Hungry During PregnancyDuring pregnancy some women tend to lose their appetite mostly on account of a problem of recurring morning sickness due to which they are constantly feeling nauseous and may even be vomiting frequently. Some women on the other hand may find a tremendous increase in their appetite and find that they are hungry all the time during their pregnancy. Although nutrition is an important aspect that needs to be considered during pregnancy being hungry all the time or
overeating during pregnancy is not a good thing. In fact women who eat constantly or succumb to every craving while being pregnant tend to gain excess weight during pregnancy which in turn increases the chances of complication during delivery of the bay and women will also find it difficult to lose this excess weight post delivery.
Women who are pregnant should not really double their intake of food as they actually only require
300 to 40 more calories per day while being pregnant. However, at the same time pregnant women should not skip meals or remain for long periods without any nutritional intake. They should instead eat smaller
healthy meals throughout the day rather than 3 large meals. Similarly they should also try to snack on fruits, yogurt, vegetables and other
healthy foods during pregnancy whenever they feel hungry. Spreading out ones meals throughout the day while being pregnant reduces the chances of overeating and also reduces the chances of the pregnant woman developing low blood sugar.
Women should eat foods that are rich in various vitamins and minerals as well as calcium, iron, and protein during pregnancy as they are essential for the physical and mental development of the baby. Women who are pregnant should also try and remain active by undertaking light forms of exercises such as walking or swimming which will ensure that even though they may increase their intake of food to some extent they do not gain to much
weight during pregnancy. Similarly pregnant women should also avoid foods that have alcohol, caffeine or nicotine as they are harmful to both the mother and child. Foods like
unpasteurized milk and
cheese, raw eggs, apple cider, undercooked or
processed meats should be avoided during the early stages of pregnancy and even later on as they are known to increase the risk of a miscarriage. Similarly fish that have high mercury levels like mackerel; swordfish, shark, and tilefish should also not be consumed by women during pregnancy as they may adversely affect the nervous system of the baby.
Submitted by P T on July 7, 2010 at 01:56
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