Proper eating during pregnancy can be confusing. What foods are allowed, and what’s forbidden? What amounts of different things should you have? Never fear, pregnancy & nutrition is really all about moderation. You can actually enjoy a healthy, tasty diet and an active lifestyle as long as you do so in modest proportions. Use your common sense, and you should be fine. But just in case, we’ve answered a few of the most common pregnancy diet questions below.
Q. Is it OK to drink coffee during pregnancy?
A. Experts agree that caffeine consumption is okay during pregnancy, but only in limited amounts. You should cut back on your caffeine intake until you reach about 150mg per day. This is the equivalent of one cup of coffee. When totaling your caffeine for the day, make sure you include all the foods and beverages that have caffeine in them, such as chocolate, tea, and even headache medicine. While it’s best to slowly cut back on caffeine until it’s eliminated from your diet, simply cutting back to one cup per day is allowable.
Q. Is it OK to eat shrimp during pregnancy?
A. Yes, shrimp is one of the types of seafood that you can safely eat during pregnancy. Other low-mercury varieties include wild salmon, butterfish, tilapia, sardines, anchovies, crab, and lobster, as well as others. You should enjoy no more than two 6 ounce servings during pregnancy of these low mercury fish varieties. Be sure to check the mercury content of other varieties of fish before you consume them, as some are too high and are forbidden during pregnancy.
Q. What OTC medications can I take during pregnancy?
A. Most over the counter (OTC) medications are not allowed during pregnancy, because the effects of these medicines on your baby are too difficult to gauge. If you have problems with common pregnancy complaints such as nausea, headaches, fatigue, or constipation, check with your health care provider to see if dietary changes or natural remedies can be used to help you feel better. Sometimes, something as simple as not drinking enough water can profoundly affect your health and wellbeing, so make sure you are eating well and getting enough water each day.
Q. How much water do I have to drink during pregnancy?
A. Getting enough water during pregnancy is a major issue for several reasons. First, if you are having morning sickness and are experiencing a lot of vomiting, you need water to stay hydrated. Second, water can help flush out toxins and prevent pregnancy-related health issues such as headaches, water retention, and constipation. And finally, water can help you feel fuller between meals, which helps curb the tendency to overeat.
You should be drinking half your body weight in water every day, minimum. So if you weigh 160 pounds, you need to drink about 80 ounces daily at least. Add more if you are sick and throwing up, or if you work out and sweat a lot.
Q. Do I have to exercise during pregnancy?
A. Yes, exercise is essential to a healthy pregnancy. It will keep you in shape for the big day (labor) and will keep your weight down, so your pregnancy weight gain is within the proper boundaries (between 20 and 30 pounds). Seek out an exercise regimen that is low-impact or no-impact for the safest results.
Good options include Pilates, yoga, walking, swimming, or water aerobics. Steer clear of high-impact aerobic activity or anything that could make you prone to falls, such as tennis, horseback riding, running, or skiing. If you find you have trouble staying motivated, then try working out with a buddy. It helps to have the encouragement of a good friend.
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One of the problems that women face is a blood sugar. There are a number of factors that can cause high blood sugar levels. Pregnancy and menopause change estrogen levels which affect metabolism and how body processes fat. In turn, that affects blood sugar levels. Menstruation also affects blood sugar, at least indirectly. Everyone has heard about “those pesky hormones” and all about craving certain foods like salty items such as chips or everyone’s favorite treat, chocolate. With some dietary changes and a little help from supplements you can achieve a healthy balance in your blood sugar levels.
Tackling the Diet
Carbohydrates are important for your body, but eating too many of them in your diet can cause your blood sugar to have more drastic highs and lows. In addition, you’ll find that more fat collects along your midriff and hips. By being selective in the types of carbs you ingest, you will still get what you need in your diet but without those blood sugar swings.
Just say no to processed foods. Basically white foods – anything with white flour and sugars – are converted more quickly to glucose in your body. This causes a spike in your blood sugar levels that lasts just a short time. Before you know it, your energy plummets and you feel lethargic because that “sugar rush” is gone. Then, in order to get that energy level back up, you eat more carbs and the cycle starts all over again.
By choosing carbohydrates that are found in whole grain foods, your body has to work harder to process them. What this means for you is that extreme high-low factor goes away and you are left with a more balanced blood sugar level and your energy level is more consistent. And because your body works harder to process these types of carbohydrates, you are expending calories, meaning less fat gets deposited in your mid-section.
Vitamins and Supplements
While taking care with your diet helps greatly, sometimes you just need an additional boost. This is where women supplements and vitamins for women come in. Business is booming with herbal supplements and special vitamin formulas. But which ones help with your blood sugar?
When your blood sugar levels fluctuate, it can be draining on your body and leave you feeling a bit sluggish. Taking supplements for women that contain chromium might give you a boost and alleviate some of that fatigue. If you have diabetes or might be prone to developing it, ginseng can also be beneficial. It has been known to boost metabolism and help control blood sugar.
If you are looking for vitamins or supplements you have to make sure you only buy high quality products. Always look for products from companies that only specialize in vitamins and supplements products for women. One of the companies that makes nutrients for women and specializes in supplements for women health is nutraOrigin.
There are a number of other women vitamins and supplements that could also be beneficial. However, be sure the check with your doctor to determine which ones might be best for you. If you are taking other medications, certain vitamins or women supplements might counteract with them.
It all boils down to common sense. Do your research into the different vitamins and supplements. Make positive changes in your diet. Women are built differently than men. Therefore, you must be more diligent with your body and what goes into it for your health.