Pregnancy - The 5 Point Diet Plan!

Pregnancy is a phase in the life of a woman, when she revels in her feminism. It is just women who can bring forth a wonderful new life into this world. However, this period is also marked by constant worry and the woman is strongly affected by emotions with regard to experiencing heaviness and strain. The stress is on account of being distressed over whether everything has been done that needs to be done to ensure she gives birth to a healthy baby. A diet plan for pregnancy is a significant issue since it has to do with maintaining the mother's as well as the baby's health.

Handling the Weight Issue

Conceiving a child is a remarkable experience, but it necessitates making certain life adjustments much ahead of the baby's arrival into this world. By far the most prominent adjustment that needs to be made right at the start is the requirement for balanced nutrition directed at improving both the mother's as well as the baby's health.

Now, you have two people to think of instead of one! Pondering on the subject of nutrition indicates that you should primarily take in the changed nutritional needs of your body. A diet plan for pregnancy focuses on issues that have a significant bearing on a baby's growth as well as the health of a mom.

1. Increase in the intake of essential minerals and vitamins for maintaining the overall health

2. Increase in the consumption of certain vitamins as well as supplements to contend with particular issues likes birth deformities and a considerable reduction in calcium

3. Keeping away from certain foods that can possibly inhibit the proper fetal growth

4. Increase in the intake of trimester-specific calorie levels

5. Emphasizing a balanced nutritional diet

In the present wealthy societies, it is quite easy to be lured by take away food being dished out at fast food joints and at convenience stores. However, the ground rule is to consume foods that are cooked right and are naturally flavored. Fast foods, more often than not, have excess doses of saturated fats or salt, which are a total no-no for both you and the baby. When ascertaining the right kinds of foods to consume, there are some diet plan suggestions for pregnancy that should keep you on course all through your pregnancy.

Offsetting requirements

The very objective of a diet plan for pregnancy is to offset adequately, the extra nutritional requirements generated by the developing baby.

a. Folic acid is an essential nutritional requirement during a pregnant woman's important life phases, spanning from conception to menopause. The fetus needs extra amounts of folic acid to assist with the division of cells.

b. Consume lots of fresh, green leafy vegetables in order to maintain the right iron levels

c. Take in sufficient doses of calcium to make up for the additional requirements created by the baby's development

d. Make certain you take in adequate daily doses of protein to ensure the proper development of the baby

The actual nutritional requirements differ from woman to woman. Therefore, it is advisable that you seek your doctor's opinion and create a basic diet plan for pregnancy. What needs to be understood is that a diet plan for pregnancy ensures that vitamins and supplements do not take the place of a healthy, balanced diet. These are meant to improve the diet by adequately filling in the deficiencies in nutrients present in the food consumed.

Read more »

How to Maintain a Healthy Pregnancy Diet

A healthy pregnancy diet basically entails eating right when a woman is pregnant. Proper nutrition is essential for a pregnant mother. It helps in the growth of the baby and keeps you healthy and ready for the delivery. A pregnant mother should practice healthy living by avoiding smoking, drinking or drugs that can ruin her health and that of the baby.

On average, it is recommended that a pregnant mother consumes more calories when pregnant. Maintaining a well balanced diet and eating healthily are a must for pregnant women. A woman who does not adhere to a healthy pregnancy diet and living routines may expose her and her child to serious risk of diseases and other dangers.

Eating the right amounts of food and the right nutrients is essential for a pregnant woman. The best way to keep a healthy pregnancy diet is to stick to the espoused goals as to why you need to eat healthily first. Ask yourself; why do I need to eat and live healthily? You need to do this for you and for your baby.

One of the aims of healthy pregnancy diet entails getting a woman to eat the varieties of foods that will her all the essential nutrients she needs. If not sure about what quantities of food to consume, a pregnant woman can always seek the advice of her doctor. Your doctor will put you through a step by step analysis of what to eat and what not to eat; what to do and what not to do etc. It helps to seek a physician's consultation if you are not sure.

However, generally, a pregnant woman should ensure that she gets the right amounts of vitamins daily, eat types of food that are fiber enriched, amongst many others. It is advisable to consult widely on dietary needs and read if necessary for you to know exactly what you are eating. Pregnancy is a very important time in a woman's life and choosing to live healthily ensures your pregnancy is successful. Eat healthy today for you and your baby.

Read more »

A Menopausal Diet That Fits You

Finding a menopausal diet that fits the menopausal woman is easier than you think. Menopause brings its own special changes and needs to a woman. These changes can make a woman feel out of balance with the rest of her world. The hormonal and emotional issues are only one side of it. With menopause comes a whole new way of gaining weight as well. Just what a woman needs!

Fat accumulation is a constant battle, for many women, for most of their lives. Prior to menopause, fat is accumulated subcutaneously, that is, just under the skin level. But during and after menopause, women tend to stop storing it subcutaneously (although not completely) and start storing the fat under the abdominal wall. This is called visceral fat storage, where fat accumulates around the organs.

Visceral fat is dangerous. It is directly related to some of the more difficult diseases, such as type II diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and such. So, the right menopausal diet for you needs to be one that attacks the visceral fat as well as the subcutaneous fat.

It might seem logical to start restricting food intake when this happens, but it would only seem that way. It is not a valid menopausal diet method and a terrible idea to stop eating as much food as before. The reason is because our bodies still have a "cave-man" attitude about survival. What you call restricting food intake, the body calls famine.

Our bodies are actually very good at dealing with famine. It does so by slowing down the metabolism and releasing fat stores as energy only in extreme situations. If you withhold food, you stop the fat burning process altogether. That makes restricting calories an example of bad menopausal diet.

Another reason why it is not a good idea to restrict calories and force the body into famine mode: when a menopausal woman stops (or slows down) the process of making hormones, particularly estrogen, fat cells try to take over the job! Burning fat cells releases estrogen when a woman is going through menopause. So a good menopausal diet for you does NOT restrict calories.

Actually, a healthy and proper menopausal diet is not a restrictive diet at all. The proper menopausal diet is eating more food but healthy food that will help you to burn fat. This may sound a little backwards in thinking, but more food that is healthy and good for you will help you lose weight, not gain it.

Read more »

Diet and Pregnant Women - Any Thoughts on Whether They Go Hand-in-Hand?

Most pregnant women feel too large as their baby grows. So it's not uncommon for someone to mention diet, and pregnant women quickly turn to hear what's about to be said. They want to know how they can lose weight. Most don't like the idea of gaining weight. However, most doctors agree that losing weight and being pregnant do not go well together. Health care professionals believe pregnancy is the worst time of all to lose weight. If the baby isn't nourished, it will not grow properly.

The general consensus is that pregnant women need to gain some weight. The amount needed is different depending upon how heavy a woman was before becoming pregnant. Even an obese woman should plan on gaining at least 12 and up to 25 pounds over the course of her pregnancy. An important thing about diet and pregnant women is the number of calories needed. When a woman is pregnant, people often push food at her encouraging her to eat more and more. Well-meaning friends and loved ones say, "You're eating for two now!" That's a dreadful myth. Do NOT eat twice as much!

This thinking couldn't be further from the truth. Actually, a woman only needs an additional 300 calories a day to adequately nourish the baby. At this calorie level, she too can stay healthy.

If you make reasonable adjustments to your diet, you'll be healthy and you won't gain too much weight. If you happen to be obese you'll be used to eating much more than is required by this diet. And pregnant women who are obese may not gain weight. The requirements are simply the building blocks of a healthy diet. Again, consult with your doctor.

Three to five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables should be included in your diet, and pregnant women will enjoy this. One of the vegetables should be a dark orange one and two of them should be dark green and leafy. These foods provide many vitamins and other nutrients needed for your growing baby. Moderate protein is suggested for pregnant women who are obese, or anyone for that matter may be accustomed to eating more. The recommendations for proteins include only 2 servings. These can be extra lean meats, some fish, chicken, or dried peas or beans.

Six servings of grain are suggested and you should consider eating whole grains whenever possible. This may seem like a lot, but the key is eating whole grain and unbleached whole wheat products. Your body "processes" them better and they don't convert to fat like white breads and grains easily do.

Three servings of low fat or nonfat milk or milk products are also helpful for pregnant women and their growing babies. The interesting thing is that milk encourages weight loss in the body as it nourishes it with healthy nutrients. Again, check with your doctor before changing any eating or exercise patterns. But ladies, if you happen to fall into the obese category here's some good news.

Recent studies revealed that babies of obese women who followed this diet - and when the women lost weight because of the healthier - actually fared better. The babies had fewer complications after use of the diet, and pregnant women felt better as well from losing weight. Overall it's a low calorie diet and moderate exercise plan. So, although for most women you shouldn't lose weight when pregnant . . . new studies reveal some exceptions. Researchers evaluated the diet, and pregnant women who were obese did better by losing the weight. The important thing is that their babies did better too.

Read more »

Gestational Diabetes Diet - The Effective Diet

For most pregnant women choosing healthy and relatively small portions of food is sufficient to maintain blood sugar levels within recommended norms. Together with mild exercise they can easily control their weight gains, which is the #1 cause for developing gestational diabetes.

Up to 15% of pregnant women however are diagnosed during their second trimester for gestational diabetes, in which blood sugar levels are elevated. For such women an individualized gestational diabetes diet must be devised and managed.

For a gestational diabetes diet to be effective it must relate to the following:

-- Involve the pregnant woman in the food selection -- Fit with her lifestyle -- Match her budget -- Be non-trendy

The diet must balance between healthy food and the diagnosed woman's preferences. It is a good practice to involve her in the planning of her meals to include both the food she needs and the food she enjoys. Clearly, she knows best what works for her. Having said that, the woman must monitor the effects her diet has on her weight gain and apply changes accordingly.

The diet must relate to the woman's lifestyle when selecting her food items. For example, availability at the workplace cafeteria should be considered and healthy food may need to be brought from home.

The diet must also consider budget limitations. For example, a low--carb diet rich with meats and vegetables may not be affordable to all.

The diet must not follow "trends". Claims made by one diet or another may prove to be inaccurate, at least to some. A trendy diet may be replaced tomorrow by a newer one...

The effective gestational diabetes diet is the one that proves effective to the diagnosed pregnant woman by helping her to maintain optimal blood sugar levels! The diet should be individually planned together with your dietitian and be approved by your physician.

Read more »