Nutrition During Pregnancy
here are a lot of different opinions out there on how much/what you should eat while pregnant, and which nutrients are the most important.
While pregnant with my first, I followed The Brewer Diet. This included at least: 4 servings dairy, 2 eggs, 2 servings green veggies, 4 servings of protein, 4 servings of whole grains, 2-3 servings of fat (butter, oil, etc), something yellow or orange in color, lots of salt, and an optional serving of liver once a week. The diet currently on Dr. Brewer's website is even more strict and extensive. I did pretty good following the diet. With this pregnancy, I haven't been doing nearly as well at following it. I just haven't had the appetite that I had while pregnant with my son. It's hard to eat the recommended 80 to 100 grams of protein a day when you get full fast. So with this baby I tried to just follow the guidelines in a book I read called "Real Food, For Mama and Baby" by Nina Planck.
She broke it down into the three trimesters; in your first trimester, vitamins and minerals are vital for baby's development. In second trimester, protein is important for building baby. In third trimester, omega 3's (especially from fish) are vital for brain growth and development.
While I found this easier to follow, I know that I'm not getting the very best nutrition I could get if following the Brewer's Diet again. I think I'll stick with that from now on, and just make myself eat more even if I'm not hungry.
Vital nutrients all throughout pregnancy:
Protein
Large amounts of protein are very important during pregnancy, to help increase blood volume, help the baby grow, and to keep you energized. Fatigue is very common in pregnancy, but can be greatly reduced with enough protein. I aim for 80-100 grams a day.
Salt
I know, I know, everyone says to avoid salt because it causes swelling, high blood pressure, and other issues. That's because the salt you buy from the store is so processed that it is much more harmful than helpful (did you know that some brands of salt have sugar added to them?) They are nutritionally void and useless.
REAL salt, on the other hand, is very helpful and nutritious. It is absolutely vital to help you build your blood. I use a brand called Redmond Real Salt, and also Celtic Sea Salt. I love both of them. They are very high in trace minerals, and help replace electrolytes.
Calories
Getting enough calories is vital so that your body does not use your precious protein in place of them. Don't shy away from healthy calories. I'm not giving you an excuse to eat a whole box of donuts.
These are the three main things Dr. Brewer talks about, because you need a good amount of all three of them to maintain good blood volume, which is hugely important, since you're needing to produce so much more blood now that you're pregnant. Of course, all of the vitamins and minerals are absolutely vital, but I won't go into detail about them all, there's far too many.
While taking a prenatal vitamin everyday is a good thing, that I highly recommend, it should not replace fresh nutrition. You absorb and use nutrients much better when they come directly from a food source. Don't let the fact that you take a vitamin give you an excuse to eat poorly. Your baby needs fresh fruit and veggies! Lots of them!
Tip: If you're feeling dehydrated (it's easy to get that way during pregnancy), put a small spoonful of Celtic Sea Salt in a glass of water and drink it. It will replace your electrolytes and keep you hydrated!
While pregnant with my first, I followed The Brewer Diet. This included at least: 4 servings dairy, 2 eggs, 2 servings green veggies, 4 servings of protein, 4 servings of whole grains, 2-3 servings of fat (butter, oil, etc), something yellow or orange in color, lots of salt, and an optional serving of liver once a week. The diet currently on Dr. Brewer's website is even more strict and extensive. I did pretty good following the diet. With this pregnancy, I haven't been doing nearly as well at following it. I just haven't had the appetite that I had while pregnant with my son. It's hard to eat the recommended 80 to 100 grams of protein a day when you get full fast. So with this baby I tried to just follow the guidelines in a book I read called "Real Food, For Mama and Baby" by Nina Planck.
She broke it down into the three trimesters; in your first trimester, vitamins and minerals are vital for baby's development. In second trimester, protein is important for building baby. In third trimester, omega 3's (especially from fish) are vital for brain growth and development.
While I found this easier to follow, I know that I'm not getting the very best nutrition I could get if following the Brewer's Diet again. I think I'll stick with that from now on, and just make myself eat more even if I'm not hungry.
Vital nutrients all throughout pregnancy:
Protein
Large amounts of protein are very important during pregnancy, to help increase blood volume, help the baby grow, and to keep you energized. Fatigue is very common in pregnancy, but can be greatly reduced with enough protein. I aim for 80-100 grams a day.
Salt
I know, I know, everyone says to avoid salt because it causes swelling, high blood pressure, and other issues. That's because the salt you buy from the store is so processed that it is much more harmful than helpful (did you know that some brands of salt have sugar added to them?) They are nutritionally void and useless.
REAL salt, on the other hand, is very helpful and nutritious. It is absolutely vital to help you build your blood. I use a brand called Redmond Real Salt, and also Celtic Sea Salt. I love both of them. They are very high in trace minerals, and help replace electrolytes.
Calories
Getting enough calories is vital so that your body does not use your precious protein in place of them. Don't shy away from healthy calories. I'm not giving you an excuse to eat a whole box of donuts.
These are the three main things Dr. Brewer talks about, because you need a good amount of all three of them to maintain good blood volume, which is hugely important, since you're needing to produce so much more blood now that you're pregnant. Of course, all of the vitamins and minerals are absolutely vital, but I won't go into detail about them all, there's far too many.
While taking a prenatal vitamin everyday is a good thing, that I highly recommend, it should not replace fresh nutrition. You absorb and use nutrients much better when they come directly from a food source. Don't let the fact that you take a vitamin give you an excuse to eat poorly. Your baby needs fresh fruit and veggies! Lots of them!
Tip: If you're feeling dehydrated (it's easy to get that way during pregnancy), put a small spoonful of Celtic Sea Salt in a glass of water and drink it. It will replace your electrolytes and keep you hydrated!
