Picture this: you sit down at your favorite restaurant with a group of family or friends and look at the menu. Ordering should be easy, however, because you get the same thing every single time you come here. You order your food and wait patiently for it to arrive. When it arrives at the table, you excitedly lean in to take your first bite…but something is different this time – this time, you’re pregnant. And even though you’ve had this same meal countless times before, as you take your first bite you start to remember things your doctor has said about foods to avoid during pregnancy. Naturally, questions start popping up in your mind, because even though you’ve read the lists a thousand times before, it’s hard to keep it all straight.
Most of us are familiar foods to avoid during pregnancy like caffeine, lots of sugar, bad fats, and unpasteurized cheeses and dairy products. But even less obvious staples and/or comfort foods like a good old fashioned hamburger may not be the best when it comes to providing your body with the nutrients it needs to help your child develop. It’s a lot to think about.
The fact is, pregnant women are much more susceptible to contracting foodborne illnesses and other infectious diseases.
This is due in part to the evidence that being pregnant causes your immune system to weaken because you’re providing life to another human being. After all, we are giving our bodies over to protect and develop our unborn children within our wombs. The lowering of your immune system provides additional protection for your child and helps keeps them safe.
This is why doctors stress knowing what foods to avoid, or at least limit, so as not to put yourself or your child at risk. And unfortunately, even some of our most common foods run the risk of contamination due to lack of processing, or can be harmful because of over-processing and chemicals.
A healthy diet during pregnancy can be beneficial to mother and baby in many ways, as well.
Pregnancy is an energy-stealer, causing most mothers to feel extreme fatigue and tiredness as their pregnancy wears on. But by having a balanced diet you can get some of that lost energy back.
It will also help your child to grow and develop properly throughout all three trimesters. And being that the last trimester the baby is growing more rapidly than in the other two, it is especially important that you pay attention to what you consume in your last trimester.
A healthy diet will also set your child up to have promising eating habits later on in the future. This may be hard to believe, but trust us, the experts have done their research and know that successful eating habits start when the baby is still growing inside their mother’s womb.
If you’re confused about which foods to avoid or limit from your diet during pregnancy, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered!
Check out the simple infographic below for an easy-to-follow list of the do’s and don’ts of pregnancy eating. And remember, establishing healthy eating habits now will not only ensure your baby’s health and well-being, but will provide you with many benefits, as well!
About the contributor:
Content for this article was provided by Childmode, an online resource for all things baby-related. Find out about the latest gear and product reviews, learn more about healthy pregnancy and post-partum habits, and get the latest research all in one place.
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