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A healthy baby starts with a healthy pregnancy. Staying healthy during your pregnancy isn’t always within your control. Sometimes complications happen that you can’t control. The things you can control include your diet, exercise, and prenatal care. It can be hard to stay on top of all the recommendation during your pregnancy. Here is information on a new recommendation regarding prenatal supplements.
Research has found that iodine is important to the neurological development of a growing fetus. Iodine is a necessary component for producing thyroid hormone, a key building block for neurodevelopment. A deficiency in thyroid hormone can cause mental retardation.
The American Thyroid Association recommends that pregnant and nursing mothers take a vitamin supplement that contains 150 micrograms (mcg) of iodine to help them reach the recommended daily intake of 220 mcg for pregnant women and 290 mcg for nursing mothers. You can read the full write up from the ATA here.
Pregnant and nursing mothers will need to read the label of their prenatal vitamins careful as studies have found that only about 51% of prenatal vitamins contain the recommend amount of iodine. This, of course, may change now that the ATA is out with their new recommendations. If you are unsure if the prenatal vitamin you are taking contains the recommended amount of iodine talk to your doctor, and be sure to also talk to your doctor if you have questions about the recommendations.
The Institute of Medicine is out with new recommendations regarding weight gain during pregnancy. The new guidelines were developed by a group of doctors, nutrition experts and public health officials. These new weight gain guidelines are the first in almost 20 years.
The new pregnancy weight gain guidelines for women carrying a single fetus are:
- Underweight: 28-40 pounds
- Normal Weigh: 25-35 pounds
- Overweight: 15-25 pounds
- Obese: 11-20 pounds
If you are carrying multiples you should talk to your doctor about what the weight gain is appropriate for you given your weight before becoming pregnant and how many fetuses you are carrying.
The IOM also recommends that women schedule a prepregnancy consultation with their doctor to discuss their prepregnancy weight (among other things) and if it is safe to begin a pregnancy at their current weight. Overweight women are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and are more likely to need a c-section. Your doctor may recommend that you begin to manage your weight with a healthy diet and exercise before you attempt to become pregnant.
The new guidelines are similar to the previous recommendation from the IOM with the exception of the recommendations for obese and overweight women. The new guidelines show that women going into pregnancy already overweight need to take extra care during pregnancy to avoid excessive weight gain.
As any pregnant woman will tell you it can be difficult to maintain a good, healthy weight gain. Excercise during pregnancy (if permitted by your doctor) is a great way to both control your weight gain and stay healthy during pregnancy. Practicing healthy eating habits is a great way as well (although it isn’t always easy to turn down that extra donut or that whole bag of cookies!!!).
Finding out you can now eat for two may seem like a free ticket to dive right into all those foods you have been avoiding to benefit your waistline. However, like everything else with pregnancy what you eat requires some extra thought. A healthy pregnancy is important to all of us and the food choices you make play a big role in a healthy pregnancy. Both you and your growing baby will benefit from a healthy diet during pregnancy.
There are a few things that you should avoid during pregnancy as they are harmful to both you and your baby. Be sure to talk to your doctor early in your pregnancy about your eating habits and what you should be avoiding based on your specific pregnancy.
Eating for Two: The Don’ts:
- Don’t drink alcohol during pregnancy. No amount of alcohol has been deemed safe during pregnancy.
- Don’t eat raw fish or meat.
- Don’t overdo it on the caffeine, try to keep it under 2 cups a day. Most doctors will advise that it is OK to drink caffeine in moderations during pregnancy, however, you should make sure it is OK for you.
- Don’t drink herbal tea. There have not been any studies done on the effects of herbs on the growing fetus. Also, some herbs consumed in large doses have been found to cause contractions and may lead to miscarriage.
- Don’t take any nutritional supplements without first consulting your doctor.
- Don’t eat fish high in mercury, including: swordfish, shark, king mackerel and some tuna.
- Don’t drink unpasteurized milk or eat cheese made with unpasteurized milk, including: brie, feta, blue cheese or camembert.
- Avoid cold cut meats as they can carry food born illnesses.
Early in your pregnancy your doctor will likely have a conversation with you about all the things you need to avoid during your pregnancy. If he or she does not bring it up be sure to ask. The more you know the easier it will be to make wise food choices. See my recent article on The Do’s of pregnancy eating for all the good things you can eat during pregnancy 
Finding out you are pregnant and can now “eat for two” may sending you flying to the cupboard to eat a few extra cookies or enjoy that bag of chips you have been avoiding, or send you out the door to McDonald’s for a Big Mac and extra large fries! However, you may want to give your food choices a little more thought. Although you are eating for two it is important to make healthy food choices during pregnancy. A pregnancy that includes a healthy diet is a benefit to both mother and baby.
Healthy eating habits developed during pregnancy mean it will probably be easier for you to lose the baby weight after your little one arrives. You are also less likely to gain too much weight during pregnancy, which can lead to complications. Plus, that growing life inside of you needs all those good nutrients to grow big and strong.
Eating for Two Do’s:
- Eat a variety of foods at meal and snack times including: fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean proteins, and whole grains.
- Take a daily prenatal vitamin. Talk to your doctor about which one he or she recommends for you.
- Watch your calorie intake. It is recommended that pregnant women consume an additional 300 calories per day during pregnancy.
- Limit the portion size and amount of high fat foods and sweets you consume. Indulge a little but be mindful of how much you are eating.
- Add a little extra fiber to your diet to help prevent constipation (a common problem during pregnancy).
- Drink plenty of fluids (especially water). It is very important to stay hydrated.
Be sure to talk to your doctor about any special needs you may have with your pregnancy diet. He or she will be able to advice you on what foods are OK for you to eat, how much weight you should gain during pregnancy, and any other special instructions.
One thing I did during my pregnancy was to make sure I had plenty of healthy snacks at work with me, things like fruit, crackers, granola bars, cut up fresh veggies. I was able to avoid eating a lot of high fat, high calorie snacks by planning ahead
During pregnancy, while your baby is developing, protein plays a crucial role in your diet. Most prenatal caregivers and nutritionists recommend that you include 3 servings of protein per day in your diet, for a total of about 75 grams. If you are a vegetarian you know that finding enough protein rich foods can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. Being a pregnant vegetarian it becomes all the more important to find those protein rich foods.
Here are a few foods to consider including in your diet to help ensure you are getting enough protein. Talk to your prenatal caregiver if you have questions about your diet and what foods you should include and avoid.
Dairy:
- Milk. About 3 8oz glasses of milk per day will give you 25 grams of protein.
- Cottage Cheese. 1 cup will provide 25 grams of protein.
- Cheese. 3 oz of cheese will provide 25 grams of protein.
- Yogurt. 2 cups of yogurt will give you 25 grams of protein.
Legumes:
- Beans. 3/4 of a cup of beans, lentils, or peas will give you about 15 grams of protein.
- Tofu. 4 oz of tofu will provide about 15 grams of protein.
- Soy dairy. 1.5 cups of soy milk or 3 oz of soy cheese will provide about 15 grams of protein.
- Vegetarian “meat” including garden burgers, hot dogs, or chicken. Read the label for the protein content.
Grains:
- Whole wheat pasta. 3 oz will provide about 15 grams of protein.
- Whole grain cereal. About 2 cups will provide 15 grams of protein.
- Whole grain bread. 4 slices will give you about 15 grams of protein.
- Couscous, bulgur, buckwheat, quinoa. 1/2 a cup will provide 15 grams of protein.
Nuts and Seeds:
- Nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc). 3 oz will provide about 15 grams of protein.
- Seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumkin, etc). 2 oz will give you about 15 grams of protein.
- Flaxseed. 1/2 cup will provide about 15 grams of protein.
By including a few of these great protein options per meal you can ensure you meet the recommended daily intake of protein. Always read the labels so you know what contains protein and what does not. If you are worried that you may not be getting enough protein talk to your doctor.