If you’re a busy mum-to-be, things can feel quite overwhelming. As your body undergoes massive changes, you must also make sure that you are in optimal health and be mindful of nutrition in pregnancy guidelines. Staying healthy and eating right have suddenly become a huge priority. To make sure you stay on the right track, here are some simple tips on how to take care of yourself during pregnancy.
1. Eat a Healthy Breakfast Everyday
Start the day right with a healthy breakfast. Not only will doing this put you in a good mood, it will also give you the energy you need to go about your busy day.
Of course, in the early months of your pregnancy, this can be quite a challenge. If you’re still experiencing morning sickness, go slow and drink some liquids first, like ginger tea.
Remember that it’s important to get some nourishment for you and your developing baby. Choose food that is easy to eat such as chicken porridge or whole-grain bread. Make sure to eat some fruit and veggies, too. Smoothies can also be a great breakfast alternative.
2. Pregnancy Power Foods
Eating well-balanced meals is essential, especially when you have a little one developing in your womb. You must eat foods rich in folate, iron, calcium, and protein.
- Folate is essential for growth and development of cells. These days, many kinds of food are enriched with folate, and these can help ensure that you get your daily requirement.
- Iron helps you avoid feeling weak and tired, plus it helps your body produce more red blood cells to supply oxygen to your baby. You can find iron in food like lean red meat and leafy green vegetables.
- Calcium primarily helps with bone development. Up your calcium intake by taking milk and eating fish with edible bones like sardines and anchovies.
- Protein is essential for tissue growth. Choose well-cooked chicken and lean cuts of meat for protein. Milk and dairy products provide you with protein, too!
3. Get Ready to ‘Go’
This can be uncomfortable to talk about, but it’s common in many pregnancies. Because of hormonal changes, many pregnant women may experience constipation.
To help keep things moving along, you have to make sure to eat fibre-rich food such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, beans and grains. And together with an increase in your fibre intake, don’t forget to drink plenty of liquids throughout the day.
4. Give Up ‘Bad’ Snacks
If you’re craving for a bag of salty chips or a sugar-sprinkled donut or two, resist the urge and just say no to junk food! While you’re at it, remember that soft drinks are a big no-no, too.
Be mindful of every single thing that you put into your body. Baby needs the good stuff!
5. Make Healthy Choices for Two
Avoid alcohol and caffeine. For now, you’ll have to put your love for coffee on hold. More than one cup of coffee or four cups of tea is too much, mummy! Did you know that soft drinks contain caffeine, too?
Also make sure to avoid raw or undercooked fish and seafood. They may contain parasites, harmful viruses or bacteria. And while cooked fish is actually great for your diet, you need to avoid fish high in mercury such as tilefish, swordfish, shark, and marlin.
Going back to undercooked food, don’t eat that soft-boiled egg, undercooked chicken, or medium-rare steak. Make sure all your food is well-cooked and well-done!
That’s not all. For now, you must also avoid soft cheeses like brie and gorgonzola. These might contain bacteria that are harmful for your baby.
Even if these foods are your favourites, it’s best to err on the side of caution. That sushi binge or wine and cheese party will have to wait until after you give birth.
6. Move It, Mum!
Being pregnant doesn’t mean that you should stop exercising (unless your doctor advises you so!). At some point, you will feel lazy and heavy, but you have to set aside some time every day to be physically active.
Being fit during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Not only will being physically active help you put on weight gradually, it also conditions your body and gets you in shape for childbirth.
Go for a swim. Practice gentle yoga. Go out for a walk on a nice day. Do some stretching exercises which are good for reducing pregnancy aches and lower back pains.
Find ways to move around and aim for at least 30 minutes of being active every day. But listen to your body and know your limits. Find the right balance so you can feel energized throughout your pregnancy.
7. Drink Milk: Include AnmumTM Materna in Your Diet
As a busy pregnant woman, it may be hard to exercise and eat healthy on a daily basis. Work and your other tasks can keep you occupied, and you may not have enough time and energy to grab some vegetables at the store to cook yourself a healthy meal.
One of the trusted ways to get the right nutrients is to include Anmum™ Materna as part of your balanced diet.
This is an excellent formulated milk for both expecting moms and women planning to become moms to support their nutritional needs.
Anmum™ Materna is packed with key nutrients that are essential for pregnant mums. Aside from folate, iron, and calcium, it contains DHA and Gangliosides (GA®). It also contains Probio DR10™, or Bifidobacterium lactis – a type of live and good bacteria – and Inulin, a prebiotic beneficial for good gut health. It is important to have good intestinal environment for effective absorption of nutrients.
Mums will be happy to know that Anmum™ Materna prenatal milk is low in fat and Anmum™ Materna (plain) has no added sugars, so you worry less about excess weight gain.
Perhaps best of all, Anmum™ Materna is so convenient! It is specially formulated to provide you key pregnancy nutrients with just two glasses a day. And it’s all oh-so-easy to prepare for busy mums-to-be with stick packs for easy consumption. Simply keep some in your handbag, and you can enjoy it at the office when you want to.
Pregnancy is a precious and exciting time for mums-to-be. You must remember to take care of yourself even if your days are packed and busy. By making healthy choices, you can make sure you’ll meet the nutritional requirements you and your developing baby need for a healthy and happy pregnancy journey.
For more healthy pregnancy tips and Anmum™ Materna nutrition information, check out https://www.anmum.com.my.