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Pregnancy nutrition
Food for Thought
Though you should maintain a healthy diet throughout your pregnancy, nutrition is especially important during the third trimester.
By Susan Dahlheimer, PhD, RD, FADA, and Diane Wagoner, MS, RD, LDN
In your last months of pregnancy, nutrition should be a consideration at every meal. Right now, as your baby is preparing to live outside of your body, she’s developing at a rapid pace: Her lungs and kidneys are growing stronger so that they can take over the functions that yours are now performing, and her brain is quickly maturing. At the same time, your body is preparing to produce milk, so you can continue to nurture your baby when breastfeeding in the coming months. The food choices you make now will help ensure a healthy start for your baby and positive eating habits for your growing family.
In 2005, USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion released a new Food Guide Pyramid. Called MyPyramid, the new design emphasizes variety, moderation, proportionality and personalization. Guidelines for pregnancy and breastfeeding are also included.
Start with Energy
In the last trimester, babies typically gain about a quarter to a half-pound each week. To ensure this steady growth pattern, you must eat enough to gain about a pound per week, which will require about 300 extra calories a day. Your extra energy consumption also helps your blood volume increase, so it can supply enough nutrients to the baby, prepare your breasts for milk production and build strong muscles to support labor. Never try to lose weight or restrict your calories during pregnancy. If you do, you are likely to feel depressed, anxious and stressed, and your baby is more likely to be born early, small and less prepared for life outside the womb.
Build a Base with Protein
Protein’s importance in your diet is second only to caloric intake. During pregnancy, you need about 20 percent more protein than normal for increased fetal growth, uterus and breast development, and preparation for breastfeeding. If your diet meets the pyramid’s recommendations of five to seven ounces of meat and three cups of milk a day, you probably are already consuming enough protein to meet your needs and those of your growing baby.
Focus now on your source of protein: Fish, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy should be a big part of your diet. Because dangerous mercury levels in some fish can impair a baby’s brain development, the FDA recommends that you avoid eating large predator fish such as swordfish and king mackerel. However, it is safe to eat up to 12 ounces a week of more commonly consumed fish such as cod, salmon and canned light tuna.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians - those who eat dairy and eggs but not meat - should increase their consumption of dairy products and supplement their diet with protein from beans, seeds and nuts. Vegans - those who eliminate all animal products, including dairy, fish and eggs - should be sure to get enough enriched soy milk, tofu, cooked beans, nuts and nut butters. A vegan diet lacks the vitamin B12 from meat and dairy foods that is vital for red blood cell production, brain development and metabolism, so vegans will need to compensate with fortified soy products or supplements.
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