Should I? Or Shouldn't I?

There are many foods to avoid when you are expecting. Here is a list and a little background on why they should be avoided.

___________________________________________________________
1. Unwashed vegetables

• Toxoplasmosis may contaminate the soil where the vegetables were grown.

Vegetables

2. Soft cheeses

•  May contain E. coli or Listeria.
• You SHOULD choose cheeses that are hard or make sure they are made from pasteurized milk.

Soft Cheese

3. Raw/Undercooked meats or Deli meats
 4. Pate 

• For these two the main concern is again Listeria So either heat to 165 F or with the pate eat it canned.

Deli Meat

5. Fish with mercury 

• High levels of mercury can cause developmental delays and brain damage.
• Shoot for 12 ounces of fish per week that are low in mercury and limit tuna to 6 ounces per week.

6. Smoked seafood
7. Fish exposed to industrial pollutants

• Eat canned versions of these as well or heat to 165 F

Smoked Seafood

8. Raw shellfish

• Raw shellfish are a concern for everybody and should be avoided altogether when you are pregnant.
• It may contain parasites or bacteria.
• Cook to 145 F.

Raw Shellfish

9. Raw eggs/ Cookie dough

• May contain Salmonella
• Bake the cookies or don't use eggs!

Cookie Dough

 

10. Unpasteurized milk/juice

• May contain E. coli
• Bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute before drinking. 

11. Alcohol

• NO AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL  is safe for consumption during pregnancy. 
• It can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which is the ONLY 100% preventable birth defect!

Alcohol

12. Caffeine 

•  Only in moderation. There is evidence to show that it can be related to miscarriages, but most says moderate intake.
• As a rule only take in 200mg or less per day.

___________________________________________________________

Pregnancy suppresses your immune system and can make your unborn child susceptible to many microorganisms that can cause food-borne illness. Some of these foods that may contain Listeria have been shown to cause miscarriages. If you are ever in doubt, don't eat it, OR cook it to the appropriate temperatures listed to kill off the harmful bacteria. 
___________________________________________________________
Sources:
Foods to Avoid
Food Safety Gov Checklist

Sometimes Pregnancy Can Get You a Little Off Balance...

How much weight is normal to gain during pregnancy? 15 lbs? 30 lbs? 60 lbs?

It all depends...the amount of weight that you need to gain depends on many things, including: pre-pregnancy weight and BMI.

If you start as Underweight(BMI<18.5)..........................you should gain 28-40 pounds
                           Normal weight (BMI of 18.5-24.9)...............................25-35 pounds
                           Overweight (BMI of 25-29.9).......................................15-25 pounds
                           Obese (BMI>30)..........................................................11-20 pounds

During the first trimester, most usually don't need to increase their daily calorie intake, unless you started out underweight (BMI of <18.5). However, according to MediResource Clinical Team, during the second and third trimesters, you will need an extra 200-300 calories every day. Something to keep in mind is that 200-300 calories is not that much. Eating an extra piece of toast and a banana would be sufficient or having some pumpkin bread and a glass of milk. You are eating for two, but the little one needs significantly less than most women think or would like to think.

Gaining weight is normal but as a reference you should gain only about 5 pounds in the first trimester, and then 3-4 pounds per month until delivery. So how do you balance energy needs?

Exercise

Yes. You guessed it, EXERCISE! Many pregnant women simply do not do enough of this. Why? Well it may be because of many reasons, but mainly because they don't know what is safe and they don't want to hurt their baby. The rule is..if you could do it before you were pregnant, you can do it now. So if you couldn't run a marathon before you got pregnant, don't try it now. 

 You should do:                                                          It helps you:

• Walking                                                             * Boost energy
• Swimming                                                        * Sleep better
• Low-Impact Aerobics                                 * Reduce discomfort
• Dance                                                                * Prepare for childbirth
• Yoga                                                                  * Reduce stress and lift your spirits
• Stretching                                                        * Improve self-image
• Weight Training                                            * Get your body back faster after childbirth

All this information can help you to understand how much energy you need. If you just can't control those cravings and you end up eating more calories than you need, exercise is a great way to help keep energy in balance. 

Sources:
Normal Weight Gain 
Benefits of Exercise
 Safe Exercise

Key Nutrients to a Healthy Baby

IRON and FOLATE

You hear about how important it is to take vitamins and have enough of this and that and when you are pregnant how it is even more important. But who really knows how much is enough? Does it change in different times such as before you're pregnant, during pregnancy and when you are lactating? Yes! So I'm going to let you know the ins and outs of how much of these nutrients you need and when.

Let's start with iron. Iron deficiency is the world's most common nutrient deficiency, both in developed and developing countries. Men need less on any given day than women. But when you are pregnant you need 3X as much as men. That's A LOT of iron! 27mg to be exact. For non-pregnant women daily intake should be 18mg.

To get 27mg of iron in a day, you would have to eat about 73 ounces of chicken breast, or 4 1/4 cups of boiled spinach. As you can see 27mg is VERY hard to consume this amount through the diet each day. That is why most pregnant women need to take an iron supplement daily. It is important to get as much as you can through your diet, because it is more easily absorbed by your body, but if you cannot meet this recommendation you should consider taking a vitamin. This will help prevent a baby with a low birth weight. Babies born with a low birth weight tend to have more health issues throughout their lives.

Next let's talk about another major nutrient called folate. Folate is a vitamin found in some foods, added to others, or available in a supplement. It prevents neural tube defects during pregnancy which are defects that affect the brain, spine or spinal cord. These defects happen in the first month after a baby is conceived. Most women do not even know that they are pregnant yet. So it is important that NON-pregnant women get enough folate, about 400mcg per day. If you are pregnant you should consume 600 mcg per day and 500mcg when you are lactating after pregnancy.

Folate is found in foods such as dark leafy green vegetables, fruits and fruit juices, nuts, beans, meat, eggs, grains, and many other foods. Breakfast cereal has folate added to it so it is another good source for this vitamin. But if you really like boiled spinach 2 1/4 cups will get you to the 600mcg needed per day. Prenatal vitamins are sold over the counter and they all contain folate, so another option would be to supplement the amount you need if you can't get to the daily requirement.

Below I have included sources for more information and other food sources of these nutrients.

Sources and More Information about Folate
Iron in Your Pregnancy
Do you need an Iron Supplement?

Spinach Picture