Healthy diet and exercise during pregnancy
Are you expecting your first good news? Or maybe you’re expecting your 2nd or maybe 3 rd child. And worrying about having a proper guide on what to eat and how to exercise?
So are you in a seven heaven after hearing about your pregnancy and ensuring the healthiest possible pregnancy means keeping healthy eating habits and a prenatal workout schedule that is safe and successful.
Don’t worry we are here to help you with all this
A balanced diet at any time is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but particularly crucial if you are pregnant or are considering pregnancy. Healthy eating keeps you feeling good and provides the essential nutrients your baby needs in the womb.
FOR A BALANCED DIET, IT IS ALWAYS A BLEND OF ALL 5 FOOD GROUP:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Bread and cereals
- Meat, fish, and alternatives
- Milk, yogurt, and cheese
Protein-containing foods help your baby grow and maintain his/her physical and mental health before birth. Meat, fish, chicken, eggs, milk, cheeses, nuts, beans, and legumes all provide good protein sources.
Make a priority to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day — most water in the town contains fluoride, which helps the teeth of your developing baby develop good enamel. Some sources of water, for example, tank water, do not have fluoride.
You feel hungry than normal, have mood swings as well as morning sickness, so you don’t have to feed for two-even though you’re expecting twins or triplets.
Taking a healthy breakfast every day is necessary for you and for your baby as this can help you avoid snacking on high in fat and sugar foods.
Eating healthily is a necessity and it also simply involves changing the proportions of different foods you consume so that your diet is varied, rather than cutting out from your diet.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLE
Fruits and vegetables are full of protein, Eat plenty of them as they contain vitamins and minerals as well as fiber to help digest and avoid constipation. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables a day-fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juiced. Always wash with respect. Cook vegetables lightly in a small amount of water, or eat them raw but well washed to benefit the nut which is present in the food.
STARCHY (CARBOHYDRATE) DIETS
Starchy foods are an essential source of vitamins and fiber, which satisfy without too much calorie content. In this category we include bread, potatoes, cereals for breakfast, rice, pasta, noodles, maize, millet, oats, yams, sweet potatoes, and cornmeal. The key part of a meal should be these foods. Eat a whole meal, when you can, instead of refined (white) varieties.
PROTEIN
Protein sources include meat (but avoid liver), fish (but avoid high-mercury fish such as shark/flake, marlin, or broadbill/swordfish), poultry, milk, rice, legumes/beans, and nuts. Have enough protein a day. Adding in your diet lean meat, remove the skin from the poultry, and cook with just a small amount of fat.
Make sure they cook eggs, poultry, pork, burgers, and sausages all the way through. Test that no pink meat is present and that no orange or red juices are present in them. Try eating 2 portions of fish a week including oily fish such as sardines or mackerel.
MILK
Foods made up of milk like, cheese, and yogurt are important because they contain calcium and other nutrients that your baby requires. Whenever possible select reduced-fat varieties. There are some cheeses to avoid-see Foods to avoid.
SUGAR AND SALT INTAKE
If we talk about fats (such as butter), oils, salad dressings, cream, chocolate, crisps, biscuits, pastries, ice cream, cake, puddings, and fizzy drinks are included in these. Just a limited amount of such foods should be consumed. Sugar contains calories without any other nutrients which can lead to weight gain, obesity which deterioration of the tooth.
Fat is very high in calories and eating more fatty foods would possibly put you on weight. Eating too much-saturated fat will increase blood cholesterol, which increases the risk of developing heart disease. Seek to reduce saturated fat and then have products that are high in polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat like fats, spreads, nut butter/pastes, and avocado.
HAVING A HEALTHY SNACKS:
It is important to fulfill your hunger , between meals, don’t eat high-fat and/or sugar-rich snacks like sweets, biscuits, crisps or chocolate. Choose the following nutritious snacks, instead:
- low-fat yogurt hummus with bread or vegetable sticks
- ready-to-eat apricots, figs or prunes
- vegetable and bean soups
- unsweetened breakfast cereals, or porridge, with milk
- milky drinks or unsweetened fruit juices
- fresh fruit
- sandwiches or pitta bread filled with grated cheese, grilled chicken, mashed tuna, salmon or sardines, and salad
- salad vegetables, such as carrot, celery or cucumber
- baked beans on toast or a baked potato
FOOD PREPARATION WITH SAFETY
Wash fruits, vegetables, and salads to eliminate any traces of soil that may contain toxoplasma, a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis that may damage your unborn child. Wash all surfaces and utensils and hands after raw meat has been prepared — this will help avoid toxoplasmosis.
Store raw foods separately from ready-to-eat foods to avoid contamination from meat causing food poisoning (such as salmonella, campylobacter, and E. Coli). Use a separate raw meat chopping board. Heat ready meals until they pip through hot — this is particularly important for poultry-containing meals.
Good levels of prenatal exercise will help you and your baby feel better and offer major health benefits. Also, because what a mother drinks and eat also provides the primary source of nutrition for your baby, choose wisely.maintaining a balance of good eating habits and healthy exercise can lead your baby and yourself to the best possible health.
EXERCISE RECOMMENDED DURING PREGNANCY:
Women’s health experts urge pregnant women to stay healthy physically. Those women who do exercise during pregnancy on a regular basis tend to have more energy, less back pain, and a more positive image of their bodies. They also experience a faster return to their health condition pre-pregnancy after delivery.
Staying healthy doesn’t mean you need to start a full-scale, costly equipment exercise program. In each trimester, there are various varieties of excellent, simple prenatal workout routines that you can do comfortably at home. Also, several workouts that you are probably already familiar with during pregnancy can be easily integrated into workout routines. For pregnant women walking is the perfect exercise.
Particularly perfect are aqua-prenatal workout workouts that can be found online or at your nearest fitness center.
Some of the workouts you might be familiar with can be continued or changed from your workout routine including:
KEEP MOVING:
Experts agree, it’s vital to keep moving when you’re expecting: pregnant women exercising have less back pain, more stamina, a healthier body image, and a quicker return to their pre-pregnancy state after delivery.
Being fit doesn’t have to mean a big engagement or fancy equipment on time. The following routine is easy, can be completed at home and is healthy to do in any trimester. Make sure you do the moves in the order shown, and do the exercise every other day for the best results. Before starting this or any exercise program, always check with your doctor.
PILE
Stand parallel to the back of a comfortable chair, with the hand leaning on it nearest to the floor, feet parallel and hip-distance apart.
Pull your belly button up and in with your toes and knees turning up to 45 degrees. Bend your knees, lower your body as low as possible while holding the back straight. Straighten the legs to get back to starting position. Replicate on reps.
SIDELINE FROM INNER AND OUTER THIGH SIDE:
Lie on your right side, head backed by your forearm, bent your right leg at an angle of 45 degrees, and straighten your left leg. For stability put your opposite arm on the board. For reps, lift left leg to around hip height and repeat.
Then bend your left knee and rest it to support on top of pillows. Straighten your right leg for reps and lift it as high as possible. Switch sides to reps, and repeat.
PLANK
Get down on your knees and hands, wrists straight under your shoulders. Lift your knees and straighten your legs to a straight line, until your body shapes. Don’t bow your back or let your stomach sink Hold for 1 to 2 breaths, working up to 5 breaths.
CURL AND LIFT:
Sit with your back straight on the edge of a comfortable chair, feet on the floor, arms at your sides. Keep the weight of 5 to 8 pounds in each hand, with palms facing the body. Bend your elbows so that your arms form an angle of 90 degrees Lift the weights to shoulder height, then keep your elbows bent. Lower your arms to the sides, then straighten to the starting position again. Replicate on reps.
ONE ARM ROW:
Place your right knee on the seat, left foot on the floor, wearing a sturdy chair. Bend forward, back parallel to the floor, and position the seat with your right hand. Hold in your left hand a 5- to 8-pound weight, arm extended downwards and in line with your shoulder, palm facing inwards. Bend your left elbow up to form a 90-degree angle [shown] for your arm. Lock, then come back to the starting place. Replicate reps, then switch sides.
Speak to your doctor about your plans for your prenatal exercise routine before you initiate any exercise program during pregnancy.
Hope this article will help you decide which diet and exercise you should follow. But we highly recommend please consult with a certified doctor.