Hello dear girls and women. The period of bearing a child is very important for each of us. During these 9 months we must monitor our diet and try to spend our leisure time quite actively. Already in the first trimester, I was faced with a fairly common problem - rapid weight gain.
This is not surprising, because all the members of my family were ready to carry me in their arms and forced me to eat “for two.” Surely this situation is familiar to many of you. Did you know that extra pounds can have a bad effect on the baby’s well-being and complicate childbirth? To be honest, this scared me, and I began to frantically search for the answer to the question “How to lose weight during pregnancy?”
Is it possible to lose weight during pregnancy?
Which diet is suitable for pregnant women? Is it possible to effectively lose weight without harming the child? These important issues worries many. Let's look at them in as much detail as possible. Pregnant girls need to eat often, the diet should be varied, but it is better to reduce portions. Perceive your body positively.
Pregnant women a priori cannot be thin. In the process of carrying a baby, dramatic changes occur in our body, the hips expand - this makes childbirth easier. Very sudden weight gain has a negative impact on your overall well-being.
Advice from professional nutritionists will help every pregnant woman quickly get her body into ideal shape.
- Do you want to prevent pregnancy from ruining your figure? Then stick to proper nutrition already at early stages. Try to exclude smoked and fried foods from your diet, eat less sweets, candies, and pastries. When cooking, use a little salt and spices.
- Eat food often (4-6 times), but little by little.
- Pregnancy is normal condition. There is no need to consider yourself sick or weak. Be active in your usual household chores. If carrying a baby goes well, without complications or pathologies, you can afford lungs physical activity. For example, I did yoga. In this practice there are no jumps and large cardio loads, but, nevertheless, the body gradually tightens.
- During pregnancy, you don't need to try to lose a lot of weight. The main thing is to lose weight without harming the child. A limited diet will cause your body to lack nutrients. Such weight loss is dangerous for the health of the unborn baby.
- During the entire period of bearing a baby, a woman gains from 13 to 25 kilograms. The rate is calculated individually and depends on your initial weight.
If you want to lose weight, be sure to first consult a professional gynecologist on this issue. The diet of pregnant women largely depends on the period. For example, at the beginning of pregnancy, try to eat as much protein foods as possible, but at later It’s better not to lean on the meat.
In order for food to be well absorbed and not stored as fat, you need to properly distribute foods throughout the day. The fewest calories should come from dinner.
Why does a woman gain weight during pregnancy?
Losing weight during pregnancy may seem like an absurd idea to many. I was very interested in why I started to gain weight in the early stages. I even consulted a doctor about this. He said it was quite normal. The extra pounds of pregnant women consist of:
- Belly fat. This layer is constantly increasing and additionally protects the fetus from negative impact from outside.
- Weight of amniotic fluid (up to 1 kg).
- Placenta weight (up to 700 g).
- Directly weight of the fetus (up to 3.5 kg).
In addition, a pregnant woman's uterus and mammary glands enlarge. If in the later stages your total weight gain is 10-12 kg, this is quite normal, and you do not need to lose weight. Otherwise, you need to reconsider your diet and lifestyle.
Diet for pregnant women
If you are worried about your figure, start eating right in the first trimester. During this period, it is very important to receive in full all the microelements necessary for the baby, which are necessary for the proper formation nervous system. In a week of balanced nutrition you can get rid of 2-3 kilograms of excess weight. Is this really possible? Quite! I tried this diet on myself. Your daily menu must include:
- Proteins - boiled lean meat, eggs, low-calorie cottage cheese, milk, oven-baked fish;
- Fats - vegetable oil, nuts;
- Fresh fruits and vegetables;
- Complex carbohydrates - cereal porridges.
When creating a menu, give preference not only to tasty, but also useful products. The cooking method is also important. Do not eat anything fried or smoked. Cook in the oven or steamer, so you can preserve all the beneficial substances in the food and do not harm your figure.
In the last trimester, doctors recommend eating fruits, vegetables, and nuts, but excluding meat dishes from the menu. A few weeks before giving birth, animal products and dairy products are prohibited. If you follow these recommendations exactly, childbirth will be much easier and faster, and your figure will regain its slimness in just a few weeks.
I hope that my advice will be useful to you. I wish you to always remain beautiful and slim. Share your weight loss methods in the comments. Visit our blog often, there is still a lot of interesting things waiting for you.
Gynecologists and obstetricians recommend that pregnant women be careful about their diet and lifestyle to prevent excess weight gain. Large body weight can lead to complications during childbirth and chronic diseases. You should lose weight during this period carefully, regularly consulting your doctor.
Weight gain during pregnancy
Throughout the entire gestation period, weight gain of no more than 12-15 kg is allowed. During the first trimester, it is permissible to increase body weight by 2-3 kg, in the second and third - 300-500 g per week. In this case, weight increases due to the fetus, amniotic fluid, placenta, and additional blood volume.
Rapid weight gain indicates edema, hormonal imbalance, poor diet or lack of exercise. In the absence of serious pathologies, it is recommended to start losing weight when your weight increases by 5-7 kg per month.
Is it possible for pregnant women to lose weight?
Weight loss during pregnancy should not pose a threat to the fetus. Losing weight is acceptable in the absence of serious pathologies of the mother’s metabolism and hormonal system. Gynecologists recommend reducing body weight while increasing blood pressure, the appearance of shortness of breath, pain in the lower back and back. Excessive or improper weight loss during pregnancy can cause dangerous conditions for a child:
- premature birth;
- threat of miscarriage;
- intrauterine growth retardation;
- blood loss
To maintain the health of mother and child during weight loss, the following recommendations must be followed:
- Move more. Physical inactivity leads to stagnation of water, blood, and muscle atrophy. Pregnant women are allowed to perform simple gymnastic exercises and walk a lot. It is better to avoid running, jumping and exercise equipment.
- Take vitamins. Even balanced healthy diets can provoke a deficiency of vitamins and microelements. Special vitamin complexes will help compensate for their deficiency. It is important to take enough iodine folic acid, B vitamins.
- Drink enough clean water(1-1.5 liters per day). Maintaining water balance will help normalize metabolism, improve kidney function, and stimulate the removal of excess salts from the body. Please note that in late gestation, doctors recommend reducing fluid intake. In this case, the daily norm is calculated individually.
How to lose weight during pregnancy
A balanced diet and increased physical activity. In the absence of contraindications, massage, some cosmetic procedures (for example, body wraps), and the use of creams and scrubs are allowed. Yoga, stretching, and swimming in the pool will be useful.
It is strictly forbidden to take weight loss medications, diuretics, or laxatives without a doctor’s prescription. Some herbal decoctions and infusions for weight loss contain substances that provoke bleeding and spontaneous abortion.
Safe diet
The diet for a pregnant woman to lose weight should be dietary, but contain all the necessary substances in sufficient quantities. Recommended average daily calorie content is 1600-2600 kcal. The value varies depending on the gestational age and the amount of excess weight.
The daily diet should include at least 100 g of proteins (70-90 of animal origin), 80 g of fats (of which at least 20 are vegetable) and about 300 g of carbohydrates. The diet for pregnant women should completely exclude fried foods, canned food, sugar, and smoked foods. It is not recommended to consume foods that stimulate appetite (onions, garlic), herbs, spices.
If you are rapidly gaining weight, you should do one day a week as a fasting day. During pregnancy, the following options for one-day diets are acceptable:
- on liquid fermented milk products without sugar;
- on cottage cheese;
- on lean fish or lean meat;
- on buckwheat without salt.
1st trimester
Until 12 weeks, the basis of the diet should be proteins, unsaturated fats and vitamins. Daily calorie content should not exceed 1900-2000 kcal. In the menu for pregnant women to reduce weight you need to enter:
- lean meat;
- chicken or quail eggs;
- fermented milk products with fat content up to 5%;
- sour cream;
- nuts;
- dried fruits;
- offal (liver, lungs, etc.);
- cereals;
- vegetables;
- sea and freshwater fish;
- fruits;
- butter (up to 10 g/day);
- unrefined vegetable oil (olive, sesame, flaxseed).
It is necessary to completely avoid carbonated drinks, fast food, mayonnaise, sweets, and fatty meats. Sample menu for the day:
- Breakfast: oatmeal with butter, apple, tea.
- Lunch: a glass of kefir, a banana.
- Lunch: chicken broth, boiled buckwheat with goulash from beef liver, jelly.
- Afternoon snack: 2 boiled eggs, tea.
- Dinner: fresh vegetable salad, baked fish.
2nd trimester
During this period, the child is actively growing, he needs nutrients. The permissible calorie content is increased to 2100-2200. The diet is based on the most healthy, nutritious foods rich in vitamins B, PP, B, D and E. The diet of the first trimester should be supplemented with spinach and liver sea fish, greens, unsalted fresh lard (up to 10 g/day), kumis, ayran.
It is necessary to refrain from sausages, semi-finished products, and fatty foods. Approximate menu for the day:
- Breakfast: pancakes made from second grade flour, banana, jelly.
- Lunch: natural yogurt, dried fruits.
- Dinner: pumpkin cream soup, steamed chicken pieces, boiled rice.
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese 5% fat, tea.
- Dinner: fresh vegetable salad, chicken chop.
3rd trimester
During the last weeks of gestation, you should eat 2300-2500 kcal per day. The daily menu is based on proteins and complex carbohydrates, vitamins. Allowed and prohibited products remain the same as in the early stages of pregnancy. In the third trimester, salt intake should be limited to 5 g/day. to prevent the appearance of edema.
- Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with raisins, jelly, orange.
- Lunch: salad of boiled beets, carrots, tea.
- Lunch: low-fat borscht, steamed fish with vegetables, compote.
- Afternoon snack: 6 almonds, fermented baked milk.
- Dinner: cheesecakes with dried apricots, tea.
Exercises for weight loss
Exercises for weight loss should only be performed with the permission of your doctor. Classes should be conducted at least 3-4 times a week, in a well-ventilated area, wearing comfortable clothes and shoes. The optimal training duration is from 20 to 40 minutes. To increase efficiency, you should exercise no earlier than 1-1.5 hours after eating. Permitted exercises include:
- Exercise with a gymnastic stick. Starting position: standing straight, stick horizontally below, grip slightly wider than shoulders. Smoothly raise your arms up and back as far as possible. Try to reach back. Hold the pose for 3-4 seconds. Smoothly return to the starting position. Perform 2 sets of 10 reps. Exercise strengthens the muscles of the back, lower back, and relaxes the abs.
- Twisting. Starting position: standing, legs slightly apart, arms straight, raised to the sides. Perform slow turns of the body to the right and left, twisting the spine. The pelvis is fixed, as motionless as possible. Perform 1 set of 30-50 reps. Exercise helps relieve tension in the spine, strengthen the muscles of the arms and lower back.
- Starting position: standing, legs slightly apart, arms straight, extended forward. Do shallow squats. Stay in the bottom position for 2-3 seconds. Perform 2 sets of 15 reps. Squats strengthen the muscles of the legs, buttocks, and pelvic floor.
Pool exercises
Regular training in water during pregnancy relaxes the woman, provides the woman with a full body massage, trains the respiratory system, and relieves stress from the muscles of the lower back and back. In addition, the risk of injury is much lower than when exercising at home or in the gym. You should visit the pool at any stage of gestation only with the permission of a gynecologist. Among the effective exercises:
- Stand with your back to the side of the pool, rest your elbows on it. The level of the floor should be chest-deep. Smoothly lift your straight legs, overcoming the resistance of the water. Perform 3 sets of 15 reps.
- The starting position is the same. Raise your legs to chest level, imitate riding a bicycle. Perform 3 sets of 2-3 minutes.
- Spread your knees wide and walk along the bottom of the pool, pushing off the bottom alternately with your right and left foot. Perform 2 sets of 7-10 minutes.
Video
One of the determining factors for pregnancy to proceed without unnecessary difficulties is a balanced diet throughout the entire period of gestation. Losing excess weight is carried out through a variety of foods, consumed a little at a time, but at short intervals.
- You can get rid of unnecessary fat deposits in one way in an efficient way: give up fried foods, sweets (sweets, cakes), salt, smoked meats. At the same time, eat not 3 times, as is customary, but 5-6 times, but in mini portions, and do not lie on the couch, but do a little physical exercise, corresponding to each trimester of pregnancy. According to American studies, proper diet During pregnancy, with little physical activity, it benefits both mother and baby.
- Losing weight for pregnant women does not have to be fanatical . For example, you cannot adhere to unbalanced diets - for example, such as Kremlin, orange, kefir, etc. A pregnant woman's diet must contain proteins, which are found in fish, lean meat, eggs, as well as corn, legumes, nuts, and rice.
- Norm of weight gain throughout pregnancy , according to various sources, ranges from 12 to 20 kg and depends on the woman’s initial weight before pregnancy.
- If a woman decides to lose extra pounds during pregnancy, then Diet and physical activity should definitely be discussed with your doctor.
- Doctors advise at the beginning of pregnancy (first three months), eat foods rich in proteins, because protein building material human body.
- In the second trimester, you should give preference to foods rich in calcium. : cottage cheese, sour cream, almonds, oatmeal, barley.
- In recent months, gynecologists do not advise leaning on meat , because meat dishes have a negative effect on the elasticity of vaginal tissue.
How can you lose weight while pregnant?
Doctors with extensive experience give advice to expectant mothers who do not want to lose weight:
- The main thing in a pregnant woman’s diet is: quality of products consumed, their variety, and not their quantity;
- There is no need to radically change your usual diet in a short period of time. Gradually introduce your body to a balanced diet;
- You should not blindly believe and follow the advice of girlfriends, acquaintances etc. Listen to your inner self, your doctor and the voice of reason;
- The emergence of strange desires in food- for example, I wanted chalk or sauerkraut- says that there is not enough of any substances in the body. It is necessary to restore the vitamin and mineral balance;
- Eat foods that support normal bowel function: oatmeal, pearl barley, carrots, apples.
Diet and diet for overweight expectant mothers
The daily energy value of foods included in a pregnant woman’s menu should be distributed as follows:
- First breakfast – 30% of the daily food intake;
- Lunch – 10%;
- Dinner – 40%;
- Afternoon snack – 10%;
- Dinner – 10%.
And it is advisable to have breakfast after 1.5 – 2 hours after waking up, and have dinner in 2-3 hours before sleep.
The daily portion of food must include:
- Proteins (100 – 120 g), where 80 - 90 grams should be of animal origin (fish, cottage cheese, eggs, meat);
- Fats (90 – 100g)% 2G where 15-20 grams of vegetable origin (sunflower, olive oil);
- Carbohydrates (350-400g)- both simple (instant) and complex. Simple ones are found in fruits, honey, and vegetables. Complex ones are found in potatoes, legumes, and grains.
- Water. The daily norm is 1-1.5 liters, not counting other liquids.
Taboo for pregnant women
– this is alcohol, strong tea and coffee, fast food, sweet drinks containing unnatural ingredients.Often, expectant mothers face the problem of gaining excess weight during pregnancy. From our material you will learn what dangers await women with overweight, and how to lose weight during pregnancy without harming the baby.
You will find tips and tricks for safe weight loss and proper nutrition during all trimesters. You will also learn what sports are recommended to engage in while expecting a child. The video exercises that supplement the article will help you keep your body in good shape.
Pregnancy is the best time to improve your health and change your lifestyle. So why not start by creating healthy eating habits? This will help you avoid gaining extra pounds in 9 months and, if necessary, lose weight. In the future, it will be easier for you to get in shape after the birth of your baby.
Losing weight during pregnancy is necessary only for those women who gain a lot of weight, and, according to the gynecologist, this can cause complications during pregnancy or the postpartum period.
When to lose weight?
If you doubt whether you can lose weight during pregnancy, you should consult your doctor. Based on your starting weight and your weight gain, he will determine whether you should take action to lose weight.
Before prescribing a diet for pregnant women, the doctor must check the tests and send you for an ultrasound to make sure that the baby is developing normally and that your weight loss will not negatively affect his health.
Remember that 10-12 kg. - this is the norm for weight gain for a pregnant woman, but if you previously weighed less than you should, then the norm for you will be an increase of 15-18 kg. If a woman did not have a refined figure even before her “interesting position,” then the maximum permissible weight she can gain is 10 kg. At various stages of obesity, weight gain should not exceed 5-6 kg.
The dangers of being overweight
- expectant mothers have an increased risk of developing heart disease;
- a large increase can also cause the development of diseases of the nervous system;
- in most cases overweight women begins varicose veins veins;
- overweight during pregnancy has a detrimental effect on the condition and work endocrine system;
- With serious weight gain, the load on the musculoskeletal system increases significantly.
Severe obesity can cause complications during or after childbirth.
Consequences
- threat of miscarriage;
- increased blood loss or infection urinary tract during labor;
- premature birth;
- intrauterine growth retardation;
- difficult rehabilitation after childbirth.
How to lose weight without harming your child
- To ensure that the process of losing weight does not have a detrimental effect on the development of the child, you need to increase the amount of protein consumed by 10%.
- Avoid fast carbohydrates. If you find it difficult, you can eat sweets in the morning.
- Most of your diet should consist of slow (or as they are also called - complex) carbohydrates. Moreover, in addition to cereals and cereals, these also include hard fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Let's talk separately about potatoes. Although this product is considered safe, a woman who is advised to lose weight should reduce the amount in her diet. But pasta made from durum wheat is not only possible, but also should be consumed during pregnancy.
- Avoid excessive consumption of fruit juices. The fructose they contain can contribute to excess weight gain.
- Try to reduce the time it takes to cook food. For example, bake vegetables for salads in their peels, and bake meat or fish in a sleeve or foil. An additional benefit of this solution is that you will reduce the amount of fat used to prepare everyday dishes. And this will help you lose weight.
Forming proper eating habits
- Train yourself to eat heavy foods in the first half of the day, and in the evenings enjoy lactic acid products, light vegetable salads, and cottage cheese.
- Under no circumstances follow the rule - you cannot eat after six in the evening. The last time you eat food is 3-4 hours before bedtime. The baby's body adapts to the biorhythm of the pregnant mother and also prepares for bed.
- If you really want to eat before going to bed, then it is better to give preference to food that creates a feeling of fullness (bran, nuts) - when they get into the stomach, they swell and expectant mother gets full faster.
- To lose weight during pregnancy, chew your food thoroughly. This way, satiety from a meal comes faster, and the chances of overeating are minimized.
Prohibitions
Every expectant mother who is concerned about how to lose excess weight during pregnancy is prohibited from:
- Go on strict diets and starve yourself(the mother needs to receive vitamins and microelements that will ensure the proper development of the fetus). In addition, hunger strikes lead to stress, which does not have the best effect on the child.
- Use teas, dietary supplements and other drugs for weight loss. Teas contain complexes of various herbs that can increase the tone of the uterus or even cause abortion. Dietary supplements, in turn, contain substances that block the feeling of hunger and reduce appetite. And this is completely unacceptable for an expectant mother!
- Actively play sports(perform a complex strength exercises or pump up the press). But this doesn't mean you just need to lie on the couch. After receiving the approval of your doctor, you can play sports without fear. This is a great way to lose a few extra pounds.
Losing weight should not become your goal in itself. While expecting a baby, you should first of all worry about his health!
How to lose weight?
First trimester
At the beginning of pregnancy, many women find it difficult to gain excess weight (primarily due to toxicosis in the early stages). So all you need during this period is to follow the rules of balanced nutrition. It is also recommended to eat 3-4 times a day. This will help in the early stages not to stretch your stomach.
Eating overly salted and overly spicy food can cause a protracted and severe form of toxicosis!
Second trimester
Starting from the second trimester of pregnancy, nutrition must be taken very seriously. And if you start gaining more than 1 kg per week (from about 16-20 weeks), then most likely the doctor will recommend that you have a fasting day once a week. To prevent weight gain too quickly, it is recommended to follow some rules:
- It is recommended to eat 5-6 times, but in small portions.
- Drink coffee and chocolate little by little and no more than once a week. These treats impair calcium absorption. If you really like sweets, then you can eat marmalade and halva in small quantities.
- Dried fruits should be treated very carefully in the second trimester, because 1-2 hours after eating them you may have an irresistible urge to snack.
- You need to give up wheat bread and give preference to rye or black bread. If you bake bread at home, you can cook it with oatmeal.
- Reduce your intake of onions and garlic in your diet. Be careful with spices too.
- Partially or completely give up sugar and confectionery products. The same applies to grapes. In addition to the fact that these products contribute to weight gain, they cause fermentation.
- Try to eat less foods high in cholesterol (chicken yolks, sausages, lard, butter and sour cream with a high percentage of fat content). Pastries are also rich in cholesterol.
Third trimester
- During this period, you need to eat even more often (up to 6-7 times a day). It is worth adhering to the fractional nutrition scheme.
- Not only for weight loss, but also for the well-being and proper development of the baby, it is advisable to adhere to a mostly vegetarian diet. The fact is that vegetables, fruits and grains will help normalize stool. And problems with bowel movements very often arise just in the final stages of pregnancy. Meat is allowed, but in much smaller quantities.
- 3-4 weeks before giving birth, you should reduce your intake of lactic acid products. An excess of calcium in the body leads to the deposition of its salts in the baby’s skull, which can cause abnormalities at birth. In addition, these measures will help you avoid gaining extra pounds.
- It is forbidden to consume strong meat and mushroom broths. They contain extractive substances that pose a great danger to pregnant women with stomach diseases.
- As you approach your due date, you need to reduce the amount of fluid you drink.
- It is also advisable to cook dishes without salt (or with a minimum amount of it).
- As throughout pregnancy, drinking alcoholic beverages is strictly prohibited.
- Avoid foods with yeast (bread, kvass). These products provoke the development of candidiasis colpitis.
Sports for weight loss
If you feel well and there are no contraindications, it is recommended to perform physical exercise at home or attend pregnancy groups at the gym.
- Training should take place at a measured pace.
- When doing exercises, listen to yourself and how you feel.
- Sports such as yoga and Pilates are best.
- Swimming and water aerobics are very useful during pregnancy.
- Special attention During these nine months, it is worth spending time on stretching and exercises to relax your back.
- It is also recommended to perform Kegel exercises, simple gymnastics for pregnant women and exercise with a fitball.
- Try to walk in the fresh air as much as possible (walk 2-5 km daily). This will help you lose excess weight. In addition, walking during pregnancy will help the baby avoid oxygen starvation.
What exercises should you avoid?
- complexes with active jumps, swings of legs and arms;
- intense training;
- sports in which there is a risk of falling (skating, rollerblading, cycling);
- in the 3rd trimester, avoid exercises in a lying position (at this stage the uterus puts a lot of pressure on the internal organs).
Scientists have proven that reasonable physical activity helps not only to lose weight, but also to carry and give birth to a child without complications.
Fitball exercises: video
Fitness from a physiotherapist: video
If you have any pathologies, sports are contraindicated. It is permissible to perform physical exercises only after the permission of the attending physician.
Now you know that losing weight during pregnancy is still possible. But this can only be done in exceptional cases. Do not under any circumstances try to lose weight if you do not gain more weight than normal. You also shouldn’t try to lose weight on your own without a doctor’s advice. All you need to do is adhere to a healthy lifestyle, do useful exercises and eat right.
A mysterious and unique time of pregnancy... It’s time for powerful rejuvenation of the female body under the influence of hormonal changes. Why not use this fertile time to start a “new” life - lose weight, rejuvenate, gradually master healthy image life?
Someone will think that the author is joking - how can you lose weight during pregnancy, which obviously implies weight gain (in smart books, figures from 12 kg are given, but in life it is not uncommon to gain 15-20 kg per fetus), an increase in the mass of milk glands, creating reserves for later breastfeeding?
The author is not joking - with a reasonable approach to nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding, any practically healthy woman can not only not gain extra (I emphasize: extra) kilograms, but also lose those kilograms that were accumulated before pregnancy due to increased physical activity.
Let's start with the concept of extra pounds, what they consist of. The calculations are quite simple:
- At the very beginning of pregnancy, the expectant mother's body makes strategic reserves of abdominal fat, approximately 1-1.5 kg, which serve as additional protection for the growing baby.
- The maximum weight of amniotic fluid is about 1 kg.
- Optimal weight baby before birth 3.5 kg.
- The weight of the placenta is 0.5-0.7 kg.
- Enlargement of the mammary glands, uterus and blood volume 2 kg.
Thus, a weight gain of 8-10 kg would be normal. In other words, if, during a normal physiological pregnancy, the expectant mother approaches childbirth with a weight gain of less than 10 kg, this means that the pregnancy has led to a physiological gradual weight loss. Question: how can you lose weight or avoid gaining extra pounds during pregnancy, not only without harming the child, but, on the contrary, making him healthier?
Let's immediately rule out the following explanations:
- Severe toxicosis of pregnant women.
- Intentional fasting or dieting to lose weight during pregnancy.
- Severe stress, turmoil or unfavorable financial situation
- Diseases.
The only reasonable factors will be the following, which contribute, among other things, to the normal course of pregnancy:
- Healthy live food, complete exclusion from the diet of artificial foods and drinks, as well as refined foods.
- Eating food rich in vitamins, mineral salts and trace elements in their natural form.
- Proper distribution of food intake throughout the day.
- A special diet for the last months of pregnancy.
Now, in order.
Healthy live food during pregnancy
Everyone knows that during pregnancy it is especially important to eat right - eat unrefined foods, eat more greens, fruits, vegetables (both raw and minimally processed), rich in vitamin C and other vitamins, honey, lactic acid products, bran, unrefined cereals, etc. Use excellent natural products to cleanse and nourish the body:
- drink vegetable and fruit juices in the morning before meals; lemon and carrot juices (if you are not allergic) mixed with water are especially useful
- take honey with sour juices, before meals or at night;
- drink living water- boiled water, as you know, is dead water, and pregnant women are not recommended to abuse the liquid at all; prefer freshly prepared vegetable and fruit juices to water and broths;
- include only whole foods in your diet - fruits with peels and grains (where possible), vegetables with peels and tops, whole grains, bran - wonderful sources of not only proteins and carbohydrates, but also mineral salts, vitamins and microelements;
- do not overuse meat - there are many other healthier sources of protein of both animal and plant origin: seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy and especially lactic acid products, mushrooms, eggplant, nuts, sesame, soy, legumes, buckwheat, bran, tops vegetables, etc., meat should be consumed mostly lean, no more than 1-2 times a week;
- try to reduce your consumption to a minimum table salt- this is not beneficial and leads to increased fluid consumption;
- Reduce the time of heat treatment of products to a minimum - steam, stew with the skin on, bake covered, avoid frying products in oil.
Natural vitamins, mineral salts and trace elements
It is no secret that vitamins are best absorbed from food; taking vitamins in various complexes is, firstly, a strong load for the excretory system, and it is already working at its limit, and secondly, most of them are not absorbed at all. Try to eat in such a way as to replenish the consumption of vitamins, but remember: all vitamins, except for water-soluble vitamin C, tend to accumulate in the body, which means that too much is no better than not enough. Live unrefined food, vegetables, fruits, juices, cereals, bran, dried fruits, dairy and lactic acid products are natural sources of vitamins and microelements. Separately, I would like to say about the “nightmare” of pregnant women - calcium, which is force-fed by doctors. According to recent data, excessive consumption of foods rich in calcium, especially in the last stages of pregnancy, is fraught with calcification of the fetal head, which can lead to difficult labor and birth injuries, since the head will not be able to properly configure itself in the birth canal.
Proper eating
Try to take the most high-calorie and difficult-to-digest foods in the first half of the day, leaving more easily digestible foods for the evening, such as: light low-fat cottage cheese, fermented milk drinks, light vegetable salads under vegetable oil or sour cream. In the evening, after 7-8 pm, it is undesirable to eat, since both your body and the child’s body, which has already adjusted to the mother’s rhythm, are preparing for sleep. If you feel a strong feeling of hunger, eat dried fruits, nuts, bran (extremely appetizing bran in the form of air flakes is now available on sale), all of them swell when they enter the stomach and create a feeling of satiety even with a small volume, while having a huge energy value per unit mass.
Eating vegetables and fruits in their raw, unprocessed form is extremely beneficial, which is especially important in the last trimester of pregnancy. Besides nutritional value fiber takes up a large volume in the stomach, unlike high-calorie, refined foods instant cooking. It must be remembered that the assimilation of such food depends on the ability to chew food correctly and thoroughly, as well as on the condition digestive system generally.
It has been proven that the fetus of a mother who eats low-calorie foods and experiences physical activity moves much more actively, and movement is a vital function and preparation for a successful birth.
Special diet during the last trimester of pregnancy
In the last 3 months, there is mainly an increase in the weight of the already formed child. According to medical practitioners, at this time it is recommended to focus on vegetables, fruits, nuts, salads, herbs, lactic acid and dairy products, whole grains, dried fruits, excluding or almost eliminating meat and meat products, eggs, white bread. 3 weeks before giving birth, it is also suggested to exclude dairy and lactic acid products as sources of calcium, as well as animal products (meat, fish, poultry, eggs), switching to vegetables, fruits, decoctions and whole grain cereals. It is noteworthy that in women who follow these recommendations, the weight of the child at birth is about 3 kg, the diameter of the head is no more than 35 cm, and the birth itself is much easier, with minimal damage.
I would like to note the following: the best thing is that switching to healthy food will allow you not only to give birth to a healthy child, but also to get healthier, lose weight and look younger yourself. Finally, parting words:
- remember that you need to leave the table with a slight feeling of hunger (Academician A.A. Bogomolets);
- Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food Hippocrates);
- food is far from the only source of energy in this world.
Eat for your health!
Brief bibliography:
R. Ravich. First aid using natural remedies.
R. Ravich. How to give birth to a healthy baby
A.M.Timofeeva. Conversations with a pediatric doctor.
L.A. Nikitina, Zh.S. Sokolova, L.A. Bludova. To parents of the 21st century,
as well as recommendations from the following authors:
A.S. Zalmanov
I.A.Arshavsky
Spouses L.A. and B.P. Nikitins