10 diet dos and don’ts during pregnancy by expert dietician Naini Setalvad

10 diet dos and don’ts during pregnancy by expert dietician Naini Setalvad

Naini Setalvad, a renowned nutritionist and diet and obesity consultant gives out some handy dos and don’ts for mothers-to-be about eating habits.

1: Every pregnant woman needs to understand that she is NOT eating for two people. She only requires 300 more calories than her normal diet.

2: You need to get your required number of calories from all food groups and not just fat.

3: Eat lots of leafy greens. They are a good source of iron which helps our red blood cells carry oxygen better. More oxygen in the blood means better nutrition of various parts of the body leading to better health of you and your baby.

4: Include dried figs in your diet to satisfy your sweet cravings and to prevent constipation. They are also a good source of calcium.

5: Sprinkle sesame seeds on your salads. They are packed with folic acid which is essential in the proper DNA synthesis of the growing foetus and improves the all-round health of a pregnant mother.

6: Eat good quality protein. It can also be mixed with green vegetables for example, mix dal and palak to make a healthy dish.

7: Add a vegetable juice or soup to your diet plan. This can be had in-between meals as a small snack instead of gorging on unhealthy, readymade stuff.

8: You don’t have to glug down too many glasses of milk. This is a misconception that many mothers have which needs to be changed.

9: Not all mothers-to-be have cravings during pregnancy. Cravings normally set in when the meals aren’t balanced. Once you start eating healthy at the right time, they will decrease. An Indian thali is very well-balanced as it has different flavours like salty, sweet, spicy, pungent, etc. When all the different taste buds are satisfied, the cravings decline.

10: Many women suffer from morning sickness in the first three months. To beat this, they can try eating dried toast or ginger juice as these help relieve nausea