What do pregnant mothers eat to keep their children healthy and beautiful?

This is an automatically translated article.

I. Four "golden" eating principles for pregnant women:
1/ Eat a variety and enough nutrients
Mothers need to eat enough and more than usual, especially in the last months, to ensure health for the mother, to meet the needs of the fetus's development and to store energy to create milk to feed the baby later. Mothers need to eat enough 4 food groups: carb, protein, fat and indispensable fiber, vitamins and minerals.
2/ Split meals
According to nutrition experts, mothers should eat 3 main meals and 3 snacks/day: breakfast - breakfast snack, lunch - afternoon snack, dinner - night snack . That not only helps provide adequate nutrients for the fetus but also helps the mother overcome morning sickness, picky eating in the first months and control weight in the following months.
3 / Chew slowly, chew well
Due to hormonal changes during pregnancy, women feel hungry faster. Therefore, pregnant women should immediately give up the habit of eating fast, eating quickly, eating while watching TV or on the phone. Instead, pregnant women should eat in a quiet place, eat slowly, chew thoroughly to feel full for a long time and good for the stomach. This habit also restrains the mother from eating more, creating a sense of appetite during the meal.

4/Drink enough water
Drinking enough water not only makes the organs in the body work more smoothly, but sometimes it is also a lifesaving measure for the hunger that bothers pregnant women, preventing the feeling of hunger and thirst. appetite. Mothers can drink filtered water, broth, fruit juice to be good for their children without getting fat.

II.Suitable foods for pregnant women
Food that provides abundant energy for the mother: Rice, flour, sugar, oil - fat Food that helps form and develop the fetus: Meat, eggs, milk , shrimp, crab, fish and plant protein sources such as beans, sesame, peanuts will provide protein and fat. Foods rich in vitamins and minerals help the baby grow and the mother healthy: Calcium is abundant in shrimp, crab, fish, milk, and soybean, which participates in the structure of the skeleton for the fetus. Iron is abundant in red meat, fish, eggs, milk, beans of all kinds, sesame and dark green vegetables, will participate in the process of blood formation. (Iron supplements from food sources often do not meet the great needs of the mother during pregnancy, so the mother needs to supplement iron).
Zinc in meat, fish, seafood, especially snails, mussels, clams, mussels will participate in the process of growing children's height from the womb and increasing immunity for children. Folic acid is found in many fruits, vegetables, eggs and participates in blood formation, neural tube formation, and prevention of neural tube defects for babies. Along with eating the foods mentioned above, mothers need to supplement folic acid during pregnancy.
Vitamin C found in fruits (apple, papaya) and green vegetables (water spinach, spinach...) increases the body's resistance, aids in the absorption of iron from food, and prevents anemia caused by deficiency. iron.
III. What foods and drinks should pregnant women avoid?
Alcohol and tobacco enter the mother's body and enter the fetus through the placenta, directly harming the fetus, may make the baby grow slowly or have deformed parts. Do not use some sprouted tubers and fruits (such as potatoes) because they contain many toxins. Do not eat some unsafe and unhygienic dishes such as: blood pudding, meat, rare fish, raw, expired, unpasteurized foods because they may contain many types of bacteria that are harmful to growth. of the fetus. If you are a fan of sushi, you will have to stop eating this dish during 9 months of pregnancy. Although seafood is a rich source of protein, raw seafood is also a source of harmful parasites and bacteria. Unpasteurized dairy products, butter, cheese. Unlike many other foodborne pathogens, Listeria - a species of bacteria that causes miscarriage - can grow at refrigerator temperatures. For this reason, pregnant women should avoid meats that are perishable and must be stored in the refrigerator, such as cold cuts and hot dogs. If you still want to eat cold cuts and hot dogs, you should cook them, steam them, or bake them before using them. Raw shellfish, snails, and oysters are possible sources of parasites and bacteria. Therefore, remember to cook oysters, mussels and mussels until the shell is open, if not, you should not use it.
Mothers need to adjust some eating habits that are harmful to both mother and child.
Reduce salt intake: When pregnant, eating a lot of salt will lead to high blood pressure and edema, adversely affecting the health of mother and baby. Should not or limit the use of fish with a high risk of mercury containing (mackerel, shark, swordfish ...), mercury contaminated in fish if accumulated too much can cause brain damage of the fetus pediatric. Do not drink a lot of carbonated drinks, containing caffeine and cocaine. The caffeine in coffee and carbonated drinks is harmful to the embryo, potentially causing miscarriage. In addition, caffeine can break down vitamins, leading to symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency, which manifest as fatigue, loss of appetite, and constipation. Caffeine also inhibits the absorption of iron and zinc, worsening anemia in pregnant women. Limit the use of stimulants such as chili, pepper or industrially processed foods during pregnancy.

In order for mothers to better understand their bodies and know more about care after labor, here are some notes from Dr - Doctor Nguyen Cong Nghia, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vinmec International General Hospital Times City:
For details, see:
>> Instructions for taking care of mothers after a normal delivery
>> Instructions for taking care of mothers after a cesarean section
With the above experience of giving birth in Vinmec, hope to help parents Be less surprised the first time you go to the hospital, and at the same time have more good knowledge to ensure the best health for mother and baby.
For any information about birth services at Vinmec Hospital, please visit the hospital directly for advice or contact HERE