The Best Nutrition During Pregnancy
You might disagree, but hear me out.
Advising women about the importance of good nutrition during pregnancy, as well as how to protect against infection and food poisoning is something that doctors, nurse practitioners or midwives should always do.
But, recent research indicates that some healthcare practitioners are not up-to-date on their recommendations.
So, here are some things that a pregnant woman should know.
We should always follow safe food handling practices when cooking or preparing meals, but it is particularly important for pregnant women to thoroughly cook meats, wash cutting boards, raw vegetables and utensils, while avoiding foods that are likely to contain listeria bacteria.
While listeria infections are rare in the general population, they are common in pregnant women and her baby can become infected, without her knowledge.
A listeria infection in a newborn can be fatal.
Several recent pregnancy nutrition studies have focused on the importance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), with emphasis on omega-3s, a group of long-chained PUFAs necessary for normal brain and eye development.
In studies from around the world, it seems that most women do not get enough of a specific omega-3 called Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA.
DHA is an essential element of good nutrition during pregnancy, but there are very few dietary sources of the nutrient.
Fatty fish, such as salmon, is the only good source of DHA, but pregnant women are advised to eat no more than two servings of fish or seafood per week, because of contaminant concerns.
The researchers conducting the pregnancy nutrition studies have suggested that women take a daily DHA supplement, either in the form of distilled fish oil or marine algae.
It is important that the supplement chosen be one that is free of mercury and other heavy metals, as well as PCBs and other chemicals.
Most doctors recommend a pre-natal supplement, but those supplements will not provide DHA.
Women with fertility issues typically begin taking the vitamins before they conceive, because the nervous system begins to develop in the first weeks following conception.
Some fertility doctors recommend fish oil for both women and men.
There is some evidence that the supplement increases sperm count and sperm motility.
For good nutrition during pregnancy and for life, many scientists and doctors have suggested that people should lower their intake of omega-6 fatty acids and increase their intake of omega-3s.
A recent study in India showed that the average woman consumed 26 times more omega-6s than omega-3s.
Ideally, the intake should be balanced.
In other pregnancy nutrition studies, it has been shown that women whose diets are rich in fruits and vegetables have healthier babies, in general.
You are not really eating for two, but you do need approximately 300 additional calories per day.
It would be great if those 300 calories came from healthy fruits and vegetables.
With a healthy diet and some supplements as "insurance", getting good nutrition during pregnancy is easy.
Don't forget your DHA.
Advising women about the importance of good nutrition during pregnancy, as well as how to protect against infection and food poisoning is something that doctors, nurse practitioners or midwives should always do.
But, recent research indicates that some healthcare practitioners are not up-to-date on their recommendations.
So, here are some things that a pregnant woman should know.
We should always follow safe food handling practices when cooking or preparing meals, but it is particularly important for pregnant women to thoroughly cook meats, wash cutting boards, raw vegetables and utensils, while avoiding foods that are likely to contain listeria bacteria.
While listeria infections are rare in the general population, they are common in pregnant women and her baby can become infected, without her knowledge.
A listeria infection in a newborn can be fatal.
Several recent pregnancy nutrition studies have focused on the importance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), with emphasis on omega-3s, a group of long-chained PUFAs necessary for normal brain and eye development.
In studies from around the world, it seems that most women do not get enough of a specific omega-3 called Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA.
DHA is an essential element of good nutrition during pregnancy, but there are very few dietary sources of the nutrient.
Fatty fish, such as salmon, is the only good source of DHA, but pregnant women are advised to eat no more than two servings of fish or seafood per week, because of contaminant concerns.
The researchers conducting the pregnancy nutrition studies have suggested that women take a daily DHA supplement, either in the form of distilled fish oil or marine algae.
It is important that the supplement chosen be one that is free of mercury and other heavy metals, as well as PCBs and other chemicals.
Most doctors recommend a pre-natal supplement, but those supplements will not provide DHA.
Women with fertility issues typically begin taking the vitamins before they conceive, because the nervous system begins to develop in the first weeks following conception.
Some fertility doctors recommend fish oil for both women and men.
There is some evidence that the supplement increases sperm count and sperm motility.
For good nutrition during pregnancy and for life, many scientists and doctors have suggested that people should lower their intake of omega-6 fatty acids and increase their intake of omega-3s.
A recent study in India showed that the average woman consumed 26 times more omega-6s than omega-3s.
Ideally, the intake should be balanced.
In other pregnancy nutrition studies, it has been shown that women whose diets are rich in fruits and vegetables have healthier babies, in general.
You are not really eating for two, but you do need approximately 300 additional calories per day.
It would be great if those 300 calories came from healthy fruits and vegetables.
With a healthy diet and some supplements as "insurance", getting good nutrition during pregnancy is easy.
Don't forget your DHA.
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