HealthyEATING - foodinsight.org

1 With so much information on how food can affectyour health, it may seem confusing at times to knowwhat to , the relationship between diet and health isvery important. It is even more important during pregnancy since good nutritionand safe food handling play a key role in the health of both the mother and the title implies, this brochure provides information on healthful eatingduring pregnancy . It will cover how to eat a balanced diet, eating a variety offoods, healthy weight gain during pregnancy , and food safety concerns specificto pregnant BALANCED DIET What a Mother-to-Be NeedsPregnant women have special dietaryneeds.

2 Eating a balanced diet before, dur-ing, and after pregnancy is one part ofgood health. This section of the brochuredescribes key nutrients pregnant womenneed, how much they need, and sources ofthose nutrients. Certain foods should beavoided during pregnancy because theypose a food safety risk. These are discussedlater in this pregnancy , a woman s calorie needsincrease by about 15 percent. Some womenare surprised to learn that eating for two really only means eating an additional 300calories per day.

3 Three hundred caloriesequals about 3 cups of non-fat milk or anEnglish muffin with one tablespoon ofpeanut butter and a small women should choose foodsand beverages that are nutrient-dense, or rich in nutrients. Nutrient-dense foodsare packed with vitamins, minerals andother nutrients, and have relatively fewcalories. Choosing a variety of foods fromall five food groups (grains, vegetables,fruits, dairy, and meat and beans) will helpto ensure that a woman gets the nutritionshe and her growing babyneed.

4 However, there are afew nutrient-dense foodsthat pregnant womenshould avoid due to foodsafety is anexcellent resource forspecifics regarding theamount of calories individ-ual moms-to-be and newmoms should :HealthyEATINGDURING PREGNANCYA Messagef rom theAmerican Academyof PhysicianAssistants (AAPA)Physician assistants arelicensed healthprofessionals, and valuedmembers of a healthcare team that includesa supervising deliver a broad rangeof medical and surgicalservices to diversepopulations. PAs candiagnose and treatillnesses, order andinterpret tests, andprescribe in all 50 states,District of Columbia, andGuam.

5 PAs also counselon preventive health careand assist in is the only nationalorganization to representthe nation s nearly80,000 physicianassistants in all clinicalspecialties. Founded in1968, the Academyworks to promotequality, cost-effectivehealth care, and theprofessional andpersonal growth of more informationabout the Academy andthe PA profession, visitAAPA s Web site, 2009 See page 10 for new, important food safety FOOD INFORMATION COUNCIL(IFIC)FOUNDATION2 HealthyEATING DURING PREGNANCYKEY NUTRIENTSPROTEINP rotein is found in many foods.

6 It helps main-tain muscle and body tissue, helping thebody to produce some hormones and anti-bodies. Pregnant women should take in 60grams of protein every day. This is only 10grams more than non-pregnant women. Leanmeats, poultry, fish, dairy products, andlegumes (beans) are good sources of pro-tein. These foods also supply other key nu-trients, such as iron, B vitamins, and othervery important minerals. Dried beans,lentils, nuts, soybeans, eggs, and cheesesare other sources of Americans consume more proteinthan they need.

7 Therefore, most womenshould not need to increase the amount ofprotein they eat during pregnancy . Usuallythere is no need to consume high-proteinbeverages, supplements, or can meet their protein needsby eating select milk and egg foods, but preg-nant vegans who eat only plant foods shouldtalk to a registered dietitian about how tomake sure their diet has adequate protein andother essential vitamins and minerals. Soyprotein is the only complete protein sourcefor vegans and so it is an important part of amother-to-be s diet.

8 Soy protein is found insoy milk, soy cheese, soy yogurt, and of other protein-rich vegan foodsare nuts, hummus, and beans (red kidneybeans, chickpeas, navy beans, etc.).CARBOHYDRATESMany foods contain carbohydrates. Fruits,vegetables, grains, and several dairy prod-ucts contain carbohydrates and bring avariety of other important nutrients to thediet, like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants,and fiber. Additionally, sugars are the sim-plest form of carbohydrates and can addsweetness to a nutritious diet.

9 Breakfast is atime to fit healthful carbohydrates into thediet. Whole grain and enriched Englishmuffins, cereals, and breads, as well asfruit are just some examples of good break-fast choices containing enriched with folic acidreduce the rate of birth defects. Of course,carbohydrates can be eaten at any time ofthe day Institute of Medicine (IOM) DietaryReference Intakes (DRI) Report recom-mends that Americans get the majority oftheir daily calories from carbohydrates about 45 to 65 percent of daily calorie in-take.

10 Children and adults need a minimumof 130 grams of carbohydrates per , pregnant women require an addi-tional 45 grams of carbohydrates per fat in food is needed for good nutritionand good health. Like carbohydrates andprotein, dietary fat is an important sourceof energy for the body. Certain foods thatcontain fat supply the body with essentialfatty acids essential fatty acids are fatsthat are not produced by the body, so theymust be obtained through food. Most im-portantly, these fats are needed for properdevelopment of the keeping total fat intake be-tween 20 and 35 percent of total calories,with most fats coming from unsaturatedsources.