How to Gain Healthy Weight During Pregnancy
Tips to Limit Unnecessary Extra Pounds and Feel Better
Nov 3, 2009
Like it or not, you will be watching the scale go up and up at your prenatal visits each month during pregnancy. First and foremost, remember that gaining weight is not only necessary, it is crucial for a healthy pregnancy.
Trying to limit your weight gain should not be your goal. However depending on what your pregnancy diet consists of, you may find that you are gaining unnecessary pounds that you will simply have to lose once your baby is born.
How Much Weight Should I Gain During Pregnancy?
Believe it or not, it is no longer recommended to gain a certain amount of weight during pregnancy. Several years ago, your provider may have recommended that you gain between 20-30 pounds. Now the amount of healthy weight gain is based on your own body mass index (BMI) as well as other factors such as if you are carrying twins.
Once you establish your BMI, you can identify if you are at, under or over your ideal weight. Knowing your weight category will help you to figure out how much weight gain is healthy for you.
Limiting Extra Pregnancy Pounds
How can you be sure you are getting the best nutrients, eating enough foods to satisfy your increased appetite and still not gaining too many additional pounds? Here are our best tips to make sure you are gaining healthy weight during your pregnancy:
- Restrict or limit drinks with sugar content such as soft drinks, flavored juices, teas or sports drinks. If you drink juices, dilute them with 50% water. Avoid drinks that contain artificial sweeteners since adequate testing during pregnancy has not been done on sugar substitutes. Try water with a slice of lemon or flavored seltzer instead of drinks loaded with sugar.
- Avoid all fast foods. They are high in fat, simple sugars and calories and low in nutritional content.
- If you eat salads, get lighter vinaigrette dressings on the side to reduce fat and calories.
- Watch your overall intake of carbohydrates. If carbs are the largest single component of your diet, they may be adding extra pounds without much nutritional benefit. Eat a high protein breakfast and include a small amount of carbohydrates such as 1/2 of a whole grain muffin or toast. Replace sandwiches with wraps or salads at lunch. Rather than a large portion of pasta for dinner, eat a meat and vegetable with a small amount of pasta as a side dish.
- If you snack on exclusively carbohydrates such as potato chips, crackers, cereal and the like, you are not getting as many nutrients as you need. Try adding a carb with a fruit or protein. Add granola to sliced fruit or a hard boiled egg with raw vegetables. Trail mix is a healthier snack item than chips!
- If you have cravings for something sweet, try mixing up a yogurt parfait with fruit, granola and nonfat yogurt to increase the nutritional content of your sweet craving instead of eating pies, cakes, cookies and ice cream. Or try taking a very small serving of a dessert and limiting your indulgence to once a week to satisfy your sweet cravings.
- You might try exploring reversing your meals so that you eat your heaviest meal at breakfast (even dinner foods are great!), eat a normal lunch and then eat breakfast like eggs, turkey sausage and sliced fruit for dinner.
References:
International Food Information Council
The March of Dimes
The Low Carb Pregnancy Diet - ehow.com
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