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15 Results for search "Pregnancy: Diet".

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It takes strong building materials to make a healthy baby, and few things are stronger than iron. Iron forms the core of red blood cells, the vehicles that carry oxygen to every part of your body, including to your growing baby. If you don't have enough iron -- a common problem in pregnancy -- these vehicles will start to break down, leaving you and your baby deprived of oxygen. This condition, c...

Now that you're pregnant and eating for two, you probably wonder a bit about your diet and whether you're getting the nutrients you need. And if you suffer occasional bouts of nausea or morning sickness, your diet is even more of a concern. Here are some of the most common questions about nutritional needs during pregnancy. How much weight should I gain during pregnancy? Every woman is different...

I've heard drinking coffee can make it harder to get pregnant. Is that true? You may have heard that even moderate amounts of caffeine can delay conception. The truth is, no one is really sure. One often-cited study from the 1990s found that women who had the equivalent of three cups of coffee a day lowered their likelihood of conceiving by as much as 27 percent. But researchers at Harvard Medica...

Putting on extra weight isn't usually a winning strategy for good health. But now that you're pregnant, you need to keep the needle on your scale moving in the right direction. No matter what type of body you have now, it needs to get bigger. How much weight should I gain? According to the March of Dimes, a woman who started pregnancy at a normal weight should expect to gain about 25 to 35 pound...

The reason you hear so much about folic acid and pregnancy is because this B vitamin protects against a group of serious birth defects. However, if you're like most women, you don't get enough folic acid (officially known as B9) from your diet alone. For this reason, doctors often recommend that women who are pregnant or trying to conceive take prenatal vitamins containing folic acid. What's the...

In order to determine whether you've developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy, doctors may test your blood sugar level. The most common procedure is a glucose screening. Most women are tested between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy, the time when the body is likely to begin having greater difficulty processing glucose. If you are at high risk, your doctor will likely test you much ear...

Pregnant women don't just eat for two -- they also breathe for two. If you have asthma, remember that your baby is counting on you for oxygen. When you're struggling for air, your baby is feeling your pain very directly. That's why controlling your condition is more important than ever. By keeping your asthma in check, you can give your baby an excellent start. Will my asthma put my baby at risk?...

Is it normal to be constipated during pregnancy? Unfortunately, yes. Throughout your pregnancy, hormonal changes can result in sluggish digestion. Then as your uterus grows, it compounds the problem by putting more pressure on your intestines and rectum. To understand the problem, it helps to know how your digestive system works. As food moves through the colon, muscle contractions push it along...

Should I be worried about eating fish while I'm pregnant? Since fish is low in saturated fat and high in heart-friendly omega-3 fatty acids, eating it during pregnancy is very important. But seafood is the only significant source of mercury in our food, and some fish have levels of mercury so high that it may be harmful to a developing baby. No more than two helpings a week of low-mercury fish ar...

What are prenatal supplements? Prenatal supplements are vitamins designed especially for pregnant women. Most of them contain more folic acid and iron than you'll find in a standard adult multivitamin. Pregnant women need more of these nutrients than usual -- specifically, they need 200 micrograms (mcg) a day more of folic acid and close to 50 percent more iron daily to make more blood to nouri...

Now that you're pregnant, a healthy diet is doubly important. Whether you're sitting down for a meal or grabbing a snack from a vending machine, you have to think about how your choices will affect your baby. If you develop gestational diabetes, you'll have still more choices to make. Your doctor may advise you, for example, to use an artificial sweetener that won't increase the sugar levels in y...

Pregnancy is certainly not the easiest time in your life, and it's fine to indulge yourself occasionally. It's not unusual to crave specific foods when you're pregnant. In fact, studies say that up to 90 percent of expectant moms experience food cravings. If you happen to crave green beans or broccoli, that's great. But what if you have a constant craving for chocolate or potato chips? Keep in mi...

Why should I be concerned about calcium? Calcium is important for both you and your growing baby. Your baby needs it to grow strong, healthy bones, teeth, nerves, heart, and muscles and to develop normal heart rhythm and blood clotting. If you don't get enough calcium in your diet, the fetus will leach it from your bones, which may impair your own health later on. How much of it do I need? All ad...

Should I try to eat a low-fat diet when I'm pregnant? It's easy to get confused and think that eating healthy means avoiding fat altogether. People who watch their weight avoid fat because it packs a high-calorie punch: Fat provides 9 calories per gram, more than twice the number in carbohydrates or protein. But the truth is, some kinds of fat are good for us. Our bodies need some fats in order to...

The choices that you make at the dinner table have never been more important. You aren't just eating for two -- you're making decisions for two. How much do you know about good nutrition during pregnancy? Take this short quiz to find out. 1. How many calories should you eat each day during pregnancy? a. 2,400 or less b. 2,200 to 2,900 c. More than 3,000 d. Double your usual calories 2....