Food Cravings During Pregnancy

Food Cravings during pregnancy

Some Pregnant women develop special cravings for some types of foods like pickles, chocolates, raw mangoes, mashed potatoes etc. Some even  have a strong desire to eat inedible things like chalk, ash, mud, clay etc but  these should not be encouraged.  These  inedible things can prove to be dangerous for the baby and  the mother  as well. The causes  for this type of craving are not really known.  It is said and believed that these  are due to lack of some nutrients or the hormonal changes  in the body.

What to do when you have constipation during Pregnancy?

For those who have severe constipation during pregnancy , can go in for a diet of green leafy vegetables , which will give you a high roughage diet.  You can have fruits and vegetables as salads. You also have to take plenty of fluids to help out in digestion, as lack of fluids  can get you constipation. Start taking fruits instead of fruit juices so that you have high fibre content.

What to do about the Heartburns during Pregnancy?

For some of the Pregnant women, severe Heart burns are the problem  Heart burn will be relieved by taking small and frequent meals and eating about 2 hours before going to bed in the night. Avoid spicy and oily food and take less of stimulating drinks like Tea / coffee. Cold milk and other bland foods help alleviate the problem.

Diet for Pregnant women - Points to be taken care of before getting pregnant

It is a woman's prerogative to carry a baby for a full term of nine months and then give birth to a beautiful bundle of joy. For that a woman should prepare herself mentally and physically. She should start eating good nutrtious food, leave out smoking  or drinking too much coffee.
This holds true for the dads to be also as only the healthy set of parents can bring forward a healthy off spring.

She should see that she doesn't have anaemia and if she has it should be corrected.  Her weight should be in accordance with her height and body mass.
She should start taking folic acid  but only on the advice of the doctor. Once she gets the pregnancy confirmed she should take care of the dietary adjustments made  to nourish the growing foetus and also support the rapid changes that seem to occur in her body.
Usually the weight gain during pregnancy will be 10 - 12 kgs in a woman, and the baby will microscopic  at the start and go up till about 4 kgs at the most, the average for an Indian Baby is about 2.7 - 3.2 kgs.

She should go in for healthy eating , that means  eating a balanced diet and avoiding foods high in fat and sugar, such as cakes and biscuits. Fruit and vegetables can be fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or a glass of juice. Aim for at least five portions a day but always remember feesh ones count the most

Iron rich foods, like pulses red meat, fortified breakfast cereals with or without dried fruit, bread, green vegetables  build up your resources of iron  and get your body ready for pregnancy.

It would be better for you to take citrus fruits which help your body to absorb iron if you have some food, like an orange or lemons and / or vegetables as salads, or a glass of fruit juice with any iron-rich meals.