FOOD MANAGEMENT DURING PREGNANCY
• sufficient weight gain
• A balanced diet
• Regular exercise
• An appropriate and timely supplementation of vitamins and minerals
Good food to eat during pregnancy
• Vegetables: carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, spinach, greens, tomatoes, and red peppers (for vitamin A and potassium)
• Fruit: melon, honeydew, mango, plum, banana, apricot, orange, and grapefruit or ham (for potassium)
• Dairy products: low-fat or low-fat yogurt, skimmed milk or 1%, soy milk (for calcium, potassium, vitamins A and D)
Cereals: ready-made cereals / cooked cereals (for iron and folic acid)
• Proteins: beans and peas; Nuts and seeds; lean beef, lamb, and pork; salmon, trout, herring, sardines, and cod
Foods to avoid during pregnancy
• Unpasteurized milk and unpasteurized milk foods (soft cheeses, including feta, queso Blanco and fresh cheese, camembert, brie or blue, unless labeled "made with pasteurized milk")
• Hot dogs and meat for lunch (unless reheated to smoke before serving)
• Raw and undercooked fish, eggs and meat. Don't eat raw fish sushi (cooked sushi is safe).
• Spreadable And Cold Meat Flan
• cold smoked seafood
The importance of folic acid
Folic acid is a nutrient found in:
• Some green leafy vegetables
• Mainly berries, nuts, beans, oranges and breakfast cereals
• Some vitamin supplements.
Folic acid can help reduce the risk of neural tube defects, which are birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. Neural tube defects can cause paralysis, incontinence, and sometimes intellectual disability.
Folic acid is most useful during the first 28 days after conception when most neural tube defects occur. Unfortunately, you may not know that you are 28 days pregnant. Therefore, folic acid intake should begin before conception and continue throughout pregnancy. Your doctor or midwife will recommend the right amount of folic acid to meet your individual needs.
