Being pregnant is not a signal to eat everything in sight. Women need to control food intake during pregnancy in much the same manner they do before pregnancy. The common misconception of “eating for two” can lead a woman to excess weight gain. Pregnant women can easily avoid pregnancy weight gain in excess by choosing healthy foods that are good for baby and mom.
Avoid Pregnancy Weight Gain – Sweets
Sweet foods that are laden with sugar are not appropriate for constant consumption during pregnancy. In order to avoid pregnancy weight gain from sweets and sugar-based foods, consume these foods in strict moderation. It is okay to have a small bowl of ice cream every night, but eating a huge bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce and candied chocolates every day is just going to add pregnancy weight that can lead to health risks and fetal risks.
It is also important to note that most sweets have little or no nutritional value. Vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fats are important during pregnancy. Avoid pregnancy weight gain from sweets by substituting healthy, naturally-sweet alternatives like fruits and frozen yogurts with limited added sugar.
Avoid Pregnancy Weight Gain – Fatty Meats
Fatty meats, again, are okay in moderation, but excessive fat intake can lead to fast pregnancy weight gain. Types of fatty meats to eliminate when you want to avoid pregnancy weight gain include sausages, bacon and fatty beef and chicken. Removing the skins from chicken breasts and trimming extra fat from beef are two ways to continue eating the cuts of meat you like while you avoid pregnancy weight gain in excess. Lean meats that are healthy during pregnancy include skinless turkey, skinless chicken and lean beef.
Avoid Pregnancy Weight Gain – Eating for Two
The fetus does not consume the calories needed for a whole other person. The idea of eating for two is simply unrealistic if a woman wants to avoid pregnancy weight gain in excess. Instead of adding 1,500 to 2,000 additional calories, most obstetricians will suggest adding 500 extra, healthy calories to an eating plan. For some women, eating 2,000 healthy calories per day will cause weight loss.
Weight loss during pregnancy used to be considered unhealthy, but today obstetricians are better informed about the effect of weight loss, especially if the pregnant woman was overweight before the pregnancy started. Weight loss in obese patients may continue throughout the pregnancy and is considered completely healthy as long as she is consuming enough healthy calories to maintain the fetus and the female body.
When trying to avoid pregnancy weight gain, simple control over those extra calories is enough to keep weight gain on track. Control should not be confused with elimination. There is no reason to skip that piece of birthday cake or eat that occasional fatty burger, as long as those foods are not a daily habit.