"You should not wait until you have conceived a baby. You need to start having a healthy eating plan right now. Consuming food that is healthy before you get pregnant can help you to make sure that you, and the child 217within your womb, are properly supplied with the nutrients that you both require. How much energy does a pregnant woman need? For a woman who is not pregnant, the calorie requirement per day is 2100 calories. A woman who is pregnant, her pregnant diet requires, daily, about 2500 calories. This means that a woman who is pregnant needs to eat 400 calories more that when she was not pregnant. Food Pregnant Women Should Eat A woman who is pregnant needs to have a well-balanced pregnant diet that includes all the major food groups. Best food for pregnant women include fruit and vegetables, dairy, fish, eggs, meat, carbohydrates and fats. About 10% of her calorie intake needs to come from proteins that are commonly found in eggs, dairy products, beans, meat and fish.About 35% of her calories need to come from fat which can be found in oils, dairy products like butter and margarine, and from nuts.The remaining 55% of her calories needed in her pregnant diet need to be sourced from carbohydrate rich foods like pasta, potato, bread, corn, rice and other grain products. Essential Vitamins and Minerals During Pregnancy For a woman who is pregnant, getting the right supply of vitamins and minerals is very crucial for her and her baby’s health. The vitamins and minerals commonly required by pregnant women are: 1. Folic Acid or Vitamin B9 - prevents defects in the neural tube. A pregnant woman needs 400 micrograms of this vitamin as a supplement daily which can be found in barley, lentils, fruit, orange juice, rice and peas. 2. Iron or Ferrous Sulfate - needed for blood production. Sources of iron include spinach, broccoli, strawberries, whole wheat bread and muesli. 3. Calcium and Zinc - for embryonic development. These minerals can be obtained by consuming a balanced diet. Things That Must Be Avoided During Pregnancy There are things to avoid during pregnancy and that includes the consumption of Vitamin A as it may cause damage to the embryo. Foods that have large amounts of Vitamin A include liver. Unpasteurized cheeses like blue-veined cheeses, and pate should also be avoided to prevent diseases like Listeria. Other things to avoid during pregnancy include: 1. Stress 2. Tobacco smoke or smoking 3. Alcohol 4. OTC (over-the-counter) medication including Aspirin 5. Caffeine 6. Fish containing mercury (shark, king mackerel, swordfish, fresh tuna, tilefish, and sea bass) Exercise is Important Exercise is good both for the pregnant woman and her baby. The benefits of exercise include: 1.Fewer complaints of constipation and backache 2. Avoiding excess weight 3.Less risk of gestational diabetes 4. Less difficulty during labor 5.Quicker recovery time after giving birth"
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