the decision is easy, other times the decision is not so clear cut. Below are the USDA guidelines for healthy eating.

Eat a variety of foods to get the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need for good health. With all the foods available to us, you would think the suggestion to eat a variety of foods unnecessary. However, think about the foods you have eaten over the past week; and then the past month. Chances are you have a few foods that you eat frequently, you simply package the food differently.

Think about the vegetables you have eaten in the last week. Did you only have two or three different vegetables? What about fruit, how many different types did you have? Do your grains come from the same bread, or rice or cereal most days? Do you have chicken almost every day? If you have begun to see a pattern with only a small variety of foods, don't feel too bad. We are all creatures of habit, and what we cook and how we eat is a habit.

Balance the food you eat with physical activity - maintain or improve your weight to reduce you chances of having high blood pressure, heart disease, a stroke, certain cancers, and the most common kind of diabetes.

The latest research suggests that the you should be moderatley active least 30 minutes a day for optimal health. The ACOG issued recommendations for pregnant women that stated they found no reasons a pregnant woman shouldn't be as active as she was before pregnancy. If you need help getting active, you may find help at exercise.birthingnaturally.net.

Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits which provide needed vitamins, minerals, fiber, and complex carbohydrates, and can help you lower your intake of fat.

Consider trying recipes with non-meat protein sources such as beans. You may also find vegetable soups are easy for a meal or snack, and whole fruit is easily portable for a quick snack when you are out.

Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol to reduce your risk of heart attack and certain types of cancer and to help you maintain a healthy weight.

Although fat alone doesn't make you fat, an unhealthy proportion of fat in your diet gives you extra unnecessary calories without any extra nutritional value. A food that is high in calories but low in nutrition is called calorie dense. Cutting back on fat may aid in digestion, reduce your risks for diseases, and assist you in losing weight. But the change from high fat living to low fat living is not always easy.

Choose a diet moderate in sugars. A diet with lots of sugars has too many calories and too few nutrients for most people and can contribute to tooth decay.

Once again the problem here is calorie density. Sugary foods offer "empty" calories that add to your body's fat supply but do not provide for your nutritional needs. You can be overweight and undernourished. You can overeat and still be malnourished if you eat junk food rather than healthy food.

Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium to help reduce your risk of high blood pressure.

As much as 80% of the sodium you get everyday may be coming from junk foods, processed foods and restaurant food. Choosing foods in their most natural state and preparing them at home will go a long way in keeping your sodium intake at the appropriate level.

You May Also Be Interested In: Explore ways exercise in pregnancy can help you stay healthy. Finding out how to tell if labor has started. The Coach's Notebook helps you master comfort measures for labor. The Natural Childbirth Directory can help you find more information about pregnancy and locate childbirth professionals. Virtual Labor Game lets you practice your new labor skills.

© Copyright 2000-2008 Jennifer VanderLaan and Birthing Naturally

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