Nourishing Your Pregnancy

A healthy diet during your pregnancy means a healthy baby. Here’s how to make sure you get the right nutrition for every trimester

- Ananta Goyal

A healthy diet is synonymous with a healthy lifestyle. This holds true for a healthy pregnancy as well. Eating right from the get go nourishes your baby and aids in the overall development. It sets the stage for mothers to maintain a healthy and steady weight gain, and avoid a series of health issues which can crop up with an unhealthy pregnancy diet. Here’s everything you need to know:

Eating for two

The baby you are eating for, weighs only about 28 grams by the end of the first trimester. It is more about fine-tuning your diet to meet the growing nutrition needs of your progressing pregnancy. Assuming you start off on normal weight before getting pregnant, your calorie intake will be as follows:

First trimester: You need no extra calories. Many mothers suffer from nausea and are not able to eat much. Bananas are a great choice as they are easy on the tummy and offer instant energy to combat fatigue which accompanies you through the first trimester. During the first month of pregnancy, folic acid plays a major role in avoiding spinal cord birth defects, miscarriage and preterm delivery. Since it is not possible to meet your full requirement from food, additional prenatal supplements are a must.