Proper nutrition during pregnancy. Why is it important to eat healthy during pregnancy? What threatens malnutrition during pregnancy

A balanced diet during pregnancy is very important for a woman. Because everything that she receives during a meal - calcium, protein, iron, fats, many other essential nutrients are needed in order for the fetus to develop and grow properly. That is why nutrition and obtaining useful substances during pregnancy must be given special attention. Equally important is nutrition when planning a pregnancy.

plant based diet alcoholic drinks calcium
Nutrition Dieting Nutrition
vegetable puree During lactation Prevention

Previously, it was considered natural that, if necessary, the baby himself takes what he needs for development. But recently it was found out that if a woman eats improperly, irregularly, then her body turns on the mechanism of self-preservation and the fetus is deprived of many nutrients. Therefore, proper nutrition during pregnancy is a necessary measure.

What to focus on?

The main problems of pregnancy are toxicosis, constipation, indigestion, heartburn.

Should have a varied diet

1. In order to cope with toxicosis and heartburn, eating on the principle of "pieces" is suitable, which means that you need to eat often, but little by little. Try to drink more pure water (not carbonated). Add fiber-rich foods, grains, bananas, cereals, bran, rice, etc. to your diet.
2. When the work of the intestine is difficult, this is usually due to the fact that the uterus increases, begins to put pressure on the rectum. Therefore, during pregnancy, the intestines may not always work as usual. With such problems, you need to properly balance your diet. This can be done with foods that contain dietary fiber - cereals, wholemeal bread, fruits, berries, vegetables.

Nutrition in early pregnancy should not consist of dense and liquid foods - the first and second cannot be taken immediately, drink between meals (milk, compote, soups). Proper nutrition during pregnancy will help to avoid problems.

In the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, it is worth adding a dairy-vegetarian diet to your diet. Meat and fish should be in the diet no more than four to five days a week. They are best baked and eaten, adding vegetables, herbs. Vegetables, fruits, berries - all this is preferably taken raw.

More fish and vegetables

And already in the last trimester, when the liver and kidneys begin to work with a vengeance, choose food that is based on light vegetarian soups and salads.

What to exclude from the diet?

As you know, seafood is an excellent source of protein and other healthy fatty acids. They have a wonderful effect on the development of the baby's brain.

The fish should be well fried, cleaned. It is impossible to eat raw fish, shellfish, oysters during pregnancy. It may contain pathogenic, pathogenic microorganisms.

Do not eat poorly cooked meat, poultry, eggs. During pregnancy, the body is susceptible to bacterial food poisoning. Avoid:

• canned foods;
• pate;
• unpasteurized foods, juices, milk;
• raw eggs;
• caffeine (blood circulation is disturbed, useful substances are poorly absorbed);
• tea, chocolate;
• sausages, sausage products;
• smoked products;
• fried, fatty foods;
• alcohol.

It is forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages

Essential substances during pregnancy.

Name of vitamins and elements	The nutritional value	Amount required, which products contain
Biotin	It is involved in the metabolism of proteins, fats, carbohydrates. Helps generate energy in cells.	Experts recommend in the first weeks of pregnancy at least 30 - 35 mcg per day. In this case, you need to eat - eggs, dairy products, legumes, beef, whole grain cereals.
Calcium	Promotes the development, mineralization of bones. Provides blood clotting, muscle contraction. Calcium contributes to the formation of strong, healthy teeth.	The recommended rate is from 1000 to 1300 mg per day. It is found in foods such as milk, cheese, yogurt, cabbage, beans, salmon, orange juice.
Carbohydrates	They provide the body with energy, its slow and rapid release. Energy for the brain, muscle tissue.	Recommended at least 175 g per day. Found in foods such as whole grains, beans, vegetables, potatoes, and pasta.
Copper	Helps with the development of the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, nervous system. It also helps to form connective tissues, red blood cells, promotes the transport of iron, oxygen into the blood.	The recommended dose is 1 mg per day. It can also be included in the diet when planning pregnancy. There are in such products - whole grains, nuts, seeds, liver, kidneys. Also available in chicken, fish, raisins.
Phosphorus	Supports acid-base balance. Helps in the growth and strengthening of bone tissue.	The required rate is 700 mg per day. You need to eat fish, poultry, dairy products, nuts, seeds, whole grains.
Vitamin A	Normalizes the growth and development of the baby. Participates in the development of the organs of vision, the growth of tissue regeneration. Protects against infectious diseases.	Per day - 770 mcg. Available in the liver, dairy products, orange vegetables (peaches, apricots, zucchini, melons, etc.). Vitamin must be consumed in small doses
Cellulose	Insoluble fiber - removes toxins from the body, prevents the formation of constipation, reduces the risk of colon cancer. Soluble - regulates the absorption of sugar, minimizes the development of heart disease.	It is necessary to take with food from 28 to 30 grams per day. Insoluble - cereals, corn, bran, cauliflower. Soluble - dry beans, peas, barley, carrots, apples, oranges.
Folic acid (vitamin B9)	Reduces the risk of education birth defect development. Normalizes the nervous system. Helps in the synthesis of DNA, RNA, in cell division.	The recommended norm is not less than 500 to 600 mcg per day. There is in the liver, nuts, dark green vegetables (spinach, asparagus), oatmeal, grain bread.
Iron	Eliminates fatigue, normalizes psychomotor and mental development. Strengthens the immune system, pregnant and child.	Add to nutrition in the 2nd trimester at least 29 mg. In such products - eggs, meat, liver, cereals, legumes, fish.
chlorides	The redistribution of fluid in the body, descends into the composition of gastric juice, is involved in digestion.	You need 2.3 grams of chlorides per day. There is in salted meat, margarine, nuts, butter, salt.

Get your daily calcium intake

At the very beginning, in the first trimester of pregnancy, it is not necessary to drastically change your usual diet for what is necessary. So basically eat what you want. But gradually add to the diet healthy foods nutrition, which contain the necessary for the development of the child.

Do not torture yourself and force yourself to eat what you do not want. Consult with your gynecologist and together make an approximate diet so that it is tasty and healthy.

Approximate nutrition during pregnancy by week.

days	Schedule	Required products
1 day	Breakfast	It is better to start the morning with porridge - it can be milk rice, if desired, you can add cottage cheese, coffee or some with milk. Sandwich with wheat bread.
	Lunch	A little later, you can make a fresh seaweed salad. Add or eat separately one boiled egg.
	Dinner	To get started, make a salad of fresh beets, you can add walnuts to taste. For the second, prepare a light soup, cabbage soup. Sour cream is suitable for dressing. You can drink it with a compote of their dried fruits.
	afternoon tea	Fresh fruits, yogurt.
	Dinner	Boil the fish, add green beans. Tea with dessert.
	For the night	Drink a glass of kefir.
2 day	Breakfast	Start the day with a curd soufflé. A few pieces of cheese, tea with milk (very useful for pregnant women).
	Lunch	A little later, eat fruit, yogurt. You can add a slice of bread.
	Dinner	Make a fresh salad, dress it with vegetable, olive or linseed oil. Light borscht is suitable for the second, sour cream for dressing. Or you can put out the liver on sour cream sauce and add mashed potatoes. Make compote or jelly from dried fruits.
	afternoon tea	Perfect biscuits, peach juice.
	Dinner	Make steamed cutlets (if you want to lightly fry), fresh cauliflower. And tea and dessert.
	For the night	Drink a glass of kefir, bio-yogurt.
3 day	Breakfast	Again, start the day with milk porridge, but you can cook another one (buckwheat). A sandwich with boiled meat is suitable for tea. Use wheat or rye bread.
	Lunch	You can dilute nutrition during pregnancy with bio-yogurt and bread.
	Dinner	Fresh salad with cabbage, dress it with vegetable or other oil. light soup with sour cream. Or cook fish cakes (baked), stew beets. Juice or compote from dried fruits.
	afternoon tea	Again, fresh fruit and compote or a decoction of prunes.
	Dinner	Perfect for casseroles and sweet tea.
	For the night	A glass of kefir.
Day 4	Breakfast	Porridge with milk, with the addition of butter. You can boil an egg or fry it. A piece of cheese, bread, tea or cocoa with milk.
	Lunch	Light dairy desserts, kefir, yogurt.
	Dinner	You can have a vinaigrette. Boil chicken broth, add vermicelli and stewed carrots. Fruit compote or jelly.
	afternoon tea	Make yourself cottage cheese with sour cream, add fruit, tea.
	Dinner	Boil or fry fish, garnish with mashed potatoes, fresh beetroot salad, you can add prunes or Walnut. Tea with dessert.
	For the night	A glass of kefir, curdled milk, fermented baked milk or yogurt.
Day 5	Breakfast	Do the fifth day. In the morning, make a salad, grate raw beets, carrots and mix everything with olive oil. Tea or whatever.
	Lunch	cook oatmeal with honey. Add almonds, cinnamon.
	Dinner	Will be enough chicken broth with egg, herbs. Fresh fruits. Compote.
	afternoon tea	Make yourself a bran bread sandwich. Boil chicken and add lettuce leaves.
	Dinner	Boiled vegetables, salads. Tea with a light dessert.
	For the night	A glass of kefir with blackcurrant.
Day 6	Breakfast	Beat cottage cheese, add fruits to taste (peaches, apples, kiwi). This diet is especially beneficial in early pregnancy.
	Lunch	Make a casserole with fresh cabbage and apples. Juice or jelly.
	Dinner	Prepare a fresh vegetable salad. Bake fish with tomatoes, Add cucumbers and lettuce.
	afternoon tea	Eat vinaigrette, fruit.
	Dinner	Prepare a steamed beef patty. Light fruit salad. Tea with sugar.
	For the night	Muesli or kefir.
Day 7	Breakfast	Omelet with milk, rye bread and cheese.
	Lunch	Salad of apples, pears and pomegranate seeds with yogurt.
	Dinner	Baked meat with capers, olives and coleslaw.
	afternoon tea	Fresh fruits vegetables.
	Dinner	Pumpkin stuffed with vegetables, rice and cheese.
	For the night	Kefir with raspberries.

Everything that is necessary for growth, the child receives from the blood of the mother. So, special attention should be paid. Do you need to eat more? Or should you just change your diet?

Let's talk about quantity first. This is the first question expectant mothers usually ask. Our grandmothers believed that a pregnant woman should eat for two. As a result, excess body weight accumulated. On the other hand, in last years so much is said about the dangers of systematic overeating that some expectant mothers began to eat too little, which is also not harmless to the child. How do you do it anyway?

The expectant mother should not eat twice as much, but twice as well

The human body functions due to the energy received from the outside, which is formed as a result of the "combustion" of food. The energy contained in each food is expressed in calories. Products, in turn, differ in their energy content: some provide few calories, others tens or hundreds of times more. The body uses the calories in food to various functions, and he needs a certain minimum of calories to maintain life.

The basic metabolism in humans depends on body weight, height, age, sex. A woman of average height with normal body weight (60 kg), from 19 to 40 years old, engaged in light physical work, should receive approximately 1850-2000 kcal per day. During pregnancy, basal metabolism increases by 25%. Therefore, the expectant mother needs 2500 kcal, and by the end of pregnancy - 2800-2900 kcal per day.

Signs of malnutrition

1. Lack of food (a situation that is much more common than is commonly thought).
2. Wrong ratio of necessary components (common situation).
3. Poor quality of products (also a common situation).
4. Excess nutrition (much less common than the three above cases).

What threatens malnutrition during pregnancy?

1. Late pregnancy (preeclampsia) is a painful condition, in severe forms of which fluid retention in the body (pregnancy dropsy), loss of protein in the urine, and an increase develop sequentially.
2. Miscarriage (preterm birth and miscarriage), because due to malnutrition, the placenta cannot develop normally.
3. The risk of premature abruption of the placenta - in the terms close to childbirth, the placenta begins to separate from the wall of the uterus, the child may die (50% probability), the mother has bleeding.
4. Anemia (anemia) - occurs due to insufficient intake or absorption of proteins, iron, and vitamins.
5. Infectious complications, including from the lungs, liver and kidneys.
6. Weak labor activity, protracted labor, exhaustion of the expectant mother in childbirth.
7. Postpartum hemorrhage and decreased blood clotting.
8. Slow healing of perineal wounds, uterus shrinks slowly after childbirth.
9. Retardation of intrauterine development of the fetus.
10. Insufficient birth weight of the child, as well as prematurity, low viability.
11. encephalopathy.
12. Hyperexcitability and hyperactivity.
13. Reduced fetal resistance to infections in the prenatal period, during and after childbirth; susceptibility to various diseases.

Convincing yourself to take care of proper nutrition is not easy, but the result is worth it.

What is the correct diet?

The necessary components include:

• proteins;
• carbohydrates;
• fats;
• vitamins;
• minerals (these include table salt, iron, magnesium, etc.);
• liquid.

Squirrels- the main "building material" necessary for the fetus. It is no coincidence that even during Lent an exception is made for pregnant women and they are allowed to consume meat, milk, eggs and other animal products. And even if you are a convinced vegetarian, it is better to give up your principles during pregnancy.

Proteins should be consumed at least 100 g per day in the first half of pregnancy and at least 120 g in the second. At least half of them should be animal proteins.

The daily diet of the expectant mother should include at least 100-150 g of lean meat (including poultry meat) or fish, as well as milk and / or dairy products(at least half a liter), cheese, cottage cheese, at least one egg. All these products contain easily digestible proteins, essential amino acids, and in optimal proportions.

carbohydrates it is recommended to consume an average of 350 g per day in the first half of pregnancy and 400 g in the second. After leaving in maternity leave the consumption of carbohydrates, as well as the total calorie content of the diet, should be somewhat reduced, because at this time, physical activity and, accordingly, the energy consumption of the body are significantly reduced.

In the consumed carbohydrates, the main share should be “good” carbohydrates. They are found in foods rich in vegetable fiber, such as brown wholemeal bread, cereals, vegetables, fruits, berries. And the use of "bad" carbohydrates - sugar and sweets, white bread and buns, pasta and confectionery- must be limited, especially in the second half of pregnancy.

Fats. Fat intake should be about 80 g per day, including vegetable - 15-30 g. From vegetable oils, sunflower, olive, corn oils are recommended, from animals - creamy and melted premium. Margarine, lard, various kinds of butter substitutes (the so-called light or ultra-light oils) are best excluded from your diet.

vitamins ensure the normal course of biochemical and physiological processes in the body. It is especially important for a pregnant woman to get enough of the following vitamins.

Vitamin E is vital for a future mother. The normal functioning of the reproductive system, intrauterine development of the fetus largely depends on it. The daily requirement for vitamin E is 15-20 mg. The main sources of vitamin E are unrefined vegetable oil, liver, eggs, cereals, legumes, nuts. Vitamin E is fat-soluble, therefore, for its full absorption by the body, products containing it are best consumed with sour cream or vegetable oil.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) strengthens and stimulates the immune system, activates the protective functions of the body. The daily requirement is 100-200 mg. The richest in vitamin C are rose hips, citrus fruits, black currants, kiwi, sea buckthorn, sweet peppers, and green onions.

B vitamins strengthen muscle fibers, are necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous, digestive, cardiovascular systems. A lot of vitamin B is found in dry nutritional and brewer's yeast, brown rice, flour, peas. From animal products, its content is high in the liver, kidneys and heart.

Vitamin A is necessary for the normal development of the placenta, protects cells from the effects of toxic products and harmful radiation. It is very important for vision. The daily requirement is 2.5 mg. Vitamin A the human body receives from beta-carotene, which is found in large quantities in vegetables and fruits of yellow, orange and red color (apricots, peaches, tomatoes, pumpkin, melon, and most of all in ordinary carrots), parsley, cabbage, especially color and Brussels.

Vitamin D is important for the proper formation of bones, the skeleton of a child. Its lack can also lead to the development of anemia in a woman.

Necessary for the normal development of the fetal nervous system. The source of folic acid is greens (green onions, parsley, lettuce).

Minerals and trace elements are also necessary for the normal development of the fetus. The most important of them can be called calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron.

Calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are the main Construction Materials» for the musculoskeletal system (bones and cartilage) of the child. With a lack of calcium during pregnancy, the fetus will “take” it from the bones and teeth of the mother, which can result in softening of the bones in a woman, their increased fragility and deformation, as well as caries.

The main "suppliers" of calcium are milk and dairy products, cheese, nuts, green vegetables.
A large amount of phosphorus is found in fish, meat, eggs, unrefined grains; magnesium - in watermelons, cereals, nuts, vegetables.

Potassium and sodium play an important role in regulating the water-salt balance of the body. A large amount of potassium is found in raisins, spinach, peas, nuts and mushrooms. And the main source of sodium is table salt.

Iron deficiency causes a sharp decrease in the level of hemoglobin in the blood, which, in turn, leads to a deterioration in the supply of oxygen to both the tissues and organs of the pregnant woman herself and the baby, and can even lead to the development of fetal hypoxia. The daily requirement for iron is 15-20 mg. IN large quantities it is found in egg yolk, liver, greens and fruits.

The need for vitamins and microelements during pregnancy is so great that even with the most balanced and rational diet, a pregnant woman often experiences a lack of these substances. Therefore, during pregnancy, doctors recommend taking complex multivitamin preparations, which are now developed and produced in a huge amount.

Liquids a pregnant woman needs 2-2.5 liters per day. Approximately half of this amount is contained in the consumed products. Accordingly, free liquid, including first courses, should be drunk 1-1.2 liters. With a tendency to edema in the last weeks of pregnancy, free fluid intake should be limited to 700-800 milliliters (3-4 cups). From drinks it is better to prefer juices, compotes, jelly, milk, canteen mineral water. You can drink weak tea; coffee is acceptable in small quantities (1 coffee cup per day) and also not strong.

Important!

Renowned Canadian midwife Gloria Lemay quotes a doctor's advice to a expectant mother who fears gaining weight: “You don't have to worry about weight gain as long as you eat. By food I mean what is grown on earth by Mother Nature. Everything you put into your mouth should be as close to nature as possible. If it's a potato, then baked in their skins. If cereals - then dishes prepared by you personally from whole grains. If the vegetables are organic and raw. If sweets, then let it be a fresh peach, a piece of melon or half a banana. The more refined the product, the more processed it is, the more it should be avoided (say, the difference between french fries fried in refined oil and potatoes baked in their skins is obvious). Gloria also recommends eating large gray sea ​​salt. It is more useful than purified iodized fine salt, as it is of natural origin and contains many essential trace elements.

Dangerous foods during pregnancy

Seafood- an excellent source of protein and iron, and omega 3 - fatty acids contained in fish, have a good effect on the growth of the child and stimulate the development of the brain. To protect the body from ingestion with food harmful bacteria or viruses, don't eat raw fish or crustaceans - especially oysters and shellfish - avoid sushi. Frozen smoked seafood should also be avoided.

Be sure to use the 10-minute rule when cooking fish. Measure the fish at its thickest point and cook it as follows: 10 minutes for every 2.5 cm at a temperature of 230 C. All seafood, except fish - shellfish, oysters and shrimp - be sure to cook in boiling water for 4-6 minutes .

Meat and game. During pregnancy, changes in metabolism and circulation can increase the risk of bacterial food poisoning. In this case, the reaction of the body will be much more painful. This rarely happens, but the poisoning can also affect the child's body.

To prevent foodborne illness, cook any meat and game thoroughly before serving.

For a while, forget about raw smoked and homemade sausages. E. coli bacteria, which often teems with the surface of meat, can also get inside during the process of chopping meat and cooking sausage. E. coli bacteria die only at an internal temperature of 80 ° C.
Be wary of street hot dogs and culinary meats, both sources of a rare but potentially serious foodborne illness known as listeriosis.

Dairy products. Dairy products such as skim milk, mozzarella cheese and cottage cheese are a healthy and nutritious part of a pregnant woman's diet. However, any product containing unpasteurized milk is strictly contraindicated for you, as it can cause a food sickness.

Avoid the following soft cheeses containing unpasteurized milk: Brie, Feta, Camembert, all blue-veined cheeses such as Roquefort, spicy Mexican cheeses.

Caffeine. During pregnancy, moderate caffeine consumption is about the equivalent of two cups and is not harmful. However, this does not mean that caffeine is healthy and completely safe.

Caffeine can cross the placenta and affect your baby's heart and breathing patterns. Abuse of caffeine - 500 mg or more per day, which is approximately equivalent to five cups of coffee - causes a decrease in fetal weight and a decrease in the circumference of his head.

Because of the potential risk, your doctor may advise you to limit your caffeine intake.

Herbal teas. Many herbal teas have a calming effect, but should be used with caution during pregnancy. Be sure to consult your doctor about this or that collection. Taking large amounts of certain herbal teas, such as peppermint and raspberry leaf tea, can cause contractions and increase the risk of miscarriage or premature birth.

One of the most basic rules is a complete rejection of alcohol!

Especially for- Ksenia Dakhno

On December 30, 2002, the following article was published in the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper: "Thin women are more likely to give birth to sick children"

A direct link between low body weight and deterioration in reproductive function was recently established by Russian scientists. Russian Academy Natural Sciences (RANS), after analyzing the course of pregnancy of 350 residents of Balashikha near Moscow. As MK was informed in the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, the norm for expectant mothers is considered to be a weight of 60-65 kg with a height of 165 cm - it is with such indicators that pregnancy and childbirth proceed without complications. They have the healthiest offspring.

However, only a quarter of such women were surveyed. Another 25% are full. The rest of the study participants could safely be considered thin - their body weight is below normal. It is this contingent of pregnant women that constitutes the risk group - they are 3-4 times more likely to have health problems during this crucial period than well-fed ladies. So, for example, 8% of underweight women had a miscarriage, 4% had bleeding, 20% of slender women in labor had weakness in labor. In addition, children also suffer from thinness of the mother - 15% of newborns were born with hypoxia, while the babies of women with the “right” weight suffered from this twice as rarely. It is also noted that 21% of the babies of overly slender women are underweight (for women in labor with an average weight indicator - 12% of children).

According to experts, if women planning to have a child gained the required kilograms, then 50-60 thousand more children would be born in Russia every year.

To sum up: studies by Russian scientists show that malnutrition and disproportionately low body weight pose a threat to the life of mother and child. Meanwhile, this threat is most often easily prevented and eliminated in a simple way - with the help of a rational diet.

This is what the American doctor Tom Brewer devoted his life to. All over the world today there is no traditional midwife who would not know this name and would not use in practice the results of the work of this person. For 50 years, he has studied pregnancy nutrition, written books and scientific papers, created the Blue Ribbon Baby website (www.blueribbonbaby.org), and consulted in person and online. The nutrition system he developed is based on dozens of scientific studies conducted by doctors throughout the twentieth century (all of which are listed on the website: www.blueribbonbaby.org), as well as on his own clinical practice.

His cherished dream is that women know the whole truth about the importance of nutrition during pregnancy. We can repay him by bringing this information to the Russian reader. This article is a review of numerous materials on the Internet site of Dr. T. Brewer, as well as the works of other authors. Consequences of inadequate nutrition

The issue of nutrition during pregnancy is vital, thoroughly studied, and at the same time remains for most doctors, and especially expectant mothers, beyond the scope of those problems that should be seriously worried about. In fact, most pregnant women only hear from their doctor about nutrition for the first time when they become overweight or when their blood glucose levels are high. By interviewing your acquaintances, you can easily be convinced that even very conscientious and attentive doctors do not worry if a woman weighs little or does not add enough. Meanwhile, with improper and inadequate nutrition, the following formidable complications can occur.

For the expectant mother:

1. Late toxicosis of pregnancy (preeclampsia) is a painful condition in which fluid retention in the body (dropsy of pregnancy), loss of protein in the urine, and increased blood pressure develop sequentially. Ultimately, if left untreated, severe brain complications develop, up to convulsions (the so-called eclampsia) and coma, hemorrhages in vital organs, the mother and child may die. In modern official medicine, it is argued that the cause of this condition is unknown. IT IS NOT TRUE. It will be shown below that it is known and, with rare exceptions, easily preventable.
2. Miscarriage (premature birth and miscarriage) - because. due to malnutrition, the placenta cannot develop normally.
3. Premature abruption of the placenta - in the terms close to childbirth, the placenta begins to separate from the wall of the uterus, the child may die (50% probability), the mother bleeds. This occurs, among other things, due to a tendency to thicken the blood and form blood clots in the vessels of the uterus and placenta.
4. Anemia (anemia) - due to insufficient intake or absorption of proteins, iron, and vitamins.
5. Infectious complications, including from the lungs, liver and kidneys.
6. Weak labor activity, protracted labor, exhaustion of the expectant mother in childbirth.
7. Postpartum hemorrhage and decreased blood clotting.
8. Slow healing of perineal wounds, uterus shrinks slowly after childbirth.

The child has:

1. Intrauterine growth retardation, and intrauterine death is also possible.
2. Low birth weight, as well as prematurity, low viability.
3. Encephalopathy, mental decline.
4. Hyperexcitability and hyperactivity.
5. Reduced resistance to infections in utero, during and after childbirth; susceptibility to various diseases.

Convincing yourself to take care of proper nutrition is not easy, but the result is worth it.

What does it mean to eat unhealthy

Incorrectness can be of various kinds:

1. disadvantage (a situation that occurs much more often than it is commonly thought)
2. wrong ratio of necessary components (often)
3. poor quality products (often)
4. excess (much rarer than the three above)

Essential ingredients for nutrition include:

• squirrels
• carbohydrates
• vitamins
• minerals (including table salt, iron, magnesium, etc.)
• water.

If we talk about quality, then all these constituent elements should be of the most natural origin, environmentally friendly and prepared, if possible, with minimal culinary processing (for example, it is better to steam and bake than fried).

By the way, the famous Canadian midwife Gloria LeMay gives a wonderful advice from one sensible doctor to a future mother who is afraid to get better: “You can not worry about weight gain while you eat food. By food I mean what is grown on earth by Mother Nature. Everything you put in your mouth should be as close to natural as possible. If this is a potato, then baked "in uniform". If cereals - then dishes prepared by you personally from whole grains. If the vegetables are organic and raw. If sweets, then let it be a fresh peach, a piece of melon or half a banana. The more refined the product, the more processed it is, the more it should be avoided (say, the difference between french fries fried in refined oil and potatoes baked in their skins is obvious). Gloria also recommends eating coarse gray sea salt bought in a good store. It is more useful than purified iodized fine salt, as it is of natural origin and contains many essential trace elements in trace amounts.

Now you need to find out all the most important things about each of the above nutritional components.

Attention: squirrels!

We will start with proteins, because it is with protein metabolism disorders, with protein deficiency, that the main number of those complications that were mentioned at the beginning are associated. Below you will see why.

Here is what proteins provide during pregnancy:

• growth and development of the baby, placenta, uterus and mammary glands of the mother (building role), as well as supplies to be used during breastfeeding
• transport of nutrients, vitamins, microelements (including iron), calcium (transport role)
• immune defense, since antibodies against bacteria and viruses are proteins (protective role)
• optimal functioning of the coagulation and anticoagulation systems (no bleeding or blood clots occur) (from 4-5 months of pregnancy, the content of fibrinogen, prothrombin, blood coagulation factors V, VII, VIII, X - all these are proteins)
• maintaining the osmotic pressure of the plasma; this is a property that does not allow the liquid part of the blood to leave the vascular bed, thereby preventing the occurrence of edema and blood thickening; with normal plasma osmotic pressure, the volume of blood is sufficient to provide nutrition and respiration for both the mother and the child, and the fluidity of the blood ensures the best blood supply; albumin proteins and sodium chloride, that is, table salt, are responsible for this most important quality.

It is easy to understand what protein metabolism in the body depends on:

• from dietary protein intake
• from their digestion and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract (mainly in the stomach and small intestine)
• from the function of the liver (it is it that produces the main necessary proteins - building, protective, necessary for coagulation)
• on the intensity of decay and loss of proteins (this applies to increased physical exertion and some kidney diseases).

Here How does protein deficiency manifest? during pregnancy:

• the earliest signs are insufficient weight gain and an increase in hemoglobin (HGB) and hematocrit (Ht); note - high rate hemoglobin (above 120 g / l) in the second and third trimester is a reason not to be happy, but to be wary, as it usually indicates blood clotting as a result of a lack of protein and a decrease in circulating blood volume
• delayed intrauterine development of the child (according to measurements of the height of the fundus of the uterus and the circumference of the abdomen, as well as ultrasound), its malnutrition
• the appearance of edema (due to a drop in the osmotic pressure of the plasma, the liquid part of the blood leaves the vessels into the tissues)
• increased blood pressure (this is a “reaction of despair” - due to a decrease in the volume of circulating blood, the body is forced to reduce the lumen of the vessels and increase the pressure in them so that the remaining blood circulates more intensively)
• an increase in liver enzymes, indicating liver suffering due to protein starvation 6. preeclampsia and eclampsia (expressed in headache, increased reflexes, visual impairment and, finally, convulsions) are the most formidable complications of preeclampsia, requiring urgent hospitalization in a hospital

(For reference: normal total protein of blood serum: 65-85 g / l, its decrease to 60 g / l already indicates severe preeclampsia; serum albumin is normally 35-55 g / l, with its decrease to 30 g / l, edema develops; normal hematocrit 0.36 - 0.42 l / l; weight gain of 2.3 - 4.5 kg for the period from 24 to 28 weeks is normal and indicates an adequate increase in circulating blood volume).

Protein deficiency in a modern prosperous society?

You can shrug your shoulders in bewilderment: excuse me, what kind of protein deficiency can we talk about in a developed American (Dr. Brewer belongs to him), European and even Russian society? Does this apply to more or less wealthy people? Unfortunately yes. Here are some of the most common reasons:

1. dietary protein intake may be completely inadequate
   • due to lack of appetite (including due to depression, unwanted pregnancy, poor living conditions and family relations)
   • due to the fact that the food contains few proteins or they are of poor quality ("starvation in abundance")
   • due to the fact that they are not used to eating right and generally attaching any importance to the way of eating
   • due to the fact that there is no time to eat and no time to cook (a typical situation for working women and mothers of large families)
   • because of the low standard of living and the unwillingness to "overeat the family"
   • because of the unwillingness to get better and spoil the figure (a woman came to the author of these lines, who set herself the goal of not gaining weight during pregnancy AT ALL)
   • due to the fact that a woman knows from doctors, friends and literature: a large increase in body weight is dangerous
2. Dietary protein intake may be relatively insufficient:
   • when a woman has few carbohydrates in her diet (then proteins are burned instead of fuel, and they are not enough for construction)
   • when a woman is pregnant with two or more children
   • when the expectant mother has a lot of physical activity or is in a situation of stress
   • The intake, digestion and absorption of proteins can be hindered by various painful conditions of the stomach and intestines, of which the most common are:
     • lack of appetite
     • nausea
     • vomit
     • heartburn
3. liver disease can prevent it from making necessary proteins
4. kidney disease can lead to protein loss

It is clear that the first two categories are more common, need to correct the diet and change attitudes towards such important issue like food. The rest need the help of a good doctor.

Looking ahead, let’s say that in the West, a traditional midwife during the first consultation talks seriously and a lot with a woman about nutrition, asks to keep a simple diary, constantly checks and discusses with the expectant mother what and how she eats. Inexcusable frivolity would be the neglect of the diet. A gross mistake is the medical treatment of the consequences of malnutrition without correcting the latter.

EXAMPLE.
In his article "Nutritional Nonchalence in Modern Obstetrics: Case Report" by T. Brewer, http://www.blueribbonbaby.org/case1.shtml, Dr. Brewer cites the case of a 27-year-old nurse neonatal intensive care unit Karen R.

Issues of nutrition and basic physiology continue to be invariably ignored in clinical obstetrics in the United States. There is still absolutely no understanding of the role of nutrition during pregnancy, and especially the role of protein-calorie deficiency in the etiology and pathogenesis of toxicosis in the second half of pregnancy.

During her first pregnancy, Karen R. (not her real name) worked as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Staten Island Hospital. Her pregnancy ended with a caesarean section on February 3, 1979 at 35 weeks due to "severe preeclampsia". Her daughter, who was born weighing 2250g, developed neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. The girl was treated in the same department where her mother worked, and the child survived.

Karen attended Lamazov's prenatal training with her husband, her dream was a natural, non-drug birth, where her husband would participate. She wanted to be with the child, communicate with him from the first days, breastfeed immediately after birth. Instead, she had an emergency caesarean section, her husband was not present at the operation, and she saw the child only 52 hours after the birth. She tried breastfeeding but it didn't work.

On March 2, 1979, Karen called us at the Late Toxemia Hotline, she wanted to know what had happened to her and her baby. After studying the history of this case, it became quite clear that Karen suffered from a protein-calorie malnutrition, severe enough to develop late pregnancy toxemia (preeclampsia). On March 5, 1979, she sent a letter in which, in response to my request to tell about her pregnancy and the diet she followed, she wrote the following:

“Throughout my pregnancy, the focus of my attention was childbirth and breastfeeding, so most of the books I read dealt with precisely these issues. Maybe all this would become a reality if I paid more attention to the issues of diet, nutrition during pregnancy and childbirth. Instead, it all ended in an operative delivery, the birth of an immature child, and a huge disappointment.

From July to November 1978 I worked night shifts. For the first 15 weeks of my pregnancy, I was almost constantly nauseous, vomited very often, and had ABSOLUTELY NO appetite. I ate once a day, the regime was usually like this:

• finish work at 8 am
• came home and went to bed
• got up at 15-16, ate toast, sometimes muesli
• dined at 18.30 - 19.30 - milk, potatoes or pasta; I didn't crave meat, but I usually ate a little: half a hamburger; rarely - dessert
• in the evening - coffee
• work from 23 to 24h, coffee; at 3 a.m. coffee, soda and some kind of snack, usually cookies; at 6.30 - 7 a.m. there is usually some juice
• at 8 o'clock - home to bed"

(Her height is 163 cm, before pregnancy she weighed 55.8 kg. During the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, she did not gain weight at all, and by November, by the 24th week of pregnancy, she added only 2700 g to 58.5 kg).

"From November 26 to January 25, I worked the day shift as an instructor for practical classes:

• wake up at 6 am
• at 7.15 to work
• at 8.30 breakfast, usually muesli with skim milk, coffee, sometimes orange juice or fruit
• at 12-13: usually soup with crackers, skimmed milk or diet soda, salad with tuna or chicken meat (not a sandwich, i.e. without bread), fruit salad
• 4 p.m. - home from work, usually drinking diet soda or skim milk
• 18.30-19h - lunch: a lot of pasta or similar food, sometimes with vegetables. Milk or sparkling water. No dessert. No snacks.
• at 22h - in bed

(There were no eggs, there was very little meat, less than a liter of milk a day).

"I had gastroenteritis in January. I know I was emaciated and dehydrated then."

She told me over the phone that for several days she had ketone bodies in her urine (a sign of starvation. - V.M.), and this worried her, but her obstetrician-gynecologist, who was so kind as to call her at home, He said it didn't matter and there was nothing to worry about.

On January 2, 1979, Karen had her first arterial pressure up to 140/80 and there were traces of protein in the urine. Her OB/GYN ordered bed rest, lying on her left side, limiting salt, drinking plenty (mainly water) and coming back 3 days later. On January 5, her BP was again 110/70, she lost 1.5 kg, from 63.9 to 62.5 kg, there were traces of protein in her urine. Karen is back at work. On January 19, BP was 120/70, weight 64.125 kg, again traces of protein in the urine.

On February 2, small edema appeared in the ankles, weight was 65 kg, headache, blood pressure increased to 160/90, traces of protein in the urine are still. On the same day she was hospitalized. The next day, due to the appearance of increased reflexes, involuntary tremor of the arms and legs, she was urgently performed a caesarean section.

Neither at the medical school, nor at the Lamazov prenatal training courses, nor during the visits to the obstetrician-gynecologist (who, as she believed, managed the pregnancy very well), no one ever told her that protein-calorie deficiency could lead to preeclampsia and the birth of a low birth weight. child. She took prenatal vitamins daily, avoided salt very carefully, and tried not to gain too much weight (hence soda, skim milk, no bread, etc.).

Her weight immediately before delivery was 64.8 kg, while the initial weight was 55.8 kg with a total increase of 9 kg; however, most of this weight was water, because on the 4th day after birth, after the birth of a child weighing 2250g, her weight was back to 55.8 kg! This is an obvious evidence of protein-calorie deficiency.

During the pregnancy, the obstetrician-gynecologist never gave her specific nutritional advice, with the exception of salt restriction. He never planted in her mind the thought that her health and the health of the developing baby directly depended on her nutrition. He never once asked her the forbidden question: “What did you eat?”, even when the diagnosis of mild preeclampsia was made on January 2, 1979, and even after surgery for severe preeclampsia on February 3, 1979.

The fact is that in Karen's own hospital, no one, not a single living soul knows why she developed preeclampsia. They can only complain: “Karen, why did you have such severe preeclampsia, which we have not seen for many months?” And it ended up that the child, suffering from respiratory failure, became a patient of his mother's neonatal intensive care unit!

What must happen to bring light into the darkness of contemporary American clinical obstetrics? The role of protein-calorie deficiency in the etiology of late toxicosis of pregnant women was clearly shown by researchers Ross from Duke and Strauss from Harvard as early as 1935. However, American obstetrician-gynecologists and nutritionists stubbornly reject this, preferring to assert that NOTHING IS KNOWN.

We must let people know!
(Those of our readers who are confused by the 25-year-old history of the described history can again turn to the beginning of this article).

The role of protein deficiency in the development of pregnancy complications: background

About what is the cause of preeclampsia, which claims the lives of thousands of women and children every year and about what are the ways to prevent this disaster, medical science has been known for more than 120 years. Judge for yourself.

French obstetrician-gynecologist Adolphe Pinard in his work "Advances in clinical obstetrics during the 19th century" (Progres Realises En Obstetrique Pendant Le XIXe Siecle., Extrait des Ann. De Gynecologia et d Obstetrique, Dec. Paris (10-13 ), 1900 p. 13) wrote: “Since 1873, when for the first time this prophylactic treatment was prescribed to all pregnant women in an obstetric clinic, the results have remained unchanged. Those observations from my own practice, which were described by me on the example of thousands of women with albuminuria (albuminuria - the presence of protein in the urine, one of the signs of gestosis. - Approx. Trans.), were similar to those that I observed in 1873, being Stefan Tarnier's intern.<…>Clinically, the results show that an all-milk diet does indeed prevent eclampsia seizures.”

The American researcher M. Strauss (1935) measured the osmotic pressure of plasma in 65 pregnant women for a period of 7 months and showed that it directly depends on the amount of protein ingested with food. Plasma osmotic pressure, plasma albumin and protein intake were highest in 35 women without signs of late toxicosis, followed by 20 women with toxicosis without convulsive phenomena. And finally, these indicators were the lowest in 10 women with eclampsia. At the 8th month of pregnancy, 15 women of the second group were prescribed a diet with a daily amount of protein 260g and vitamin injections. The remaining five were placed on an isocaloric diet with 20g of protein per day. After three weeks on a high-protein diet, the symptoms of late toxicosis (including high blood pressure) in women from the first subgroup disappeared. There were no cases of intrauterine fetal death. In women from the second subgroup, plasma osmotic pressure dropped by 9%, and only two out of five had a decrease in blood pressure.

R. Ross in 1935 found that the incidence of eclampsia is extremely high in areas where beriberi, pellagra and other malnutrition diseases are common. "We were shocked how many malnourished women had eclampsia."

In 1938, researchers E. Dodge and T. Frost radically prevented eclampsia by prescribing a high protein diet. The condition of women with late toxicosis, who were on a diet of 6 eggs, 1-1.5 liters of milk, meat and legumes daily, improved before our eyes. According to these authors, the average plasma albumin level among women with late toxicosis was 21% lower than among women who were on a diet with a high protein content and did not have toxicosis.

Researcher V. Tompkins (1941) also managed to reduce the incidence of late toxicosis by correcting the diet. He concludes that "the so-called toxemia of pregnancy is actually a state of malnutrition."

T. Brewer in 1966 and M. Bletka in 1970 showed that the appearance of signs of late toxicosis is preceded by a decrease in circulating blood volume and a decrease in plasma albumin. Also, the symptoms of toxicosis are preceded by impaired liver function, which, due to protein deficiency, cannot synthesize albumins, which perform the function of binding toxins.

The full bibliography of these and other works (over 70 in number) can be found in the original on Dr. Brewer's website:

Here it is impossible not to mention Agnes Higgins (1911-1985), not just a researcher, but an ascetic. After learning from the writings of her teacher, Bertha Burke of Harvard, about the role of nutrition (and especially protein) during pregnancy, and seeing this first hand, she set to work. Being a specialist in diet food, she secured the opening of the Charity Pregnancy Diet Canteen in Montreal and became its director. It was the 50s of the XX century. At that time, many families of the poor class lived in Montreal, mostly with many children. Often children were born prematurely, poor learning abilities were common. In the dining room of Agnes Higgins, each pregnant woman was given a liter of whole milk, two eggs and an orange daily. The woman had to eat all this in the dining room, not taking it home, where she could give food to the children. As a result, many of these women gave birth for the first time to a full-term, healthy baby weighing more than 3 kg.

In contact with

The organism growing in the womb receives everything necessary for its development from the food eaten by the mother. If a woman's diet during pregnancy is monotonous, then some of the missing substances, such as calcium and magnesium, are extracted from the mother's bones and teeth. However, the compensatory possibilities of the maternal organism are not unlimited. Poor nutrition during pregnancy adversely affects the functioning of the placenta, which can cause spontaneous miscarriage, abnormalities in the development of the fetus, the birth of a baby with a low birth weight.

A woman should remember that nutritional errors can go unnoticed by her, but have an undesirable effect on the baby. Therefore, the problem of a balanced diet during pregnancy requires a very responsible attitude.

While waiting for the birth of a baby, a woman needs to seriously think about the state of her gastrointestinal tract. In the new circumstances, the intestines and stomach feel difficulty in working. Due to the increase in progesterone levels during pregnancy, the tone of the gastrointestinal tract decreases, which leads to numerous problems. Proper nutrition during pregnancy can help prevent these problems.

Dysbacteriosis

When planning a pregnancy, you should be examined in advance for a disease such as dysbacteriosis, the cause of which can be malnutrition and poor ecology. In the intestine, the number of pathogenic bacteria increases, and the growth of beneficial lactobacteria or bifidobacteria decreases. The main symptoms of this disease are bloating and pain in the abdomen, constipation and diarrhea. Also, there is an excessive accumulation of gases, the expectant mother's appetite abruptly disappears, she feels weakness, headache, malaise, her performance worsens. As a result of a decrease in the intestinal barrier, infection can enter the bloodstream. In order to prevent the occurrence of dysbacteriosis, it is necessary to ventilate the room, often take walks in the fresh air, and monitor your diet. can be accepted Activated carbon and other absorbents.

Diseases of pregnant women

A frequent pathology of the intestines during pregnancy is constipation, which is observed in over 50% of women in the position. Its causes are changes in the digestive system of regulation and physiological changes. Swimming, gymnastics, massage, walking, yoga, as well as folk remedies - salads from beets, cucumbers, apples and a glass of water drunk on an empty stomach are considered to be constipation prevention.

Diarrhea is another problem experienced by a pregnant woman. May occur due to toxicosis, food poisoning, infection, disorders in the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system, and on later dates due to an increase in the tone of the uterus or before childbirth. With diarrhea, you need to drink strong black tea with biscuits or unleavened crackers and rice water, eat white bread. In this case, products made from rye and oat flour should be abandoned.

A woman may have gallstone disease. It does not interfere with the bearing of a child, however, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the diet and use enzymatic preparations for treatment. With advanced gastritis, a woman in position should be observed by a gastroenterologist for the entire period of pregnancy.

Diet pregnant

A pregnant woman has inexplicable preferences for certain foods and intolerance to others. If you do not adhere to proper nutrition, then toxicosis may occur, in which it is recommended to increase the intake of animal proteins (eggs, lean meat, fish, dairy products). A woman in the first half of pregnancy is desirable for 1 kilogram of weight 1.5 grams of protein, in the second - 2 grams. Due to the presence of amino acids in the animal protein, immunity is strengthened, the hormonal metabolism of the expectant mother is normalized, and they also contribute to the formation of baby tissues.

A pregnant woman also benefits from the use of carbohydrates, which are found in pasta, cereals, wholemeal bread, vegetables, honey, jam, sugar. A woman by the end of pregnancy should receive 2-3 milligrams of iron per day. Its sources are liver, parsley, egg yolks, oatmeal and buckwheat, apples, apricots and peaches.

An important role for the nutrition of a woman in position is played by calcium, which contains dried apricots and dairy products.

Nutrition rules for pregnant women

A woman in position is recommended to eat often (the first half of pregnancy - 4 times a day, in the second - up to 6 times), but in small portions. It is advisable to drink 1.5 liters of water per day. In later periods, the stomach, under the influence of an enlarged uterus, begins to shift, as a result of which nausea and vomiting may occur. Also, as a result of changes in the sphincter of the gallbladder, the outflow of bile decreases. Non-compliance with the diet during pregnancy leads to an increase in the protein-synthetic function of the liver, an increase in lipid metabolism and cholesterol levels in the blood of the expectant mother. You can reduce the load on the liver and gallbladder by eliminating high-calorie and fatty foods from the diet. Salty, smoked, fried foods are prohibited. Seasonings - with caution.

The activity of the digestive organs is stimulated by foods with temperatures above 55 degrees and below 15 degrees. Cold drinks provide active peristalsis. You can unload the body with the help of mucous, mashed, mushy and liquid dishes. To enhance the laxative effect of fruits, they should be consumed at night or in the morning on an empty stomach. Fresh vegetables, which also have a laxative effect, can cause indigestion.

Proper nutrition during pregnancy is individual for each woman and depends on her preferences. It serves as a prerequisite for a successful pregnancy and the birth of a healthy child.

Sample meal plan during pregnancy

To "wake up" the intestines, the morning should be started with a glass of water.
For breakfast, it is better to prepare meals rich in fiber, which will help to avoid constipation. For this, cereals, cottage cheese with grated carrots, muesli with milk are suitable.

For a second breakfast, fresh fruits, yogurt, natural juice are best suited.
Lunch is better to start with a salad of fresh vegetables. Next, you can proceed to the soup. With a tendency to constipation and allergies, strong broths are banned. For the second, meat or fish dishes in boiled or stewed form are preferable.
For an afternoon snack, choose something protein, for example, cottage cheese casserole or a cheese sandwich.
For dinner, it is good to eat some fruit or vegetable salad(for example, vinaigrette), and a light meat or fish dish.
If a pregnant woman feels hungry before going to bed, then fruits, a glass of fermented baked milk or kefir will help to satisfy it (you can bite with crackers or dryers).
In the diet of the mother during pregnancy should be absent:
Wine, coffee (increase pressure);
Pickles (overload the kidneys);
Fatty, smoked, fried foods (cause heartburn, adversely affect the liver);
Alcohol (may cause developmental disorders).
Also, pregnant women should not get involved in seafood, chocolate, exotic fruits, citrus.
A healthy diet during pregnancy should be based on a variety of well-digestible and, of course, high-quality foods. A woman should ensure that all the main food groups are present in her diet: dairy, cereals, legumes, meat, fish, as well as vegetables and fruits.
If possible, you should eat food devoid of artificial additives: flavors, dyes, preservatives, flavor enhancers, etc. When compiling the menu, the gestational age must be taken into account.
Nutrition during pregnancy in the 1st trimester does not imply an increase in the calorie content of the daily diet. It is enough for a healthy woman of normal build to consume up to 1800 kcal. The main emphasis should be on protein foods and vitamins, because. during this period, all the systems of the baby are laid.
Starting from the 2nd trimester and up to 32 weeks, the calorie content of the diet is increased to 2200 - 2800 kcal, because an actively growing fetus and an increasing uterus require more nutrients and oxygen. The need for calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin D, zinc is growing. For the last 2 months of pregnancy, it is advisable to reduce the calorie content of the daily diet by limiting easily digestible carbohydrates contained in buns, sweets and other sweets. Salt intake is also kept to a minimum, as it has the ability to retain fluid in the body. In no case is it recommended to reduce calories at the expense of protein foods.

Nutrition during pregnancy and diet

Vegetarianism, low-calorie and any mono-diets during this period are not allowed. When talking about a diet for pregnant women, we are talking about a special diet that will help to cope with certain problems without depriving the unborn child of the influx of essential trace elements and vitamins. For example, when edema appears, a pregnant woman is prescribed a salt-free diet, and with excessive weight gain, it is recommended to replace buns and sweets with bran bread and dried apricots, refined sugar for honey, forget about mayonnaise and dress salads with unrefined oil.
Dietary nutrition during pregnancy involves the use of food that improves digestion, unloads the liver and helps to remove toxins. For these purposes, women in position should enrich their menu with various greens, whole grains, dried fruits, and all kinds of fresh juices.
Unloading days for pregnant women can be a reasonable alternative to rigid diets if you follow the following rules:
1. A product for a fasting day should please a woman, but be sure to be useful (fish, fruit or vegetable, cereals).
2. If dizziness occurs, you should abandon the fasting day.
3. A pregnant woman should unload the body in this way no more than once a week, after consulting with a doctor

Nutrition during pregnancy

Everyone knows that pregnancy is not a disease, so specially adjust your diet to medicinal purposes no need. But you get a good chance to get rid of bad eating habits, improve the body, improve immunity. We are what we eat, and the health of the child is planned based on the diet of the expectant mother for many years. The child uses maternal resources for his development, so it is very important that the expectant mother supports herself with healthy food. After all, she has another equally important period ahead of her: breastfeeding and caring for a child, this requires strength.

What is good: nutrition by timing

I trimester

What's happening: all organs and systems in the child's body are laid, tissues are formed. What we eat: complete proteins and vitamins: lean meat (rabbit, chicken, turkey), fish and seafood, dairy products. Be sure to eat rice, fresh or frozen vegetables, seasonal fruits. In the first trimester, many expectant mothers are still working. No matter how difficult it is for you to control your diet in work conditions, try to do it - find time for a full breakfast and lunch. It is necessary to start measures to improve yourself and your child, the sooner the better, so as not to regret later, looking back.

! Many pregnant women in the first trimester suffer from toxicosis. In this case, eat often, but in small portions. Let there always be a hematogen in your pocket, a bag of nuts or dried fruits to have a snack on the street. If your condition does not allow you to eat regular food, pay attention to baby food. Judging by the reviews in the forums, children's products literally save expectant mothers suffering from severe toxicosis. These are boxed cereals, children's curds, cookies and fruit purees. Baby food, due to the delicate constitution, may not cause a protest in the body. But when it comes time to feed the child, you will already be very knowledgeable in this area. Advice from old Soviet pregnancy books: take a “carbohydrate kick” at night, it will help improve your condition in the morning. Eat a bowl of porridge or a cheese sandwich at night.

In the first trimester, pay special attention to the quality of products. Gradually give up sauces, convenience foods and canned food containing harmful chemical additives. Do not forget that the placenta, unfortunately, freely accumulates and skips chemistry. The importance of products containing folic acid is great, without it intensive metabolism is impossible, its deficiency can cause developmental abnormalities. Folic acid is found in greens, nuts, white cabbage and broccoli, beets, legumes, and eggs.

From a reminder for pregnant women:

What additional products does a pregnant woman need?

In 1989, it was decided that the Recommended Dietary Allowance for Pregnant Women should be 300 kcal/day higher. Since 2002, nutritionists have clarified that in the first trimester there is no need to increase the energy value of the diet, in the second trimester an additional 340 kcal / day is required, in the third trimester - 452 kcal / day. Pregnant women generally get enough calories, and more than 80% of women achieve and even exceed the necessary weight gain recommended by the Institute of Medicine for Pregnancy. These extra calories benefit the fetus. An underweight woman should gain 16-20 kg during pregnancy. An overweight woman should gain about 7 kg during her entire pregnancy. Women with normal body weight should gain 11-12 kg. It is believed that pregnant women should increase their diet so that the daily meal includes the following:

6-11 servings of bread or whole grains;

3-5 servings of vegetables;

2-4 servings of fruit;

4-6 servings of milk or dairy products;

3-4 servings of meat or protein-containing food;

6-8 glasses of water;

No more than 1 cup of coffee per day.

Calcium needs can be met by calcium-rich foods or a calcium supplement. An inexpensive calcium carbonate antacid can be taken at 1200 mg/day.

II and III trimester

There are active jumps in the height and weight of the child and the uterus, so the calorie content of your diet needs to be increased. It is desirable to eat more, but better. At this time, the need for trace elements increases: iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium, calcium, potassium. The child creates his own "reserve" of trace elements using the mother's resource, which means that the mother should have enough of them for two.

! Very often, in pregnant women, hemoglobin drops in the second trimester, this is a normal physiological phenomenon, if it is not threatening to health. You can increase hemoglobin with the help of "heme" iron - this is a natural and biologically available form of iron that is not able to accumulate in excess. Heme iron is found in red meat, chicken, and fish. There is also "non-heme" iron - a synthetic inorganic form of iron, it is much worse absorbed. Unfortunately, it is non-heme iron that is used in vitamins and supplements that are allowed for pregnant women. It is also found in dried fruits, pomegranates, green vegetables and fresh herbs, buckwheat. Vitamin C helps the absorption of non-heme iron: 2-3 times a day, consume citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, pomelo, lemons), infusions of rose hips and berries.

By the end of the third trimester, many experts advise pregnant women to give up meat to increase tissue elasticity and prevent ruptures. This is also due to the fact that the digestive organs must work with a gentle load, and so it is not easy for them by the end of pregnancy.

The main question in the "pregnant" forums: what do you need to lean on to get the full charge of vitamins and trace elements? Correct answer: nothing. Excess "extra" substances will be excreted by the body. You don't have to lean. You need to build your daily diet so that the entire food “pyramid” is present in it and subtract from it foods that depress vitamins (everything that belongs to unhealthy foods). And then everything will be fine. Every day you should eat cereals, vegetables, fruits, meat (fish) and dairy products. If these items do not suffer from replacement with semi-finished products and sweets, then you have full contact with useful substances.

It happens that a pregnant woman needs additional fortified nutrition. For example, she has severe toxicosis - or other complications in which the doctor recommends fortifying herself with vitamin supplements. In this case, protect yourself from taking dietary supplements, especially those that are distributed by hand. No supplement is approved for use during pregnancy, no matter what you are told about it.

Only special dry milk mixtures with vitamins are allowed:

Product	Manufacturer	a brief description of
	Nutritek, Russia	Contains 14 macro- and micronutrients and vitamin complex- optimal for the prevention of hypovitaminosis, incl. vitamins A, C, D3, E and folic acid, taurine, iron, copper, calcium.
Dumil Mama Plus	International Nutrition Co Denmark	Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, folic acid, beta-carotene, taurine, selenium, polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3, omega-6), vitamins and minerals.
Enfamama	Mead Johnson, USA	Skimmed cow's milk, whole milk, glucose, lactose, fructose, minerals; vitamins, natural fruit component - peach.
Milky Way	Vitaprom LLC, Russia	Skimmed milk powder, purified soy protein, sugar, chicory, galega grass extract, dietary fiber, vitamins (A, C, D3, B1, B2, B6, PP, pantothenic acid, folic acid), minerals (sodium, calcium, iron, phosphorus).

What is the salt?

In the second trimester, a pregnant woman needs to limit salt in her diet. In no case should you limit the liquid, as some doctors of the old school still advise. Pure water is the best drink for a pregnant woman, and there can be a lot of water - up to 2-2.5 liters per day. Water is a natural drink for the body, it does not cause complications and has no contraindications. Edema is caused not by water, but by salt, which we not only add in its pure form, but also consume with canned food, mayonnaise, cheese, and sausage. Lack of salt is not harmful, it is in natural form found in many products: vegetables, bread, so the diet will not remain completely without it. Excess salt disrupts metabolism. Gradually reduce the amount of salt until you get used to the new tastes. To begin with, replace the usual salt - sea salt, sea salts dishes better, it takes less.

What is bad: obligate allergens and harmful chemicals

Doctors still cannot clearly explain whether there is a direct link between the use of foods with a high allergenic potential by the expectant mother (the so-called obligate allergens: chocolate, honey, nuts, citrus fruits) and the appearance of an allergy in a child. Not using these products does not guarantee the absence of allergies. Each case is individual. And we will not load ourselves with what we do not understand. Let's put the question differently: WHY lean on chocolate or citrus fruits? There may be several reasons. The first is psychological. The expectant mother does not have enough attention, she is offended by weak reaction surrounding them about their special position. She eats resentment with chocolate or oranges. Women sin with this even without a special position, especially in winter, when we all sorely lack something sunny in our lives. The second reason is whims. Unexpectedly drawn to oranges, kiwi or lemons ... The doctor, of course, will advise you to limit yourself to lemons, scaring you with allergies - but. It is better for a pregnant woman to eat 5 oranges a day - provided that she tolerates them well herself! - than sweets, Coca-Cola with chips or fried potatoes. Fruit is healthy eating. Eat for health.

! Our body is an amazingly wise system. She needs to be trusted, she needs to be loved and able to feel. Nature would not create an organism that was originally set up to be sick from drafts, to have harmful whims that threaten health. If you really want something, eat it. But keep in mind that your taste habits, like any city dweller, are spoiled by advertising and a stressful life. Before you overindulge in chocolate, cakes, or doshirak, think about the real reasons for the whim. Perhaps pregnancy has nothing to do with it. Lack of attention, excess of free time, banal - little light in the apartment, few bright colors. It's time to take care of yourself with fitness, aqua aerobics, yoga, needlework, belly dancing, visiting interest clubs - parties for pregnant women, photography, walks in parks ... The world has not yet seen a case where a pregnant woman would have many hobbies - and at the same time eat up various harmful things . If for some reason you can’t occupy yourself, come up with a full-fledged replacement for “harmful things”. Prepare yourself desserts from cottage cheese, dried fruits and fresh fruits with kefir and yogurt, these desserts can be safely abused, and the lack of sweet taste will be filled.

If you are irresistibly drawn to sweets, it is possible that the reason lies in the lack of some substances. . During pregnancy, there is often a lack of B vitamins. These vitamins, among other advantages, are directly responsible for our mood. If you have not recharged with a proper breakfast (rye bread, orange juice, butter, porridge), in the afternoon you will surely feel a decline in mood - you will be drawn to a chocolate bar. Magnesium is also useful for pregnant women, it is involved in protein, carbohydrate and phosphorus metabolism. When it's specifically drawn to chocolate, it can be explained by a lack of magnesium. bitter chocolate good quality will not hurt, and magnesium is also found in broccoli, beef, oatmeal and rice.

One of the reasons for the development of allergies in a child is intolerance to some products by the expectant mother. Perhaps you do not pay attention to the fact that you do not tolerate milk, white cabbage and cucumbers very well, do not attach importance to bloating and short constipation after eating pasta, cereals, bread, flour products, apples. Analyze how you feel after eating. This dependence has been tracked for a long time: a child may have intolerance to products that the mother does not tolerate. If you are haunted by edema, high pressure, dizziness, lethargy, frequent colds - review your diet. Immunity can be suppressed by bad or monotonous food.

A bit of science:

It is known from embryology and immunology that initially there is immunological incompatibility between the mother's body and the body of the embryo and fetus. A fetus that has a set of genes different from the maternal one (by 50%) is alien to her. Therefore, an immune conflict arises between them, expressed in the desire of the mother's body to reject the alien fetus. But during a normal pregnancy, rejection does not occur. The mechanisms that contribute to its preservation are switched on: the female body, placenta and fetus synthesize a number of protein factors and hormones (estrogens, prostaglandins, progesterone), which suppress rejection reactions. In addition, the hormone progesterone, actively produced by the body of a pregnant woman, prolongs the life of natural transplants and stimulates the survival of transplanted tissues, which is necessary condition for engraftment and normal development of the embryo.

If during pregnancy the set of substances entering the body of a woman from the outside remains unchanged, i.e. corresponds to the place of her residence, the composition of the substances synthesized by her (proteins, enzymes, antibodies) determined hereditarily does not change. This is a necessary condition for the normal development and nutrition of the child in utero: the embryo successfully takes root in the uterus, there is no incompatibility between it and the mother, and the pregnancy is maintained, and the baby's body fully absorbs all the nutrients coming from the mother.

As a result of a rapidly changing habitat and food composition, the female body adapts to new substances, and the intrauterine baby is almost deprived of this opportunity. “As a result of the biochemical adaptation of the mother, tissue incompatibility may arise between her adapted organism and the unadapted fetus. An immunological attack on the fetus occurs, as a result of which deviations in its development, deformities, and allergies may occur, ”concludes Yu. S. Rotenberg, Doctor of Medical Sciences. That is, the initially existing immune conflict is aggravated and the action of mechanisms that contribute to the preservation and normal course of pregnancy is disrupted. The immune attack arising from the mother's body against the embryo and fetus is no longer fully compensated. Thus, the conditions of its nutrition, formation and development are violated, which is the reason for such adverse consequences.

(from an article by E. M. Fateeva and Zh. V. Tsaregradskaya,