Part of your responsibility as a pregnant mother is to provide your unborn baby with all the vitamins and minerals she needs to thrive. Your pregnancy diet plan should be carefully thought out so that it is nutritionally sound and free from harmful toxins.
Organic Fruits and Vegetables During Pregnancy
Fruits and veggies are packed with a number of vitamins and minerals your unborn baby needs to grow. For instance, cauliflower, broccoli and turnip greens contain the calcium your fetus needs for healthy bones.
Grapefruits contain the folic acid needed to reduce the risk of spina bifida in your baby. Oranges are full of vitamin C to help support a healthy immune system. Fruits and vegetables are always healthier for you and your unborn baby when they are organic and fresh.
Conventionally grown fruits and veggies are covered with pesticides that can enter your baby's body and cause health and developmental problems. If pesticides can cause damage to an adult, imagine the harm these chemicals can do to an unborn baby.
Organic fruits and vegetables are gown using all-natural methods. When you opt for organic produce, you reduce the number of pesticides entering your baby's fragile body. In addition, all of the vegetables and fruits you purchase during pregnancy should be fresh -- not processed.
Fruits and vegetables that are canned, jarred, dried and frozen may contain little nutritional value and they are full of sugar and chemical additives that contribute to diabetes, weight gain, heart disease and strokes.
Organic Lean Meats, Poultry and Eggs During Pregnancy
Lean meats are rich in the iron your baby needs to form hemoglobin to transport oxygen to the cells. When you don't get adequate amounts of this nutrient in your system during pregnancy, your baby will take what she needs from your iron reserves and leave you iron-deficient.
Poultry and eggs provide you with the protein your baby needs to form muscles, internal organs, fingers, toes and hair. Protein is especially important to have in your diet during the second trimester of pregnancy because this is when your baby is developing the most.
It's always safer to eat organic meat, poultry and eggs when you are pregnant. The livestock used to produce these products are not filled with dangerous growth hormones or antibiotics.
Fresh Seafood During Pregnancy
Fresh seafood is full of the omega-3 your fetus needs for healthy brain, retina and nervous system development. Over the long term, omega-3 can reduce the risk of behavior and developmental problems in children.
Omega-3 is especially important to have during the third trimester of pregnancy when your baby is developing most of her brain system. Pregnant mothers who have adequate intakes of omega-3 during pregnancy reduce their risk of preeclampsia, preterm labor and postpartum depression.
The fear of mercury contamination makes some pregnant mothers hesitant to add seafood to their diets. Too much of this substance in your body during pregnancy can put your fetus at risk for nerve damage.
Large predatory fish such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish have the highest level of mercury contamination and should be avoided. Other fish to avoid include orange roughy, marlin and grouper.
You can safely eat two 6oz servings per week of the following fish:
? anchovies
? rock lobster
? caviar
? catfish
? sole
? shad
? butterfish
? salmon
? ocean perch
? shrimp
? clams
? oysters
? sardines
? crayfish
? whitefish
? king crab
If you don't like fish, you can also get omega-3 from eggs, raw nuts, flaxseeds, dark green vegetables and supplements. Talk to your physician before adding omega-3 supplements to your pregnancy diet.
The perfect whattoeatwhilepregnant.com pregnancy diet plan should be full of nutrition. Find out how to jump start your pregnancy health at whattoeatwhilepregnant.com whattoeatwhilepregnant.com.
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