Pregnancy Foods? What a strange idea

Are there really such things are pregnancy foods? There are plenty of good healthy foods that you should make every attempt to include in your diet when you are pregnant. And these foods are great before and after pregnancy as well?

How to Keep Your Diet During Pregnancy in Balance
For a woman who has worked hard to achieve a sense of nutritional balance in her life, pregnancy can be particularly challenging; especially if she lost weight to reach that balance.

Whether you are still in the process of trying to lose weight or you are at a healthy weight, the idea of deliberately gaining weight is difficult for many women to accept. On the flip side are those women who consider pregnancy a free-for-all. Balance is important in all things--especially during pregnancy.

Depending on your weight when you get pregnant, you will be expected to gain 20-30 pounds. To ensure that your baby gets everything it needs, and that you don’t sacrifice essential building blocks in your body, you need to look at maximizing your nutritional input.

A Balanced Diet is a Healthy Diet
Given that you need to add about 2-300 calories a day to meet the needs of your baby, how can you do that best? That is either a medium order of fries at the drive-through--or an apple, a scrambled egg and a sprouted grain tortilla. The second choice is not only better for you, it also tastes much better.

Of course that is just an example. You can also get your calories by spreading some raw almond butter on celery sticks, having some extra oatmeal at breakfast, snacking on a hard boiled organic whole egg, or throwing a piece of salmon on your lunch salad.

Calcium and Iron
The nutrients that pregnant women tend to struggle with most are calcium and iron. Both are quickly depleted by the growing baby--that is why many pregnant women end up anemic or show bone loss after repeated pregnancies. Fortunately, it is a pretty easy problem to solve.

Eat your veggies! Specifically, eat plenty of dark leafy greens. These veggies contain easily digested and absorbed calcium as well as iron. Better than any pill, these natural sources of calcium and iron are healthy and they keep you feeling great. Combine them with some citrus fruit to really increase absorption. Spinach salad with sliced oranges and slivered raw almonds make a perfect lunch, as they are all great pregnancy foods.

Dealing with Indigestion
A common complaint among pregnant women is indigestion. As the baby grows there is less room to accommodate the mother’s internal organs, and the stomach gets compressed. Old fashioned remedies such as milk or antacids are rarely effective.

The first thing you should try is to eat several small meals instead of three larger ones. By placing less food in your stomach you are already accommodating its smaller size, reducing the likelihood of esophageal reflux resulting from a simple lack of room. You also benefit by keeping your blood sugar more stable throughout the day.

Avoid drinking during your meals, since that adds to the volume in your stomach and eat slowly to reduce the amount of air you swallow. Take a little, relaxed walk when you finish. This encourages yourfood to stay where it belongs.

As you can see, good pregnancy foods will keep you and your baby in good health. The best thing about them is that they're just as good after the baby arrives!