Diet during pregnancy is one of the topics that expectant mothers are most curious about. Many expectant mothers are afraid of gaining weight during pregnancy and not being able to lose the weight gained after birth. On the other hand, health experts are much more meticulous about weight control during pregnancy than before. Because, excess weight gain does not contribute to either the mother or the baby. So, is it possible to diet while pregnant? What is a pregnancy diet and what does it include? We wanted to explain a little bit about these issues..
Pregnant Diets
Pregnant diets should be handled in two different categories: Physician-recommended diets and voluntary diets. During pregnancy, the physician may refer the expectant mother to a dietician for reasons evaluated under main headings such as high sugar, blood pressure measurement results and excessive weight gain, the special condition of the baby and the mother. In this case , it is very important for both the expectant mother and the baby to follow the program given by the pregnancy dietitian. Apart from this , expectant mothers who are afraid of gaining too much weight during pregnancy or who decide to slow down because they progressed a little fast in weight gain in the first few months can also diet. Here, it is essential to consult a physician and be under his/her control instead of pregnancy diet lists taken from the environment or social networks . So, what to do or what not to do to avoid weight gain during pregnancy?
How to Avoid Excess Weight Gain During Pregnancy?
The triangle of nutrition, sleep and exercise is very important during pregnancy. Intensive consumption of sweets, pastries and very fatty foods are not valuable for the development of the baby and the resistance of the mother, and cause weight gain. Excess weight gain also negatively affects the comfort of the expectant mother. Adopting a balanced and adequate diet not only prevents excessive weight gain during pregnancy , but also provides a much stronger nutritional outcome for the baby and mother. Almost all of us know these, but we have difficulty in applying them. We have a few suggestions for you about diet and nutrition during pregnancy :
- Always have a plate of dried fruit, walnuts, raw almonds, unroasted hazelnuts and other nuts ready at home or in the office. If possible, slice dried apricots, dried figs and even dates. This way, you can enjoy the calories and flavor of a piece of dried fig instead of the calories of a huge fig in one go. Snack on them throughout the day whenever you crave something. This plate of nuts can prevent you from eating a slice of baklava, a bowl of spangles or three slices of water pastry.
- Always have a large glass of water in your environment. Drink plenty of water in sips. This will hydrate you, speed up your metabolism and help to ease the intensity of the groin pain a little.
- Try to have dinner a little earlier. Do you crave something after dinner while watching a movie or until you fall asleep? Make yourself a snack such as a large glass of water with a piece of cucumber in it, cucumber-tomato slices (unsalted) or a bowl of yogurt. This will keep you occupied and keep you away from chocolate, wafers, crisps and midnight pastries.
- Choose low-fat bulgur pilaf with lots of vegetables instead of pasta and rice pilaf.
- Stay away from packaged foods.
- Keep in mind that portions such as meat-salad, fish-salad, meatball-salad will keep you fuller and have higher nutritional value than menus with rice, soup and dessert in the Turkish dinner tradition. They are also easier to prepare.
- If you find it difficult to prepare a meal when you get home from work and you turn to ready meals, you can overcome this with some preparation. For example, spend two hours on a weekend on these preparations: Buy two kilograms of minced meat and prepare meatball portions according to the number of people and put them raw in the freezer. Wash fresh greens or salad ingredients such as cucumber-tomato-pepper and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Then put them in airtight freezer bags. When you come home from work, the meatballs are in the pan, the washed ingredients are on the chopping board and dinner is ready… You can also try something similar with frozen fish fillets or steaks.
- There is a legend that a piece of pickle soothes sweet cravings. It is not proven, but it can be tried. You can also prepare light desserts for yourself. For example, slice a banana and sprinkle honey and walnuts on it. It will be lower in calories than a creamy dessert and the nutrients will be stronger.
Instead of chocolate
A common concern about nutrition during pregnancy is “overdoing it”. For example, we love to eat chocolate during the day. Especially if we drink coffee. So, what should we use to suppress this chocolate craving? First of all, we can suggest that you prefer dark chocolate with a high cocoa content and low sugar content. Or you can prepare small innocent sweet bites to remind yourself of the sweet pleasure of chocolate. You can pass the date filling with honey through a food processor, make small balls, dip them in coconut or finely ground hazelnuts and place them on a serving plate. These little bites will give you more energy.