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5 healthy foods to eat for two when pregnant

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5 healthy foods to eat for two when pregnant

When pregnant, women need more energy and nutrients, even as we often hear they must ‘eat for two’.

It is important for pregnant women to indulge in healthy eating habit and when eating for two, it doesn’t mean you should eat twice as much, it just means you should adapt your diet to serve your changing needs, because of the growth of your breasts, uterus, increase of blood volume, fat storage and your baby’s essential needs for growth and development.

A heavily pregnant woman constantly needs increased amounts of specific minerals, iron and vitamins, which can be covered with a healthy, varied and normally well-balanced diet.

The ‘ideal’ weight gain will depend on each individual, but typically a woman doesn’t need extra calories during the first 3 months of pregnancy. But she will need about 300 extra calories each day during the last 6 months of pregnancy.

Knowing how to eat balanced and healthily, this extra need can be easily covered, for example, with a slice of whole grain bread and a slice of cheese or with one plain yoghurt, two tablespoons of muesli and an apple.
If you are concerned about what exactly to eat as a heavily pregnant woman who wants to eat for two, listed below are five other nutritious foods you can bank on.

1. Dairy Products: During pregnancy, you need to consume extra protein and calcium to meet the needs of the growing fetus (11, 12). Dairy products contain two types of high quality protein: casein and whey. Dairy is the best dietary source of calcium, and provides high amounts of phosphorus, various B-vitamins, magnesium and zinc.

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2. Legumes: Group of-Beans and Lentils…This group of food includes lentils, peas, beans, chickpeas, soybeans and peanuts. Legumes are excellent plant-based sources of fiber, protein, iron, folate (B9) and calcium, all of which the body needs more of during pregnancy.

3. Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are very rich in beta-carotene, a plant compound that is converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is essential for growth, as well as for the differentiation of most cells and tissues. It is very important for healthy fetal development (24). Pregnant women are generally advised to increase their vitamin A intake by 10–40% (25, 26, 27).

4. Salmon: Salmon is very rich in essential omega-3 fatty acids. Most people, including pregnant women, are not getting nearly enough omega-3 from their diet (33, 34). Omega-3 fatty acids are essential during pregnancy, especially the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA.

5. Eggs: Eggs are the ultimate health food, because they contain a little bit of almost every nutrient you need. A large egg contains 77 calories, as well as high-quality protein and fat. It also contains many vitamins and minerals. Eggs are a great source of choline. Choline is essential for many processes in the body, including brain development and health.

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