Balanced Diet During Pregnancy Is Important

Pregnancy is the period where you feel you can eat and drink as much as you want as you are eating for two people. This is a myth as in the early part of your pregnancy the foetus is too small to justify any extra food. You will gain some amount of weight as your baby develops, but you must maintain a sense of proportion. Beware of empty calories. This means that whatever you eat must give you some nutritional benefit and not merely add to your weight.

The weight you gain during the nine months of pregnancy should be between twenty to thirty pounds. This is sufficient to provide your baby with nutrients for proper development. Weight gain in excess of this is not recommended. Besides leading to medical problems, this weight is extremely difficult to take off post the birth of your baby. Here are some tips to help you keep your weight within reasonable limits.

The easiest thing to do is to increase the intake of water. This will serve to keep your stomach full so you will eat less. It will also help to flush out toxins from your body. Keep a bottle by your side and take a few sips at short intervals. Drink at least about six to seven glasses of water per day. This will also help you in having a regular bowel movement.

Eliminate processed food from your diet as it contains a lot of hidden fat and chemicals like sodium and preservatives. All these induce piling up of weight. The salt content of processed food makes you retain water in your body. Substitute these foods with fresh produce like fruits and vegetables. Buy lean cuts of meat and eat more fish and chicken. Drastic changes all at once are not going to be possible, so go slow making one change at a time.

Try to cut down on colas, desserts and coffee. They do you no good but add to your weight rapidly. Fruit salad with unprocessed honey and low fat flavoured yoghurt instead of ice cream are good choices. Indulge your sweet tooth with these instead of those foods rich in cream and sugar. Synthetic sweeteners are not good for you so opt for natural sweeteners like stevia.

Do not forget to get some exercise daily. Skip strenuous exercise especially those that jerk your body like horse riding, running and tennis. You can do mild exercise like walking, yoga and swimming, being careful to swim only in a clean pool. Exercise only as long as it does not tire you.

Follow these simple rules and you will find it easy to return to your normal weight after child birth.