The Best Diet During Pregnancy

So, it’s happened—now you are pregnant and all the wellwishers and motherly types are coming out of the woodwork to offer advice on how to maintain your health and vitality while pregnant. Some of them are very persistent and will hound you about how you now are eating for two, so you better had get some meat on those bones, and put on a few pounds so you don’t get sick, and don’t worry-it’s okay to gain a few pounds, it’s expected—and on and on ad nauseum. Well, the other side of the argument is just as adamant—-”be careful, don’t gain too much weight, it’s not good for you, you must stick to a diet during pregnancy or you will regret it”.

Well, a lot of that is just baloney. Years ago, when our grandmothers and their mothers were having kids—did they diet during pregnancy?? I don’t think so. They walked a lot more, ate homegrown and fresher foods, were physically much more active than we are, and they weren’t afraid to put on a few pounds just to be sure that they had some ammunition in case they got sick.

To them, pregnancy was just another fact of life, and yes it was celebrated, but not with the materialistic carryon that goes on today with rounds and rounds of showers, sonograms and what have you. Their lives were far more simple than ours with their limited technology—-but with lots of advantages that we don’t regard as advantages. There was no greasy, fat-laden burgers and fried chicken on every corner just begging to be eaten so they could clog up our under used hearts; no cardboard tasting TV dinners in the supermarket. They worked hard, did much more manual labor than we do today, walked a lot more, and ate fresh foods usually grown locally.

So, as a result of all these factors in their lives, they really didn’t give much thought to a diet during pregnancy. Today, we are genetically not ready to live the technologically advanced lifestyles we enjoy today—our DNA has not evolved fast enough to keep up with all the new advances—so what is the end result? Lots of fat people with heart problems and almost everyone who is having a baby is now worrying about their diet during the pregnancy and how to stay healthy and keep the baby healthy too.

So, what to do. Those of us that look at food and it jumps from plate to thigh in an instant, are the ones who seriously consider a diet during pregnancy—-but those who are eternally slim, regard the word diet as an eating plan, and not a weight loss plan. They strive to eat normally, balance out everything that goes into their mouths, don’t eat a lot of fatty foods or salt, drink lots of water, take vitamins, eat fresh fruits and veggies, and make sure they get plenty of fiber. They don’t even think about calories, they just make sure they are eating right and that they feel good.

For the rest of us, and really for all of us that feel we should be maintaining the best diet during pregnancy that is possible, we should be following pretty much the same rules. No fatty, greasy fast foods that pile on pounds with empty calories and clog up your system, lots of fresh foods with emphasis on fruits and veggies, good protein sources, lowered salt intake—you swell up enough without adding the effects of too much salt—-lots of water, vitamins, and fiber. If you are a calorie and fat magnet, then you would want to watch your calorie intake for sure; but if you eat a well balanced plan for food and get in some meaningful exercise, you will find there’s not a whole lot of out-of-control weight gain.

If you are at all a thinking person, this is not rocket science nor is it difficult to remember. What you have been hearing all your life about how to stay healthy and keep your weight within recommended limits also applies when you are pregnant. Why should it be any different? You are growing a tiny life inside you that needs the same nutrients and care as your own body does, so by adhering to a healthy mode of diet during pregnancy, you can take care of both of you just fine.

Dawn Eastman creates and discusses articles on such issues as Workout After Pregnancy. For more information on Workout During Pregnancy visit our site.