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Nutrition for those nine months
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A pregnant woman has to be careful about her diet for the healthy growth of the baby
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THE BHAGAVAD Gita says, "Of food are beings made."
Lack of enough nutrition results in increased maternal mortality, poor psychological development and decreased productivity. The body is the product of an individual's nutrition. An individual's health, physical appearance and performance reflect the quality and quantity of the diet. In fact, even the texture of your hair and the smoothness of your skin depend to a great extent on your diet.
Adequate nutrition for women is important because of their need for extra nutrition during puberty, pregnancy and child-rearing years. If extra nutrition is not provided in the diet during these periods, the body stores are depleted, leading to various nutritional deficiency related diseases such as anemia and osteomalacia in later years.
In this article, I will discuss the requirements and intake of some specific nutrients, which a woman needs at various stages in her life.
During pregnancy
This is an important phase in a woman's life and she goes through maximum physiological stress during this period. The expectant mother has to nourish herself and also the growing foetus.
During pregnancy, a woman gains about 6-10 kgs in weight. The increase in weight is due to the weight of the baby, increase in size of the uterus, placenta and membranes, increase in breast tissue and some fat deposits that are a calorie reserve for lactation. This accumulation of adipose tissue could later lead to obesity if the calorie balance is not maintained after childbirth. The well being of the infant depends to a considerable extent on the mother's diet. The foetus requires nutrients not only for its growth in the mother's womb but after birth as well. When the baby is born, it has liberal stores of iron, protein, vitamin C and other vitamins, which need to be replenished through the mother's diet.
Poor nourishment during pregnancy can lead to premature labour and toxaemia. Such women may give birth to low weight babies. Inadequate nutrition during pregnancy does more harm to the foetus than the mother.
Diet during pregnancy
First trimester (first 3 months)
During this trimester, there is not much increase in the nutrient requirements. However, this is the time when a pregnant woman suffers from various degrees of toxaemia, resulting in nausea and poor appetite. Thus, she may not be able to eat much at a time and must space her meals - instead of three main meals, she should eat 6 or 7 small meals at short intervals. The early morning is the most difficult period, as she is likely to have morning sickness.
Before she gets up from the bed, she should eat a plain sweet biscuit, for instance a glucose biscuit or a piece of jaggery and get up slowly not with a start. Taking lemon juice or orange juice in the mornings, and before meals, also helps to relieve the nausea.
Second and third trimester
It is during this period that the nutrient requirements are greater. The expectant mother needs an extra 150-300 calories, 10g of protein, 300-500 mg of calcium, about 1000-2000 IU of vitamin A and 0.5 mg of riboflavin to meet her requirements.
These increases can be achieved by adding about 300-500 ml of milk and 50 g of leafy vegetables and carotene-rich fruit to the normal diet or an extra 50 g of cereal, 35 g of dal or legumes and 25 g of leafy vegetables. Table 1 gives you the requirement of nutrients and food items as well as the additional requirements during pregnancy.
There are a lot of do's and dont's regarding the diet to be taken during pregnancy in our country. Most of these time-tested rules have some scientific explanation.
For instance, papaya should not be taken during the first few months of pregnancy as it leads to miscarriage. Almonds generate heat, so should be soaked in water before eating. Listen to your grand mother, mother or mother-in-law.
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LILY MADHOK, therapeutic nutritionist, dietician and beautician, will answer queries relating to beauty in this column. Associated with top-notch beauty and health organisations for over three decades, she has a rich reservoir of experiences and suggestions to share with readers. She is the Director of Salon 2000, ITC Park Sheraton. E-mail queries to metro@thehindu.co.in.
LILY MADHOK
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