Diet in pregnancy

                        OK now you are pregnant........you are full of anxiety....what should you do what should you eat ??? that is the next big question..... well its time now to say bye bye to those junk foods and say hello to healthy food ,at least for the sake of your baby...although i have said like that i am pretty much sure that you are a healthy foodie....

                      now we all know what we should eat right ? everybody is conscious now a days about what type of food they should eat...if you surf the net you would probably get a load of web site which will give you the precise calorie amount the exact daily dose of carbohydrate,the percentage of fats in your diet and blah blah blah.......the point is what more can i say...probably nothing. So i decided that instead of giving you the exact amount of curbs , fats and proteins in your diet , i would rather try and give you some practical advises.

                    The need of your body changes as you advance through your pregnancy, as your baby grows so does your appetite.As long as you are gaining in your weight the food you are taking is probably sufficient, provided

1.  you have a normal pregnancy
2. You don't have Diabetes/hypertension(high blood pressure).
3. you are not obese
4. you don't literally live on junk foo

                    Presuming you have none,and presuming you know that healthy food does not mean junk food , i will take our discussion further and try to give you a fair scenario of your dietary picture  Initially when you begin your journey through the first few months you are usually much bugged by morning sickness. some even has tendency to vomit at the site or smell of food , and its quite natural that you loose few kgs initially(1 to 2 kgs).


In 1st Trimester (initial 3 months )

                  If you are bothered by morning sickness try to space your meal . take small quantities and take frequently. its also seen that in this period you might experience some amount of appetite loss. so you probably would not be able to tale large feeds.  when you decrease the quantity of your food and increase the frequency ...
you will be able to take the same amount you used to take before .do not to take food force fully.it will do more harm than good. try to bring variations in your food. if one does not click , probably the other will do. Well of-course you should definitely avoid oily or fatty foods or foods with much spices as it will lead to more acid secretion in your stomach and you will end up having either gastritis or more morning sickness or the worst both.do not be bugged by the fact that if you are having 3 to 4 episodes of vomiting a day or if you are eating 2/3rd the amount of what you used to take before.initially your babies need is very less . it will get what it needs to get from you.Once you come in terms with your new hormones in your body, your appetite and weight both will run uphill.so cheer up.                

•   try to take small tit bits whenever you can
• avoid food which seems to increase your morning sickness
• take lots of water or fruit juice ,keep yourself well hydrate 

As you cross your 1st trimester
                                                              Now is the time to eat

                  Normally by now you would have left  your loss of appetite , morning sickness etc etc behind.this is the time where your appetite will grow , and so also your baby. Most of my patient says they feel hungry all the time. so i advise them eat whenever you feel like you need to eat. But keep in mind not to over stuff your self at the same time.
                 Once you start growing your tummy  ,  their is a condition called "gastroesophageal reflux", this might bother you . The cause is that your growing uterus will give pressure on your stomach , and it becomes more prone to reflux food into your esophagus (the passage which takes food from your mouth to stomach) . So many of you will experience burning sensation in your chest or slight pain or discomfort in the mid section of your chest.To avoid this there are few simple tips which you can do.

1. Avoid taking large meal , instead try taking small meals at frequent interval.
2. Avoid taking very rich food.(oily/spicy)
3. avoid lying down soon after having meal
4. Try taking a large pillow which will support not only your head but your shoulder too,which will raise your chest level from that of your stomach.
5. Try sleeping on your right side as stomach empties on right side( after you complete 7 months you should lie more often on your left side to facilitate blood flow)

What are the foods that you should take ?
Foods which are tasty and also nutritious and above all which are easily digestible.The foods which should be included in your list are

1. Milk and milk products: try the pasturized milk as boiling destroys almost all vitamins in milk
2. fish,meat and poultry : always cook properly , if possible in pressure cooker
3. lots of green vegetables :High in fibre so keeps your bowel clean , also rich in minerals.You Can take it raw (as in salad)or cooked .do not forget to wash vegetables properly in running water
4. seasonal fruits: if possible take fresh fruit instead of canned or processed fruit.
5. cereals and pulses
6. Lots of fluid to keep yourself well hydrated and to avoid urinary tract infection which is so common in initial 3 months of pregnancy.

Vitamin supplements in pregnancy

           There is a particular vitamin which your doctor will prescribe in the initial 3 months .Its called Folic acid. its particularly useful certain specific developmental bieth defect such as open neral tube defect.Its very important for you to take this vitamin regularly.Actually you should start taking this medicine even before you are pregnant at least 2 months prior to becoming pregnant . The dose is 4 mg /day.If you have any previous baby with such birth defect the dose should be 5mg/day.

           Later as you advance you will be given Iron and Calcium supplements according to your need to replenish your physiological anemia and to safe gourd your bone against too much density loss. Also at times you might be given Vit B complex according to your need.

Foods/Habits to avoid

1. Stop smoking if you are a smoker. There is nothing like bringing it down slowly.Its harmful and stop it outright.You are strong enough to be able to stop it right now
2. Give up alcohol as lots of studies has shown that it might give rise to attention deficit or learning problems or worst few developmental defects to your baby.
3. Fish containing high level of mercury such as studies has suggested it causes damage to developing nervous system of your baby.Few fishes i would like to specially mention are Shark,sword fish and .marlin.You should also restrict intake of Tuna to less than 4 medium can per week.
4. Limit the intake of caffeine as it has been found it gives rise to higher incidence of miscarriage and low birth weight.
5. Limit intake of food or vitamin supplement which are rich in Vit A such as liver and liver products,Vit A supplemenst,Cod liver oil supplements.
6. Do not take raw meat,fish or unpasteurized milk as you might get infected with listera . listeriosis might lead to miscarriage,still birth or it might infect the newborn also.

           One thing i would like to mention is during pregnancy its very important that you do not starve , as you might have attacks of hypoglycemia.so always keep something in your bag such as biscuits,cookies or dry fruits and pop in some whenever you feel hungry at the odd time or place till you find something proper to eat.So i think by now i have given you enough information regarding your diet. You should gain at least 10 to 12 kgs throughout your pregnancy.mostly this weight gain happens from 4th month onwards.so instead of counting your calories and percentage of different foods in your diet stick to your basic diet but increase the quantity according to your demand.take the vitamin supplements advised by your doc and i dont see why you should not have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby...so stay healthy eat healthy and stay well....