Proper nutrition in early pregnancy

Pregnant women are advised to adhere to proper nutrition in the early stages for two reasons. Firstly, a woman’s body needs trace elements and vitamins. A balanced diet will be a source of beneficial components. Secondly, a young mother should monitor the weight. Due to hormonal changes, a woman can quickly gain extra pounds, which will increase the risk of complications and health problems. But what should be the menu for 1-2 trimester?

Main enemy

Only the lucky ones manage to avoid morning toxicosis. Most pregnant women do not wake up because of the alarm clock or the sun's rays penetrating the room through loosely drawn curtains. No, they jump out of bed because of gagging and run to a faience friend. A balanced diet reduces toxicosis and protects a woman from exhaustion.

For morning sickness, the menu includes salted crackers or kefir. Cookies can be put on the bedside table so that the expectant mother does not have to get out of bed. Let the husband give the sour-milk drink. If there is no appetite, crackers are replaced with mint candy or some kind of fruit. For example, a banana, in which there is a lot of potassium, useful for the cardiovascular system. Or an apple, a source of iron. The mineral will protect the pregnant woman from anemia and anemia.

Symptoms of toxicosis will decrease if a woman starts the day with a cup of green tea with lemon juice or a slice of yellow citrus. Exotic fruits in the first trimester rarely cause allergic reactions. The acidic component triggers the stomach and stimulates the production of enzymes, awakening appetite.

Before going to bed with toxicosis, it is worth eating a handful of raisins. Dried fruits normalize digestion, suppress nausea and saturate the body with useful trace elements. They positively affect the nervous system, increase mood and immunity.

So that the usual products do not cause vomiting, the pregnant woman must follow several rules:

1. Take the first meal without getting out of bed. After a light snack, lie down for 10-30 minutes, so that the stomach partially digests the foods.
2. Eat foods warm or cold. Hot breakfasts and dinners emit too strong smells that irritate and provoke toxicosis.
3. Solid foods should not be washed down with tea, water, or other liquid drinks. Otherwise, the components will mix in the stomach and turn into slurry, which is very difficult to digest.
4. Coffee is replaced with mint tea. Firstly, an invigorating drink affects the nervous system, and in large quantities causes uterine tone, increasing the risk of miscarriage. Secondly, coffee irritates the walls of the stomach. Thirdly, herbal decoctions with aromatic additives suppress nausea and help the pregnant woman to cheer up and tune in to work.
5. The usual servings are reduced by 1.5–2 times. The less food, the faster it is digested. And so that the pregnant woman does not suffer from hunger, you need to add a second breakfast and a snack after dinner.

With frequent vomiting, you need to drink a lot of water, otherwise the concentration of fluid in the body will decrease sharply. This can lead to fainting, kidney and heart problems, and miscarriages. If the toxicosis is so strong that a woman is not able to swallow even a small piece of fruit or cracker, a balanced diet will not help. The expectant mother will have to lie down to save and undergo a course of treatment.

Basic components

What micro and macro elements are necessary for a pregnant woman in early pregnancy? One of the main components is folic acid. The substance is responsible for the formation of the spinal cord in the fetus, prevents neural tube defects in the embryo.With a lack of folic acid, a child may develop serious abnormalities. For example, spinal hernia.

Doctors for the prevention of abnormalities and pathologies prescribe pregnant women vitamin complexes containing this component. But the expectant mother may additionally eat foods rich in folic acid. These include:

• spinach;
• broccoli;
• lettuce;
• oranges and grapefruits;
• Brussels sprouts;
• carrot;
• beet;
• beans and lentils;
• peas;
• strawberries and raspberries;
• avocado;
• celery.

Coffee and tea can be replaced with freshly squeezed citrus juice. Serve for breakfast strawberry salad with beetroot and avocado. Dine with boiled broccoli or Brussels sprouts seasoned with kefir or Greek yogurt.

A young mother should not forget about dairy products. The fetus in the early and late stages draws a lot of calcium from the mother’s body, which is necessary for it to form and develop the skeletal system. The human body has not yet learned how to independently produce this macroelement, therefore, it must receive it from food. Cottage cheese and hard cheeses can become sources of calcium, but not all of them are allowed for pregnant women. Species such as Camembert and Bree, as well as Stylton, are dangerous to the health of the mother and embryo. The mold contained in the products causes listeriosis, which leads to abnormalities in the fetus and miscarriages in the early stages.

It is not worth it to abuse sour-milk drinks, cottage cheese and cheese. Dishes, although they normalize the digestive tract, but contain many calories. Dietary sources of calcium are:

• fresh basil;
• garlic;
• sprigs of dill.

So that a pregnant woman has strong bones, hair and teeth, it is worth consuming nuts and seeds. For example, almonds, sesame seeds, cashews and peanuts. Garlic will not only saturate the future mother's body with calcium, but also protect it from seasonal colds.

In the first trimester in the female body, due to hormonal changes, the level of iron decreases. The mineral is responsible for transporting red blood cells and oxygen saturation of the blood. With a lack of an element, the fetus suffers from hypoxia. In order for the embryo to develop normally, mother should include pork or beef liver, freshly squeezed juice or pomegranate fruits, some dark chocolate and buckwheat in the diet.

You can get iron from dried fruits:

• dates;
• dried apricots;
• figs;
• prunes.

Rich in almonds and hazelnuts. And in order for the beneficial component to be better absorbed by the female body, it should be combined with citrus fruits, rosehip decoction and other products that contain ascorbic acid.

Helpers for Wellness

Omega-3 fatty amino acids have a positive effect on embryo development. They participate in the formation of the child’s nervous system and support the mother’s immunity. Sea fish is rich in useful elements. Doctors recommend mackerel, sardine, salmon or herring. Products should be fresh, no canned foods or smoked meats. The fish is baked or cooked steamed, but consumed no more than 2 times a week. The fillet may contain heavy metals, which, when abused, do not have time to be excreted and accumulate in the body, causing problems with the kidneys and other internal organs.

Expectant mother recommended cereals, as well as plant sources of protein:

• white and red beans;
• chickpeas;
• raw pumpkin seeds;
• dried apples and apricot.

Pregnant women in the first trimester may appear constipated, flatulence and discomfort in the stomach. Culprits of unpleasant symptoms are sweets, sodas, fast food, smoked meats and convenience foods. Of course, nothing bad will happen if a woman pampers herself with a package of ice cream or a chocolate bar, but you always need to know the measure. Vegetable stew, fruit salad or a handful of dried fruits will bring more benefits to the pregnant woman.

With a tendency to flatulence, sauerkraut, sugar, potatoes are removed from the diet and the number of legumes is reduced. Instead, they introduce coarse bread or bran, brown rice, turkey breast and beef.

The body of a pregnant woman becomes more vulnerable due to constant hormonal changes, therefore, mother is recommended to observe several rules:

1. Do not drink raw chicken and quail eggs. Do not touch the half-wet bird. Salmonella, which dies only at high temperatures, can live in these products.
2. Pork and beef steaks with blood and kebabs are prohibited. Eggs of worms or tapeworms may remain in poorly fried meat.
3. You can’t cut a salad of raw vegetables with a knife, which was used to chop chicken carcass a minute ago. The blade is first disinfected and then used as intended.
4. It is necessary to carefully check the expiration date of each product. Do not buy dubious canned goods, as well as meat, fish and cheese slices in vacuum packaging.

A balanced diet is very important for a pregnant woman. Any food that enters her body affects the development of the fetus and the health of the mother herself. The menu of the parent should be only light and healthy dishes. No alcohol, coffee, fast food or fatty. If a woman follows all the recommendations, she will save her hair, teeth and figure and give birth to a strong and perfectly healthy baby.

Video: how to eat during pregnancy