How often do pregnant women utter the words, “Oh, but I’m eating for two!,” while tucking into a large double cheese burger? While this may sound like the right thing to do, it’s not. Future mothers have to educate themselves about the myths and facts around pregnancy.
Expecting mothers are indeed eating for two, but this does not mean you need to eat twice as much as you normally would.
While pregnant, you may sometimes feel so hungry you could eat two horses. You should certainly be increasing the amount of certain nutrients, but only by about 300 calories per day, if you are at a healthy weight. This will increase to about 450 more per day in your third trimester.
Gaining too much weight during pregnancy affects you physically, increasing pain in your legs and your back. It also increases your risk of developing heartburn, high blood pressure and gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes is when your body is not able to make or use insulin properly during pregnancy, leading to an increase in blood sugar levels. This type of diabetes can affect the developing baby during pregnancy as well as during delivery and for a short while thereafter. Heartburn also becomes an issue, more especially if you’re further along your pregnancy. The baby crowds out the digestive tract and puts more pressure on your intestines and stomach.
It goes without saying that absorbing too many calories affects your baby’s weight. This may result in an assisted delivery – natural or caesarean – whereas if the baby had been smaller this could have benn avoided.
It is very important to eat healthy while you have a baby growing inside of you. Consider the following:
• Eat a variety of foods to meet your daily needs for protein, calories, carbohydrates, healthy fats, key vitamins and minerals. Try to look for different colours, types and textures in your food.
• Try to minimize foods that have more calories but few nutrients: fizzy drinks, fried foods, or foods with extra fat and sugar.
• Create a meal plan. Structure will encourage a healthy diet.
• Eat foods in their natural state, like brown rice, brown bread and fresh fruits.
• Be sure to choose healthier fats and oils, such as olive oil and canola oil and avocado. Drink lots of water throughout the day.
• Keep active.
While pregnant, your baby’s health and growth are related to what you eat. When you are tempted to help yourself to another portion of rice and chicken, remember that you are eating for a baby and not a full-size adult.
Dr Nicola Rains is based at the NHC Health Centre in Northcliff.
