PREGNANCY NUTRIENT ESSENTIALS & RECOMMENDED
Calories : Around 300 more per day than normal (350 second trimester, 450 third trimester)
Protein: 75 - 100g a day. Aim for LEAN "complete" proteins (e.g. meat, fish, chicken, and dairy products ) - be aware of saturated fats. Beans, soybeans, nuts, seeds, peas, grains, and other protein-rich plant foods are not complete proteins, but should also be eaten as they contain unsaturated fats, vitamins and minerals, and fiber.
Folate / Folic Acid: 600μg micrograms a day. Foods that are naturally high in folate, including orange juice, spinach, asparagus, kale, collard greens, cooked dried beans and peas, and whole-grain breads and cereals.
Iron: Many pregnant women need to take an iron supplement of around 30 milligrams per day throughout pregnancy. Iron in animal protein (heme-iron) is easier absorbed. Pairing this with foods that have vitamin C also helps absorption
Zinc: 25mg a day - Zinc can be found in animal products, especially red meat, and also in whole grains, nuts, legumes, and some fortified breakfast cereals. Check with doctor if you are under poor health, or under stress, or have an illness.
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Calcium: 1000mg a day. Any less and the baby will leech calcium from your bones and teeth. High calcium might also reduce chances of preeclampsia. 3 servings of diary a day, or take supplements. Calcium needs are highest at the third trimester. Skim milk is a great lowfat source of calcium.
Vitamin C: 85mg a day. Essential for health, too little leads to premature births or infections. Too much is also not advised.
Vitamin A: Essential for short and long term health of the baby. But, high doses are risky. Ideally get this from a healthy diet of orange colored vegetables (carrots / pumpkins / sweet potatoes / cheetos), AND meat / eggs/ diary.
Omega-3 / Fish oils DHA/ EPA : Good for brain development, more studies needed. Softgels are good, as most seafood sources are now tainted with mercury.
Magnesium: Might help with cramping
Fiber: Eating high fiber foods with meals helps prevent blood sugar spikes, reduces constipation and softens stools, reducing chances of pregnancy hemorrhoids during last trimester.
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Avoid consuming (While pregnant and breastfeeding)
Excess sugar : Causes GD, gestational diabetes, excessive calories. Might affect baby metabolic.
Unhealthy Fats: ESPECIALLY Trans-fat, but limit saturated fats as well.
Smoking / Drugs / Alcohol - This shouldn't be the first time you are reading about this.
Caffine: May be bad in high dosages, not enough research. Try to avoid.
Artificial sweeteners: May be bad in high dosages. Try to avoid.
Nonfood items : Call your doctor and say you have pica.
Medicine : Check with your doctor.
Seafood high in mercury: Avoid anything more than 12oz / 340g of fish weekly, and stick wiht shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pol-lack, and catfish.
Raw / Rare food: Listeriosis and Toxoplasmosis is dangerous for those with weak immune systems, as are other foodborne illnesses. No unpasteurized diary or juices, refrigerated meats (lox, pate, deli meats etc). Avoid cat feces. Make sure raw veg is properly washed and prepared. [More on washing raw fruits and food safety]
Junk Food : Research (and multiple studies) finds that a prenatal diet of junk food leads to children who have more aggression, anger and tantrums.
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GENERAL GUIDELINES
Eat a wide variety of meat, fish, and dairy products.
Beans, soybeans, nuts, seeds, peas, grains, and other protein-rich plant foods are also good, but less protein dense than meat (which means you need to eat more food, and this may be difficult when feeling nauseous / baby is doing taekwondo on your stomach). Chicken is 20~30% protein, where as Edamame is ~10%.
Try to eat fresh, whole fruits and vegetables. Try to get dark, leafy veg and vitamin C rich fruits daily, which are good in micronutrients.
Frozen and canned (in juice, not syrup) is an acceptable alternative. Fruit smoothies made with whole fruit / veg are fine, but fruit juices are usually high in sugar and should be limited.
Some diary with every meal is also a good idea, to help with calcium levels.
Make sure you have fiber with every meal, as it will help slow down digestion of starches, and make going to the toilet easier.
Stay Hydrated.
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RECIPES
In our situation, on top of a regular diet, we found it was easy to supplement most of the micronutrients with prenatals and other supplemented foods (low sugar cereals, milk / vegan milks).
What we preferred to consume naturally was proteins and fiber. 75g - 100g of protein was more than what the missus was usually consuming, and eating more meat meant she had little appetite left for vegetables. We also tried to get some whole grain starch when possible for energy, which for us usually meant rice or pasta / noodles.
We also tried to get at least 15 min of sun a day for vitamin D.
Lean Meat -
- The marinate ensures that the meat is well seasoned, tender, and juicy.
- Baking it means no added fats, veggie can be added on the sheet tray to bake at the same time.
- Salt, Pepper, Balsamic vinegar / Chili oil etc can be drizzled on the veg for flavor, although the bland veggie acts as bland flavor in between bites of chicken.
- Fully cook salmon to 145 F (63C).
- Enzymes in miso help keep the salmon tender when fully cooked
- Squeeze a lemon wedge on top for some freshness
- Cut off the fat cap, and render some of the fat in the pan when preheating, reducing fat consumption without any loss of flavor
- While resting steak, pour off excess oils, and panfry shredded veggie for extra nutrients.
- A spritz of vinegar (instead of wine) can be used to deglaze.
- This sour side dish can help with nausea.
- Cook the burger patty to 160F / 72C
- Miso enzymes tenderize the meat so it stays somewhat juicy and tender at this temperature
- Steaming seared burgers on a mound of onions (or any other shredded veg) helps it reach temp without excess char on the surface of the burger.
- Deglazing with a little vinegar (instead of wine) brings some acid which helps with nausea.
- Chestnuts, Radish, Lotus root, Potato, Carrots and other root vegetables can be added to this dish
- Sweet, Sour and Savory, this dish helps stimulate the appetite.
- Ribs are soft and succulent, and sauce mixes well with rice (white, brown or forbidden)
Ragu with diced /ground beef, with minced mirepoix, with lots of melted cheese
- Acidity from the tomatoes helps with nausea
- Fibers from the carrots and celery, proteins from the meat
- I melt lots of cheese into it, for the diary / calcium when the wife skips her morning cereal.
- Take it easy on the pasta
Eggs fried with Tomatoes
- Sweet and Sour flavors help with nausea.
- Eggs are packed with protein and other nutrients
- Goes well with rice (white, brown or forbidden)
5 min Stir Fried Leafy Green Veggie with Garlic
- Soak leafy greens in baking soda before cooking
- Stirfry some garlic in neutral oil, add veg, stirfry a little with some salt & sugar.
- Add two table spoons of water over the veg, and cover the wok/ pan to steam for 1 min.
- Taste before final stirfry to add other optional flavors, and dry up excess liquids before serving.
- Works for most generic green leafy veg.
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FIRST TRIMESTER MORNING SICKNESS TRICKS
Eat small amounts of food, often, slowly and regularly.
An empty stomach gets upset easily
Avoid trigger smells
Avoid greasy food, or strongly flavored foods
Get enough sleep and rest
Get enough fluids (water, skim milk, whole fruit/veg smoothies, 100% fruit juice
Cold foods may help.
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POST PREGNANCY - Breast feeding
The American Academy of Pediatrics further recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and breastfeeding at least through the first year of life
Stick with healthy fats (no transfats, low saturated fats).
Calories :500 more calories than normal (pre-pregnancy)
Protein: 70-100g of protein
Omega 3: Good for baby brain health
Water: Stay hydrated.
Weight loss during lactation does not usually impact the quantity or quality of breast milk, but maternal deficiencies in magnesium, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, and zinc have been described during lactation.
Both fat (vitamins A, D, K) and water-soluble vitamins (vitamins C, B1, B6, B12, and folate) are secreted into breast milk and their levels are reduced in breast milk when there is a maternal vitamin deficiency
Protein 70-100g / day
Calcium 1000-1300mg / day
Iron 18mg / day
Biotin 35 mcg / day
[Choline] 550mg /day
Vitamin C 120mg / day
Vitamin A 1300mcg / day
Vitamin B6 1.6mg / day
Vitamin B12 2.8mcg / day
Riboflavin B2 1.6mg / day
Pantothenic acid 7mg / day
Vitamin E 19mg / day
Chromium 45 mcg / day
Copper 1300mcg / day
Iodine 290 mcg / day
Manganese 2.6 my /day
Selenium 60mcg / day
Zinc 11mg / day
SOURCES
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5104202/
https://www.johnmuirhealth.com/health-education/health-wellness/pregnancy-breastfeeding/nutritional-needs-during-pregnancy.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-nutrition/art-20045082
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/nutrition#what-to-eat
https://www.fhs.gov.hk/english/health_info/woman/20036.html
https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bf-info/common-concerns%E2%80%93mum/diet
https://www.nap.edu/read/25841/chapter/1
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