Diet Example in Pregnancy

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Premise

The following indications are for informational purposes EXCLUSIVELY and are not intended to replace the opinion of professionals such as a doctor, nutritionist or dietician, whose intervention is necessary for the prescription and composition of PERSONALIZED food therapies.

Pregnancy, Hygiene and Nutrition

Diet is a determining factor for the success of gestation.
During pregnancy, both nutritional requirements and food hygiene needs change.
We specify immediately that the diet for pregnancy begins before conception, a period during which the pregnant woman must ensure the nutritional increase of folic acid forfeiting it in the liver.
The pre-pregnancy diet also has the task of gradually introducing new dietary trends.
From a hygienic point of view, the pregnant woman must respect the following parameters:

• Eat traceable and hygienically safe foods, avoiding home preparations (mayonnaise, pickles, etc.).
• Eliminate all raw meats, especially sausages. The risk would be that of parasitosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii, Taenia solium, Trichinella spiralis etc.
• Eliminate raw fish products, especially bivalve molluscs (oysters, mussels, etc.) and fish that have not been chilled in temperature (tuna, anchovies, monkfish, etc.). You could get hepatitis A and cholera infections, or parasites from Anisakis, Opisthorchiasis, etc.
• Eliminate some cheeses, especially fermented ones (gorgonzola, roquefort, etc.). They would increase the likelihood of infection with Listeria monocytogenes.
• Eliminate raw eggs and recipes that contain them. The risk would be that of bacterial infection with Salmonella typhi and paratyphi.
• Eliminate mushrooms of NOT certified origin.
• Eliminate cooking rare or NOT reaching 72 ° C at the core of the food. The risks for infections and parasites are the same as for raw meat and fish.
• Carefully wash and disinfect fresh vegetables with special solutions (for example amuchina).
• Avoid cold sauces, cold cooked and eaten foods, minced and undercooked meat.

From a nutritional point of view, the pregnant woman must respect the following parameters:

• Provide as much energy as required by the specific case. If the weight is normal, increase by 150-300kcal per day. In case of overweight or obesity, only increase by 100kcal. For the underweight, increase up to 365kcal.
• Ensure specific intake levels of vitamins: cobalamin (vitamin B12, a critical aspect for the vegan diet), folic acid (critical for those who do not consume raw vegetables), retinol equivalents (vitamin A) and calciferol (vitamin D, a critical aspect for vegan diet).
• Cover the need for mineral salts: iron (critical aspect for the vegan diet), calcium (critical aspect for the vegan diet), phosphorus and iodine.
• Ensure the intake in the right quantities of essential omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.
• Guarantee the protein requirement, or 13% of the total energy + 6g. Food sources must contain peptides with a high biological value (critical aspect for the vegan diet).
• Ensure specific fiber intake levels (subjective, based on the tendency for constipation in pregnancy).
• Take specific food supplements.
• Eliminate alcohol or limit it to one daily unit, to be consumed for lunch or dinner; even better if one-off.
• Minimize all junk foods and drinks; these are rich in harmful molecules (bad fats, toxins etc), nerve substances (caffeine, theobromine etc), salt, additives etc; better not to exceed 3 coffees per day.
• Minimize all foods and drinks containing sweetener-type additives.
• If possible, minimize the intake of potentially allergenic foods: shellfish, peanuts, etc.
• Pay attention to large carbohydrate loads and the glycemic index of meals; pregnancy can predispose to diabetes gravidarum.

Example

Pregnant woman at 5 months, young, in normal weight, without pathologies, allergies or food intolerances.

* previous means "before conception".

DAY 1

* The protein intake is higher than the estimated requirement in the setting. Corresponds to a percentage greater than 20%; this means that the portions of meat, milk, fish, cheese, eggs and yogurt may be slightly reduced.

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

DAY 5

DAY 6

DAY 7