There is something about being pregnant that seems to turn a woman into a much more vulnerable version of herself.
While the reason is no doubt a desire to do the best thing possible for her growing baby, the idea of purchasing "pregnancy foods" is not only silly, it is likely to be expensive.
There are no foods that are specifically designed for pregnancy, although there are certainly those which should be avoided during gestation.
This article will look at both those foods that will help you get through a healthy pregnancy and those that you should avoid.
What makes for a good pregnancy diet? Just as in any other time in your life your goal during pregnancy is to eat a wide variety of healthy foods.
This means you want to fill your plate with things such as whole grains, plenty of fresh organic produce, lean meats, organic eggs and poultry, wild caught fish and heart healthy fats.
All these ingredients are essential building blocks for your baby.
Of course, now that you are growing a baby you want to make sure that you get all the calories your baby needs, but it may not be as much as you think.
A baby only requires about 200-300 additional calories per day, although that will go up to about 500 calories per day in the last couple of months.
To deal with the occasional munchies that will no doubt hit at the least convenient moments, make sure to carry along some raw nuts, dehydrated berries and water.
That will keep you going in a healthy manner until you can get home and make something more substantial.
Keep Away from These Foods There are foods that you should avoid while pregnant.
Fish that are known to be high in mercury, such as shark, orange roughy or some kinds of tuna are inadvisable.
Raw meat or undercooked poultry, eggs and fish are all to be avoided as well.
Raw milk and raw milk cheeses should be eliminated, even if you do enjoy them periodically when you are not pregnant.
You also want to resist any supplements that are encouraged by friends and people who aren't involved in your care.
Many supplements can be more harmful than helpful and it just makes sense not to take anything that your caregiver hasn't approved.
Focus Upon Your Nutrition The fact is that you can eat just about anything you want to eat when you are pregnant, but that doesn't give you license to eat everything you want.
If you don't want to end your pregnancy weighing a lot more than you did at the start, you need to temper your intake appropriately.
Enjoy your food, use common sense in your selection and consider eating several smaller meals each day rather than a few large ones to accommodate the shrinking space in your stomach and to keep your energy levels up all day long.
If there are any foods that can be considered pregnancy foods it would be those that are nutrient rich, tasty and easy to digest.
Other than that, enjoy your pregnancy and accommodate any reasonable cravings.
It won't be long before you are holding your little bundle of joy and worrying about something else completely.
While the reason is no doubt a desire to do the best thing possible for her growing baby, the idea of purchasing "pregnancy foods" is not only silly, it is likely to be expensive.
There are no foods that are specifically designed for pregnancy, although there are certainly those which should be avoided during gestation.
This article will look at both those foods that will help you get through a healthy pregnancy and those that you should avoid.
What makes for a good pregnancy diet? Just as in any other time in your life your goal during pregnancy is to eat a wide variety of healthy foods.
This means you want to fill your plate with things such as whole grains, plenty of fresh organic produce, lean meats, organic eggs and poultry, wild caught fish and heart healthy fats.
All these ingredients are essential building blocks for your baby.
Of course, now that you are growing a baby you want to make sure that you get all the calories your baby needs, but it may not be as much as you think.
A baby only requires about 200-300 additional calories per day, although that will go up to about 500 calories per day in the last couple of months.
To deal with the occasional munchies that will no doubt hit at the least convenient moments, make sure to carry along some raw nuts, dehydrated berries and water.
That will keep you going in a healthy manner until you can get home and make something more substantial.
Keep Away from These Foods There are foods that you should avoid while pregnant.
Fish that are known to be high in mercury, such as shark, orange roughy or some kinds of tuna are inadvisable.
Raw meat or undercooked poultry, eggs and fish are all to be avoided as well.
Raw milk and raw milk cheeses should be eliminated, even if you do enjoy them periodically when you are not pregnant.
You also want to resist any supplements that are encouraged by friends and people who aren't involved in your care.
Many supplements can be more harmful than helpful and it just makes sense not to take anything that your caregiver hasn't approved.
Focus Upon Your Nutrition The fact is that you can eat just about anything you want to eat when you are pregnant, but that doesn't give you license to eat everything you want.
If you don't want to end your pregnancy weighing a lot more than you did at the start, you need to temper your intake appropriately.
Enjoy your food, use common sense in your selection and consider eating several smaller meals each day rather than a few large ones to accommodate the shrinking space in your stomach and to keep your energy levels up all day long.
If there are any foods that can be considered pregnancy foods it would be those that are nutrient rich, tasty and easy to digest.
Other than that, enjoy your pregnancy and accommodate any reasonable cravings.
It won't be long before you are holding your little bundle of joy and worrying about something else completely.