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Pregnancy is an important period for your baby's growth at birth. The nutrients you consume during pregnancy are the nutrients that will be received by the baby as well, which is why calorie intake will greatly affect your health as well as the baby at birth.
Normally, a person needs a calorie intake of 2,000 to 2,500 per day. But for pregnant women, you will need 200 to 300 extra calories. Therefore, some foods with high calories are often the choice of pregnant women to ensure the growth of their baby is maintained.
One of the foods that pregnant women love while pregnant is ice cream. In addition to its sweet taste, many think that ice cream can help the baby's weight growth quickly.
Does Ice Cream Affect Fetal Growth ?
Ice cream is considered a high-calorie food because it has a fairly high sugar and fat content. There are more than 200 calories in 1 serving of ice cream in a small cup, so it is certain that frequent consumption of ice cream will affect fetal weight growth.
However, it should be emphasized that pregnant women also need to maintain their calorie intake per day to prevent health problems during pregnancy, such as obesity and diabetes. Large fetal growth in pregnancy does not promise that your baby will be born healthy.
In addition, calorie intake is not the only thing that affects fetal growth. You and your baby need nutritional intake to ensure your baby's health is maintained when born into the world later.
Therefore, what nutritional intake do pregnant women actually need?
Nutrients Needed During Pregnancy
There are several nutrients that you need during pregnancy. In addition to helping the growth of the fetus, you also need this intake to ensure your health is maintained during pregnancy, namely:
1. Calcium
Calcium is a nutrient that plays an important role in bone health. During pregnancy, you and your baby-to-be really need calcium intake to form the growth of bones and teeth. It is recommended to consume 1,000 to 1,300 mg of calcium per day, or the equivalent of 3-5 glasses of milk.
Apart from milk, calcium can also be found in foods and drinks such as cheese, yogurt, salmon, and spinach.
2. Folic Acid
Folic acid is a B vitamin that is useful for preventing serious problems in the development of the baby's brain and spinal cord, as well as reducing the risk of premature birth. The recommended folic acid content per day is 600 to 1,000 micrograms of folic acid a day during pregnancy.
You can find folic acid in foods and drinks such as oranges, broccoli, peas, cereals with folic acid content, and spinach vegetables.
3. Vitamin D
Another vitamin that you need during pregnancy is vitamin D. Besides being beneficial for skin health, consuming vitamin D regularly can help strengthen bones and teeth because vitamin D works with calcium. The recommendation for vitamin D consumption during pregnancy is 600 international units (IU) a day.
Vitamin D can be obtained by basking in the sun for 15 - 30 minutes, or in foods or drinks such as fish oil and milk.
4. Protein
Protein is essential for a healthy body, even outside of pregnancy. Apart from being a source of energy, protein is also useful for repairing damaged tissues.
Pregnant women are recommended to get 71 grams of protein per day, which can be found in foods such as chicken, eggs, and nuts.
5. Iron
The body needs iron to produce hemoglobin, which is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to body tissues. During pregnancy, you need double the amount of iron to supply oxygen to your baby.
It is highly recommended to get 27 grams of iron intake per day during pregnancy. Iron can be found in foods such as beef, spinach vegetables, beans, and dried fruits.
Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, there are some foods that you should avoid to prevent problems such as premature babies:
1. Foods high in mercury
Mercury is a harmful chemical commonly found in fish. Mercury content can cause fetal growth to be disrupted, risking the baby to be born with imperfections or defects. Avoid eating too much fish such as mackerel and big-eyed tuna, and consume fish with low mercury such as salmon.
2. Foods high in sugar and salt
You are also advised to reduce foods high in sugar and salt. Sugar intake will affect the blood sugar levels in your body during pregnancy and will potentially lead to gestational diabetes. While high salt intake can cause your body to retain water and can cause an increase in your blood pressure.
3. Caffeine
You are advised to reduce your caffeine consumption. This is because too much caffeine consumption during pregnancy can disrupt the pregnancy period and potentially threaten the health and growth of the fetus.
4. Alcoholic beverages
Apart from caffeine, you are also advised to stop consuming alcohol during pregnancy. This is because alcohol has a high risk of premature birth, low birth weight babies, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
During pregnancy, it's a good idea to keep track of your calorie and nutrient intake to keep your fetus healthy and growing. If you find it difficult, you can consult your pregnancy with an obgyn doctor to get the right pregnant diet program.
Thank you for reading this article. Have a nice day.
