There are a lot of myths surrounding this topic such as eating papaya during pregnancy will cause abortion, eating dates during pregnancy will cause the child to have a dark skin, eating saffron during pregnancy will give a fair baby, etc.
Pregnancy is not an illness, but a normal physiology of the body. When a healthy lady who is not doing very strenuous physical labor requires 1800 to 2000 kcal of energy per day, a pregnant woman would require 2350 kcal of energy daily. This additional requirement of 350 kcal does can be obtained from regular healthy foods and does not require any overeating or special menu. The normal increase in body weight during pregnancy is 7 to 10 kg, but the women who have excessive food intake increase by about 15 to 20 kg and they often find it very difficult to shed this weight after delivery. The unhealthy and irregular food habit itself is the main reason for weight gain in most pregnant ladies.
Most people advice regarding what to do after getting pregnant, but it is important to bring healthy dietary changes when a pregnancy is being planned. The woman must be consuming folic acid regularly when she is planning a pregnancy. She can meet a doctor and start regular vitamins and folic acid and this may be continued upto 3 months after delivery according to the doctor’s instructions.
Folic acid is essential for the proper development of the fetus, which begins ever since the first two weeks of pregnancy. The main sources of folic acid are leafy vegetables, dates, jaggery, etc. Also, folic acid and vitamin tablets may be started. Protein rich foods must be included in the first three months of pregnancy, and the proteins are best consumed during the morning hours. Often, ladies may experience nausea, vomiting, acidity, etc. during 2 to 4 months of pregnancy and they must avoid eating a full stomach and opt to eat lesser amounts of foods at frequent intervals. Good carbohydrates such as rusk, biscuit, bread, etc. may be had in the morning immediately after waking before moving out of bed to even brush the teeth. This will help prevent the morning sickness. Similarly, the habit of having three square meals must be changed to eating 6 times a day.
A very common myth relating to pregnancy is that eating papaya may cause abortion. It must be understood that papaya contains an alkaloid called papain which may cause abortion and papain is seen only in raw papaya. So ripe papaya is a good fruit for women during pregnancy, however, they must avoid intake of raw papaya.
The body needs sufficient supply of iron and folic acid during pregnancy, which can be easily obtained from dates. Hence, pregnant women may eat upto 8 to 10 dates daily ignoring the myth that eating dates will give a dark-skinned baby. A moderate amount of protein may be obtained from vegetable proteins like green gram, bengal gram, lentils, etc. or animal proteins like egg whites, fish, meat, etc. Soy milk is another good source of protein. Small fishes are better than the bigger fishes when it comes to pregnant ladies as the big fishes have a higher concentration of mercury according to studies due to the industrial waste that is dumped into deep sea.
An early dinner taken few hours before sleep and early breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up is advisable. Intake of tea and coffee may be limited to a maximum of two cups per day. Curd, milk and leafy vegetables are good during pregnancy. Pregnant ladies must drink sufficient amount of water because getting a urinary infection during pregnancy might turn harmful for the fetus. Also, some women may have excessive tension during pregnancy leading to constipation during the second and third trimester, complaints of piles, fissure or fistula, etc. So, foods such as packaged foods, fast foods, etc., which may cause constipation must be avoided and more leafy vegetables, juicy fruits and vegetables and fiber-rich foods must be included. This too can be helped by keeping the body sufficiently hydrated.
Intake of saffron to get a fair baby is a very popular misconception. The fact is that regular use of saffron may lead to delivering babies growing into hyperactive children. Always consume fruits, vegetables and proteins instead of packed foods and protein packets. If there is a tendency to excessive weight gain, sugar usage must be restricted, but the sweetness in the fruits and vegetables is harmless.
In case of diabetes, take insulin treatment according to the doctor’s instruction and also manage diet accordingly. A woman who is planning to conceive must include sufficient proteins in her diet in the form of pulses, fishes, 2 to 3 egg whites, etc. Oats is good during pregnancy. 20 to 25 g of nuts, especially almonds, may be consumed daily.
If the baby is found to be underweight in the 6-month scan, the woman may include more proteins in the diet under the guidance of the gynecologist.
With such a rich, healthy and balanced diet, the baby too will be healthy.