It is well-known that the growth and development of the fetus is closely related to the nutritional status of the mother. Therefore, women generally pay attention to dietary nutrition after they are aware of their pregnancy, but they tend to ignore the pre-pregnancy diet.
Prepare for nutrition before pregnancy
In fact, reasonable nutrition before pregnancy is also very important for ensuring eugenics and maternal health. Because, early pregnancy is a key stage in the formation of fetal organ differentiation. At this stage, the nutritional source of the fetus relies heavily on the nutrient reserve of the woman before her pregnancy. It is too late to wait for pregnancy. Therefore, women of childbearing age who plan to be mothers must prepare in advance and develop good eating habits, not only for their own health, but also for the baby to create a good nutritional environment. So, what nutritional preparations are needed before pregnancy?
1. Ensure balanced meals
Under normal circumstances, women should pay attention to diet during the period from 3 months to 6 months before planning pregnancy. The most important thing is to balance the diet so as to ensure the intake of balanced and appropriate nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients are the material basis for fetal growth and development.
Human food is varied. Different foods contain different nutrients. No food is perfect. Only by properly selecting foods and matching them properly can we obtain a balanced and comprehensive nutrition. Our nutritionists divide all kinds of food into five categories, and each type of food must guarantee supply.
The first category: cereals. Including rice, noodles, and grains. It mainly provides carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber and B vitamins. They are the main source of energy in the diet. According to labor intensity, each person eats 250 to 400 grams per day.
The second category: vegetables and fruits. It mainly provides dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins and carotene. Vegetables and fruits have their own characteristics and cannot be completely replaced by each other. Generally speaking, red, green and yellow dark vegetables and deep yellow fruits are rich in nutrients, so dark vegetables and fruits should be used. Should eat 300 to 500 grams of vegetables a day, 200 to 400 grams of fruit.
The third category: fish, shrimp, meat, eggs (including meat, poultry, and viscera). It mainly provides quality protein, fat, minerals, vitamin A and B vitamins. They differ in nutrient content from one another. Eat 150 to 250 grams a day.
The fourth category: milk and beans. In addition to rich high-quality protein and vitamins, the calcium content is high, and the utilization rate is high, which is an excellent source of natural calcium. Beans are rich in high-quality protein, unsaturated fatty acids, calcium, and vitamins B1 and B2. 250 to 500 grams of fresh milk should be consumed every day, and 50 to 100 grams of beans and soy products should be eaten.
The fifth category: fats and oils. Including vegetable oil and so on. It mainly provides energy. Vegetable oils also provide vitamin E and essential fatty acids. 25 grams a day or so.
These five types of foods cannot be substituted for each other. These types of foods should be included in the daily diet and the foods in the same category should be used in turn to make the meals rich and colorful. The more variety of foods eaten, the more comprehensive the intake of nutrients.
Women who plan to become pregnant should compare the usual diet with the recommended amount of the above types of food. If they do not meet the requirements, they should make adjustments in time to correct the nutritional imbalance and ensure that a comprehensive and balanced nutrition is obtained and the body is Best state.
2. Pay attention to supplement folic acid
Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin and is a nutrient necessary for early fetal development. If women lack folic acid in early pregnancy, it will affect the normal development of the fetal neural tube, which in turn leads to neural tube defects of spina bifida and anencephaly.
Neural tube malformations mainly occur within 3 months of the start of pregnancy, but if you add folic acid after pregnancy, you cannot be sure immediately because of the time of conception. It is too late to wait until after the confirmation. In addition, after the addition of folic acid, the concentration of folic acid reaches a desired level, which also takes a certain period of time. Therefore, women of childbearing age should begin taking 400 micrograms of folic acid every day three months before the start of pregnancy, so that by the time of pregnancy, the body's level of folic acid has reached a desired level. It should continue to be supplemented until after three months of pregnancy. This can prevent fetal neural tube malformation. happened.
Folic acid is rich in animal liver, eggs, green leafy vegetables, red and yellow fruits and vegetables (such as tomatoes, citrus), beans, nuts (such as peanuts, walnuts). It is necessary to eat more folic acid-rich food before pregnancy.
3. Increase the intake of certain micronutrients
The lack of micronutrients such as calcium, iron, and vitamin A not only affects the health of women, but also directly affects the growth and development of the fetus. Therefore, women planning to become pregnant should pay special attention to the supply of these nutrients. You can also ask the doctor for help in diagnosis, make a thorough understanding of your nutritional status, and purposely adjust your diet, focusing on increasing the intake of nutrients that are usually low in the body.
Foods rich in iron and high in absorption and utilization have animal liver, animal blood, and lean meat. Calcium-rich foods include milk and dairy products, small shrimps, small fish (with bones), and tofu. Vitamin A-rich foods include animal liver, whole milk, and eggs. Dark green and red and yellow fruits and vegetables (such as spinach, pea sprouts, carrots, pepper, mango, apricot, etc.) are rich in carotene, and carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the body. The usual use of such food, you can gradually correct the lack of calcium, iron, vitamin A and other micronutrient status. In the absence of severe cases, some micronutrient preparations can be supplemented under the guidance of a doctor.
4. Avoid excessive nutrition
Pregnancy, while ensuring nutrition, is also careful not to oversupply. Overweight or obesity is an unfavorable factor for pregnancy and childbirth. It is also a risk factor for pregnancy-induced hypertension and gestational diabetes. Therefore, the pre-pregnancy diet should be rich in nutrients, but not to cause obesity.
In order to ensure the normal development of the fetus, it is not appropriate to adopt weight-loss dieting measures during pregnancy. Therefore, women who are already obese should plan to become pregnant and should receive reasonable nutrition and proper amount of physical exercise before pregnancy to reach or approach ideal weight. In addition, the supplementation of micronutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin A should also be appropriate because excessive amounts of these nutrients can also harm the mother and baby.
In short, women adjust their dietary structure from pre-pregnancy, pay attention to balanced diet, and prepare for adequate nutrition so as to ensure healthy, energetic, fertile, wise, and lovely babies.