Wherever certain life forms are found, it is known as a life zone. For an expectant mother, her womb becomes a life zone since that is where the baby’s growth is taking place. For proper development to take place, healthy nutrition is a definite must! The mother-to-be has to be very cautious with her prenatal care if she wants to deliver a healthy child. The pregnancy diet zone can give her all the help she needs by providing balanced nutrition for the growing fetus.
The pregnancy diet zone deals with three aspects—
(1) Balance in Diet: The new life form growing inside the expectant mother’s womb is solely dependent on her for food. Thus, the responsibility of ensuring that the unborn child’s needs are taken care of lies completely with her. A balanced diet will ensure that the newborn does not appear underweight or malnourished at birth. To make sure that her pregnancy diet zone is properly balanced with all the essential nutrients, she has to—
(a) Give up snacking at odd times so that she does not gain unnecessary weight. In short, it simply means, ‘controlling her hunger’.
(b) Ensure that her hormones stay at balanced levels.
(c) Try to maintain normal blood sugar levels.
(d) Prevent accumulation of excess cholesterol within her body so that the cardiovascular system remains healthy and adequate oxygen is delivered to the cells.
(e) Make sure that her blood pressure remains normal at all times.
(f) Build up muscle tone so that she has adequate energy and strength.
(2) General Dietary Requirements: Since the baby’s systems are still in the process of development and it cannot function on its own, the expectant mother’s body systems act like a life support. To enhance this life support, the pregnancy diet zone stresses on certain dietary necessities—
(a) Consumption of whole grains to stock up on carbohydrates. White rice or white breads are to be discarded.
(b) Foods rich in different minerals and vitamins should form a part of every meal. So a varied diet is advised.
(c) Fruits and vegetables are considered as essential nutrients, which are to be ingested in plenty.
(d) Fats are also necessary, but in minimal amounts only.
(e) Water is an extremely important part of any diet, pregnant or otherwise. At least eight glasses per day is compulsory. Each glass should be capable of holding eight ounces of water.
(f) An approximate weight gain in stages is advised for the mother-to-be, to ensure a healthy pregnancy and normal delivery. So she has to see that her body weight during the entire length of the pregnancy goes hand-in-hand with what has been recommended.
(g) The pregnancy diet zone counsels that the growing baby will have something akin to an effective fat metabolism system as well as improved triglycerides if the pregnant woman decides to consume daily meals low in carbohydrates but with a moderate amount of proteins. After all, no woman would want to have an obese child! And scientific research has made it clear that obesity problems may start in the womb itself in some cases.
(3) Specific Dietary Needs: The pregnancy diet zone suggests that she stick to at least the minimum dietary needs during this stressful period to ensure good health for her and her unborn child. Daily intake of—
(a) Cereals or whole grains, especially for breakfast.
(b) Vegetables in plenty. To have at least 5 servings during the first two trimesters and increase it to 7 during the third trimester.
(c) Fruits (4 of them).
(d) Milk (up to 450 grams).
(e) Some fish or meat (125 grams). Shellfish is to be avoided.
(f) Iron.
(g) Folate, which is part of the ‘B’ group of vitamins.
(h) Calcium (1100 mg).
On a final note, the doctor has to be consulted regularly as nutritional needs of the pregnant woman will change according to the different stages of pregnancy. The pregnancy diet zone follows proven dietary guidelines. So the health of both, mother and baby, are insured!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/pregnancy-diet-zone-its-3-crucial-aspects--753550.html
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