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Planning Your Diet in the First Trimester of Your Pregnancy

No two women are the same and so is their pregnancy. Some women are bound to have morning sickness in the first trimester, some are bound to lose weight and for some there will be nothing different from ordinary days (the lucky ones!). However, the diet chart that one needs to follow at this point in time largely remains the same.

This is because every woman and her growing baby need certain essentials to keep themselves healthy. Broadly the following are important nutrients required in the first trimester; folate which is essential for the developing nervous system of the fetus, vitamin B6 to control nausea naturally and irons to enrich the volume of blood that increases due to pregnancy.

Gem?sekorb / vegetablebasket
Gem?sekorb / vegetablebasket

Pregnant Women are normally advised to have 3 sumptuous meals and 3 mid meal snack so that they are able to manage their hunger pangs.

Fruits

Include about 3-4 servings of fresh fruits to your diet. Make sure that no fruit is consumed immediately after a good meal and 2 hours before bed time. Hence it is better to add fruits as mid meal snacks. Also it is better if fruits are consumed as is and not as juice. Two reasons for this are, the fiber in the fruit is essential for the baby, which is normally broken down when consumed as juice and the fiber will keep you full for a longer time as compared to juice. However, juice can also be consumed in between meals and preferable citric acid based fruit juices of no more than a cup a day can be taken to keep the vitamin C contribution to your baby at standard levels.

Vegetables

Vegetables can be had in plenty; the recommended level is 3-5 servings per day. You can a cup of steamed fresh peas along with your breakfast. Peas are rich in folates, one of the much needed nutrients in the first trimester and a natural source too. The next serving can probably go in with your lunch as your native styled dish. In the first trimester choose veggies that are rich in folates such as peas, broccoli, spinach, beans, lentils, etc. Corn is rich in Vitamin B-6 which can control nausea.

Dairy

Make sure you include 3 servings of dairy food which will provide the required amounts of calcium. Although calcium supplements are not recommended in the first trimester, natural sources of providing calcium should be included. Drink two glasses of milk per day, include yoghurt and cheese in your meals.

Protein

Proteins are essential throughout the pregnancy and the doctors normally do not recommend supplements for this at any point of time during the pregnancy. Hence, one has to depend on sources of food to enrich your body with proteins. 2-3 servings per day is sufficient and there are plenty of options available to choose from. For non vegetarians lean meat, poultry, fish and eggs are great sources of protein and for vegetarians beans, lentils and nuts can provide the much needed protein.

Grains

The much needed fiber during pregnancy can be derived from whole wheat grains and can be consumed in the form of bread, biscuits, crackers, pasta and roti.

With the information that is available above, you can plan your own meal to include the recommended servings of each of the nutrient. This can help you manage your weight while providing the necessary nutrients to your baby.

Dr Menaka Bharathi
Dr Menaka Bharathihttps://www.simpleindianmom.in
Dr Menaka Bharathi aka Simple Indian Mom is an Agricultural Microbiologist and helps moms to keep their family and kids naturally healthy both mentally and physically.
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