Breastfeeding & Pregnancy: 5 Steps to Eating Well for You & Baby!
Breastfeeding & Pregnancy
5 Easy Steps to Eating Well for a Healthy You & Baby!
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding are the most exciting times in a woman’s life, learning simple steps to Eating well for a Healthy baby can be stressful, also dealing with the various symptoms and changes.
In this article you will learn Simple Steps to Eating well for a Healthy Baby during Pregnancy that will also benefit you with Healthy Breastfeeding. I will help you to work through how to provide adequate Nutrition for both you and your growing baby.
Pregnancy is a high metabolic and nutritionally demanding phase of life, and this means that there needs to be more nutritional planning and consideration is needed to meet these demanding physiologic changes and beyond once your baby is born to the glorious role of breastfeeding. I will also share with you how to prevent gestational diabetes that can be a common problem with pregnancy.
Healthy eating during pregnancy is a great foundation for a healthy baby and a must for Healthy breastfeeding. Building a solid health foundation for You and your New-born. To give your baby the best start in life begins by implementing healthy eating habits.
5 Steps to Eating a Healthy Balanced Diet
Pregnancy and Beyond
Foods to Eat Every Day
Looking at bread, pasta and rice – it is important for these to be preferably spelt, or gluten free. Rice to be wild rice or brown rice. These can take up 5 – 10% of your daily diet.
1: Fruit & Vegetables
Key vitamins supplied by fruits and vegetables include:
- Beta carotene for your baby’s cell and tissue development, vision, and immune system
- Vitamin C for your baby’s bones and teeth as well as the collagen in your baby’s connective tissue
- Potassium to regulate blood pressure
- Folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects and promote a healthy birth weight
- Vegetables need to make up the larger portion of your daily diet being that of 75%. 4 – 5 different vegetables per day. These can be either cooked such as steamed or baked or eaten raw. These vegetables include: Sweet potato, pumpkin, parsnips, carrots, celery, mushrooms, avocado, cauliflower, capsicum, radishes, broccoli, kale, spinach, peas, and beans.
- Fruit – 2 – 3 pieces of fruit or 1 – 2 cups of fruit should be eaten each day. The reason for putting cups is that in case you decide to dice your fruit and also in the case of berries. Best fruits are red apples, bananas, kiwi fruit, mangoes, pineapple, red grapes, watermelon and berries.
- Great Foods for Calcium: Organic whole yogurt, goats’ cheese, almond milk, almonds, figs, broccoli, edamame, tofu, okra, canned salmon, sardines, kale and other green vegetables.
2: Protein: Vitamins and Minerals
- Protein: 3 portions per day. [Animal protein, portion size to be the size of the palm of your hand]: Lean meat, organic chicken, fish, eggs, legumes, lentils, tofu, quinoa, green peas, beans, chickpeas and green vegetables. [Special Note]: If you are vegetarian or vegan then include the 2 – 3 serves same portion size as animal protein, of quinoa, nuts such as roasted almonds, walnuts, oats, wild rice, tofu beans and so on in addition to your vegetable intake for the day.
- Iron: Adequate iron intake is important at any time; however, you don’t need a great deal to be healthy. Best non animal sources are Nori/seaweed this can be eaten as a snack you could include this as a snack with your roasted almonds, grated ginger 1 – 2 teaspoons per day add to your herbal tea or salad dressing. Sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds, add one to two tablespoons to a roast vegetable or fresh salad.
- Iodine: Has been found that it may boost children’s IQ. Foods rich in iodine: prawns, canned tuna, organic baked potatoes, turkey breast (also has selenium, cancer prevention benefits), strawberries, Nori/seaweed.
- Folate: Folate is Vitamin B9 (aka: folate, folacin, folic acid). It is a water-soluble B vitamin that is easily found in the fresh food. Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B9 found in fortified foods and supplements. As with most vitamins, the natural form of vitamin B9 (folate) is preferred, and better for absorption. Here I have for you the best food sources for folate: black eyed beans, chickpeas, lima beans, mung beans, lentils, spinach, asparagus, cos or romaine lettuce, avocado broccoli, oranges and mangoes. As you will see by eating a diet high in plant produce such as vegetables and fruit it is not difficult to get not just adequate nutrition, but exceptional nutrition. One to two of these foods per day to get your daily intake of folate.
3: Water
- Water: Drinking 2 – 2 1/2 litres of water per day, has many benefits firstly it assists in cleansing of your body, transport of essential nutrients and vitamins to your organs and tissues. It is also essential for healthy glowing skin along with your daily intake of fresh fruit and vegetables.
As you will notice that there is not mention of fast foods, processed or packaged foods, lollies, soft drinks, processed meats, bought cakes, chips, poor quality chocolate, processed fruit juices or alcohol. The reason being that these foods don’t qualify in any shape or form of a healthy diet and should be avoided at all costs especially during pregnancy and breast feeding.
4: Tips for Staying on the Path & Healthy Fish
Avoid supermarkets for purchasing of Fresh Food items: Supermarkets don’t specialize in obtaining the freshest foods even though some may say they do. You will find your local butcher, fish market, greengrocer are the best when it comes to buying fresh, whole food.
Best Fish to eat is Wild Caught -Choose from – Atlantic Salmon, Sea Perch, Blue Fin Tuna, Orange Ruffy, Oysters and Mackerel. Wild caught Tinned tuna and salmon preferably in Spring water or Olive oil.
5: Food Hygiene and Preparation
Food Hygiene and freshness is of Optimal significance to prevent food poisoning. Take simple hygiene steps at home in food preparation. Always to use clean cutting boards and utensils, have clean bench tops and cooking utensils, be careful where you eat out, to eat out at places that you know or have heard that are good with ultimate hygiene standards. Always great if you can see in their kitchen.
Eliminate Negative Habits
If negative habits are playing a role in your life, in any shape or form, it is important to get them out of your life, not just for the duration of your pregnancy but for your whole life. Negative Habits will rob you and your baby of a healthy, happy and vital life together. Learn 7 Keys to Build Positive Habits in 28 days.
Here is a link to my e-Book: “Why can’t I give up Smoking?” This will help guide you through the understanding of why you have become a victim maybe not just to smoking but other negative habits, whilst supporting you through the changes to GIVE UP!
Have Limiting Beliefs crept up on you, taking control of your circumstances and Life!
Finding yourself a Feeling like a Victim.
I understand, at some stage in a person’s life this happen. It is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. You want to get back to “Taking Charge of your Life” so you can Restore Balance, Happiness, Self-Worth and Self-Confidence once again. But you are finding it a bit of a struggle. In this article you will learn 9 Easy Steps to Break-free from being a Victim.
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