Food For Pregnant Women With Special Needs

Having a good diet during pregnancy is essential for the future baby to develop correctly. It does not matter what type of diet you have or if you must follow a diet for pregnant women with special needs. The important thing is to collect all the necessary nutrients so that the development of the fetus is adequate.

Next, we are going to know a series of special diets to know what to eat during pregnancy in these cases.

Diet for pregnant women over 35 years

Today it is almost more common to have a child after the age of 35 than before. From this age, there is a greater risk for both the mother and the baby, and that is why the care must be much more exhaustive. A healthy diet, for example, will help reduce possible complications and give the baby what she needs.

Add extra dairy products, such as milk or yogurt, and more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Fruits and vegetables will give you that extra nutrient that the fetus will need throughout the pregnancy.

Avoid alcohol, tobacco, medications, and fish that are high in mercury, as it is a metal that can be harmful to the baby.

Vegetarian or vegan diet for pregnant women

Following a vegetarian or vegan diet during pregnancy is possible as long as the necessary nutrient levels are maintained. If this is your case, you will have to follow the recommendations indicated by your doctor regarding vitamins and minerals. For the rest, if you follow a balanced diet you will not have any kind of problem.

What are the best foods? Green leafy vegetables, legumes, grains, and calcium-fortified soy beverages. In addition, it is also recommended to sunbathe for at least thirty minutes each day to take advantage of natural vitamin D.

Remember to visit your gynecologist and discuss all your doubts about your diet if you are vegetarian or vegan.

Diet for pregnant women with gestational diabetes

If you have had the O'Sullivan test and you have gestational diabetes, you should take a little more care with your diet so that your diabetes does not become chronic. Foods that raise blood glucose will be eliminated, such as sugar, panela, molasses, jams, jellies, soft drinks, juices, dried fruit, or commercial pastries.

Instead, more vegetables, white fish, lean meats, and healthy fats, such as nuts or extra virgin olive oil, will be added to the diet.

On the other hand, the intake of fruit, dairy products, bread, cereals, and even legumes should be controlled.

Diet for overweight pregnant women

When there is excess weight during pregnancy, the chances of some complications, such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes, are increased. That is why taking care of your diet and knowing what to eat during pregnancy is very important.

In the case of the diet for overweight pregnant women, foods with more fat must be avoided at all costs. Juices, soft drinks, pastries, sugar, and some types of fruit with a very high glycemic index, such as mango, should be eliminated.

In this type of diet, the important thing is the cooking method. Avoid cooking fried foods and eating low-fat meats, such as turkey, cooked on the grill. Steamed vegetables, baked fish…no cooking with too much oil. In addition, it is also recommended to control the intake of carbohydrates, such as pasta, integral ones will always be better.

In overweight pregnancy, it is also recommended to walk half an hour a day to keep the weight under control.

Diet for pregnant twins

• The diet for pregnant twins should be much more elaborate, since, having two babies forming in the womb, deficiencies of some nutrients may occur. What to eat when expecting twins?
• Iron is one of the nutrients that are most often lacking in a twin pregnancy. That is why it is important to take extra iron with red meat, egg yolks, or shellfish. Of course, avoid eating this type of food with dairy, since the absorption of iron cannot be carried out correctly.
• You should also increase your calcium intake with natural foods such as Swiss chard, watercress, chickpeas, dried figs, hazelnuts, or octopus.
• Remember to cook all foods well, such as red meat, and make sure they are not raw.
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• Important Warning: Breastfeeding provides the best nutrition for babies. The pediatrician is the one who can best advise you on the care and feeding of your child, and on the foods that you should add to the diet as it grows.