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Women's Health
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Bridget Swinney is author of "Eating Expectantly" (Meadowbrook Press). She writes about the importance of diet, nutrition and exercise for expectant parents. Q: What advice can you give to someone who's concerned about gaining weight during pregnancy? The first thing is don't let the fact that you need to eat more go to your head. The extra calories needed in the first trimester are only about 100 a day. That's equivalent to an 8-oz. glass of 1 percent milk. Many women gain a lot of weight in the first trimester, simply because they think they need to eat much more. It is best to instead focus on eating a nutrient-dense diet - lots of fruits and vegetables, at least 3 cups of milk a day, whole grains and lean protein foods. In the last 2 trimesters, you should strive to gain about a pound a week, if your weight was "normal" before you got pregnant. This translates into an extra 300 calories per day, equal to the calories in a ham and cheese sandwich. The need for many nutrients increases by 50 percent or more, making it important to choose your foods wisely. Eating a variety of foods is important. Go easy on sweets and fried foods. Eating regular meals and snacks will prevent you from getting really hungry - and thus eating too much. Q: What kind of exercise is safe when you're pregnant? If you were following a regular exercise program before you were pregnant, it is probably safe to continue doing so. However, as you get further along in your pregnancy, many exercises are not recommended for obvious reasons: skiing, Rollerblading and the like. The exercises most often recommended by doctors are swimming, water aerobics and walking. Aerobics just for pregnant women also are recommended. The things you want to watch out for are getting overheated, increasing your heart rate too much, overstretching muscles and falling. Talk to your doctor about specific recommendations. Q: If you follow a vegetarian diet and want to continue this during pregnancy, what nutrition advice should you follow? A vegetarian diet can be extremely healthy, if it is planned right. If you are vegan (eat no animal products), you will need a supplemental source of vitamin B12 and possibly vitamin D if you are not exposed to adequate sunlight. You also may need a calcium supplement, since it may be difficult to get enough calcium if you don't eat dairy products. Other nutrients that all vegetarians may have a problem with is iron, vitamin B6 and zinc. To meet your protein needs, you should have a variety of protein foods throughout the day, such as beans and legumes, nuts and grains. There are many convenient soy foods on the market now like veggie burgers and soy dogs, that make it easier to eat a vegetarian diet. Q: How does a man's diet affect fertility? Researchers are just beginning to learn that a man's diet, as well as environmental exposure to chemicals, can affect fertility and the risk of birth defects. Extra vitamin C has been shown to improve male fertility as well as reduce the risk of DNA damage to the sperm. It is thought that DNA damage translates to a higher risk of birth defects. One cycle of sperm production takes 10 weeks, so it is best for men to improve their diet and perhaps even take a multivitamin supplement three months before you try to conceive. |
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