Your Diet During Pregnancy

Your Diet During Pregnancy

June 28th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

When you are pregnant, it is important to remember that everything you put into your body, you are also putting into your baby’s body. A diet filled with healthy foods and free of potentially harmful ones is therefore absolutely vital to a healthy pregnancy.

When you find out you are pregnant, it’s a good time to review your current diet and make the necessary changes. You will need to provide your baby with all the nutrients required for growth, so make sure they are all represented in your diet.

Eat From All the Food Groups

A balanced diet includes foods chosen from all of the food groups. During your pregnancy, you should aim to eat the following amounts from each food group:

  • Grains, such as breads, pasta and rice: eat 6-9 servings a day. Choose whole grain options such as brown rice and whole-wheat bread.
  • Fruits and vegetables: eat a minimum of 5 servings a day. Be sure to include both fruits and vegetables, and choose a wide variety of different types to get all the varied nutrients they offer.
  • Dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese: eat 4 servings a day. Choose low-fat options and look for choices fortified with vitamin D.
  • Meats, poultry, fish, and beans, as well as other protein sources: eat 2 servings a day. Look for lean meats and include fish as well for the important Omega-3 fatty acids.

What Is A Serving?

When reading the recommendations above, you might think that’s a lot of food to fit into a day. This is because most of us have a skewed view of what a serving should look like. In our society of oversized portions, we have come to think more is better. But learning to eat the appropriate portion sizes will help us to keep a healthy, balanced diet, and eat the right amounts of the foods we need. This is especially vital during pregnancy when it might be hard to eat the right amount due to the pressure of the uterus on the stomach.

Sample servings of all of the food groups include:

  • For a serving of grains: one slice of whole wheat bread, half a cup of cooked pasta or rice, half a cup of hot cereal or one cup of cold cereal
  • A serving of fruits or vegetables is one medium sized fruit like an apple or a pear, half a cup of cooked vegetables, or three quarter of a cup of fruit juice.
  • A proper serving size for a protein on your plate is about a two to three ounce piece of meat or chicken, one egg, or one third of a cup of nuts.
  • To get a serving of dairy, try one cup of milk, one cup of yogurt, or one and a half ounces of cheese.

What About Sweets And Fats?

As with any healthy diet, during pregnancy sweets and fats should be kept to a minimum. Although fat is a necessary component of a healthy diet, if you are eating the proper amounts from the food groups, you are likely getting all the fat you need. Extra fats are not healthy, and neither are added sugars. It’s ok to have a treat once in a while, but don’t make it a regular habit. It will take the place of a serving of much-needed nutrients in your diet, and your baby needs all the nutrition you can get.

If you are getting all your recommended servings from the four food groups, you are well on your way to a healthy pregnancy. It is still a good idea to take a prenatal vitamin, however, to fill in any nutritional gaps.

How to Quickly, Easily, and Safely Make Your Own Baby Food

How to Quickly, Easily, and Safely Make Your Own Baby Food

February 22nd, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Making your own baby food is an easy way to save money, to introduce your child to the same foods your family eats and to control what items you’re feeding your child. Making your own baby food is simple – you’ll need something to process the food such as a hand mill, blender or food processor. You’ll want storage containers such as ice cube trays as you can freeze baby food to keep it fresh much longer than storing it in the refrigerator.

Selecting Food Items

The majority of baby foods made at home include fruits and vegetables. To get the safest produce, you might opt to buy organic as these items will be free of pesticides and other toxins used in growing commercials plants. But you have the option to use fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. Use fresh fruits and vegetables very soon and freeze the extra portions to ensure they are stored safely. Avoid vegetables high in nitrates such as carrots, beets, green beans and squash. You might use the organic varieties of these or buy them frozen as nitrates are less likely to appear in the frozen varieties.

Prepare the Raw Ingredients

To prepare the vegetables and some fruits, such as apples for the food processor, you’ll need to cook them. You can cook them until soft by steaming, baking or boiling. If you elect to boil the vegetables, use as little water as possible and pour as much as possible back into the blender with the rest of the food item. Remove peels, pits and seeds from applicable food items.

Preparing Fruits and Vegetables

To prepare the baby food, place the soft fruits and vegetables into a food processor, blender, or food mill. Add a bit of liquid – water, formula or breastmilk and puree until the mixture is smooth and soupy. If the food has small seeds, be sure to strain it before serving. Most preparations produce more than a single serving of food, so place the extra into ice cube trays, freeze and then store in freezer bags. You can simply thaw the item to have freshly prepared baby food at any time.

Preparing Grains

You can puree grains as well. Rice and millet can be cooked according to package instructions and then ground in a food mill or blender until smooth.

Preparing Meats

To make meat dishes for baby, you must first remove the skin and as much fat as possible from the piece of meat. Cook the meat and then place it into the hand mill or food processor. Add a bit of water and puree or grind it up. Older babies can handle the meat if it is cut up into very small pieces.

Storing Baby Food

As mentioned, you can freeze the extra portions of baby food and store them in the freezer. Ice cube trays make a nice serving size and are easy to use. Keeping the frozen food cubes in plastic bags allows you to label each with the date. You can keep fruits and vegetables for up to eight months if solidly frozen and meats and grains store up to two months.