Pregnancy is one of the most overwhelming times in a woman’s life.
You are excited and happy, totally focused on the future, planning what your life is going to be like once your new family member arrives, but you’re also completely consumed by making sure that while the baby is completely dependent upon you that you’re making all of the right decisions on their behalf.
One of the most important things that you can do is eat well during your pregnancy, because everything that you eat is what is directly nourishing your baby, building his bones and organs and creating building blocks for a healthy future.
Rather than trying to learn everything there is to know about prenatal nutrition, many women follow a pregnancy diet menu in order to make sure they’re eating everything they should.
Pregnancy Diet Menu Plan
Although the rule of thumb about eating while you’re pregnant is to simply eat as nutritiously and healthily as possible, there are some specific things that you need to know when planning a pregnancy diet.
Some foods deliver much more of the most important nutrients than others, and some foods that would normally be fine for you to eat are simply not safe during pregnancy.
This is because when you are eating for yourself, you have your own immune system working for you, and you’ve already been exposed to many bacteria and pathogens that your system can tolerate.
Because your baby does not have the same defense system in place, you need to be vigilant on his behalf. One of the best ways to do this is to follow a specific diet menut that will lay everything out for you.
Pregnancy Diet Menu Pyramid
Everybody is already familiar with the government’s food pyramid, which explains exactly how many servings of the different food groups we should each eat every day in order to make sure that we are eating optimally, but not many people know that the government also provides one of these pyramids specifically for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The information here is a great way to make sure that you are staying on track, eating all of the right foods and staying away from the wrong ones. The pyramid tells exactly how many servings of fruits, grains, vegetables, dairy, meat and beans and oils are recommended when you’re pregnant, and even tells you how many calories you are allowed to eat beyond those categories.
The pyramid provides guidelines rather than rules, and is very helpful for providing you with an outline of what kind of foods are the best to include in your pregnancy diet menu.
Pregnancy Diet Menu Special Circumstances
There are several reasons and special circumstances in pregnancy where a pregnant woman may need access to a more personalized approach to their pregnancy diet menu.
If you start out your pregnancy as a diabetic, or if you develop gestational diabetes during the course of your pregnancy, you will need to adjust your intake of sugars in order to maintain not only your health but also make sure that your baby is receiving the correct nutrition as well.
If you are a woman who is starting out your pregnancy and you are overweight, it is not advisable to try to lose weight during your pregnancy, but if you start to adopt a healthier diet that includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein during the course of your pregnancy, you may find that after you have delivered the baby your weight is lower than before you conceived.