Pregnancy is a time when your body is changing and adapting to your own tiny growing baby inside of your womb. To accommodate your baby growing, our body should be healthy and be cautious of certain foods and consume wholesome, nutritious food.
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The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that all women of childbearing age consume 400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of folic acid each day
“To be pregnant is to be vitally alive, thoroughly woman, and distressingly inhabited. Soul and spirit are stretched – along with body – making pregnancy a time of transition, growth, and profound beginnings.” – Anne Christian Buchanan
It is commonly advised that the woman's intake of folic acid should start before conception and to be taken throughout your pregnancy, and after pregnancy is beneficial too if you want to breastfeed. Here you will find my top pregnancy nutrition tips that I personally have gathered for my pre-pregnancy and throughout pregnancy. I am not a medical doctor specializing in OBGYN so please consult with your doctor about any nutritional advise.
Pregnancy Nutrition Tips
400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of folic acid each day is advised before pregnancy and throughout pregnancy and while breastfeeding, it is recommended that you consume 500 mcg (0.5 mg) of folic every day
DHA + EPA and Omega 3 Supplement ( at least 200 milligrams daily )
Avoid Unpasteurized milk or cheese, lunch meat, hot dogs, raw fish, and raw egg and smoked meat
Red meat and eggs should be cooked well done
Drink lots of water and limit caffeine
1st Trimester : no extra calories required, 2nd Trimester : 340 additional increase in calories, 3rd Trimester : 450 caloric increase per. day
exercise but be careful in how you move your body, especially squats ! ( i do not recommend deep squats because I myself got injured while doing deep low squats in my first trimester ) and no need to do sit-ups and/or crunches
Eat avocado, bananas, berries and beans. *NOTE* Best to eat berries after eating food high in protein for better absorption.*
Eat or incorporate dark leafy greens into your diet.
Eat dry fruits, fatty fish with omega-3 fatty acids, hummus, kiwi fruit, bell pepper (provides a lot of vitamin c), cooked lean chicken, lentils, mixed nuts yogurt, olives, sweet potatoes, whole grain bread and cereals is also great and also watermelon
Pregnancy is Beautiful
In the first trimester, your body and your baby’s body are changing and quickly. You will immediately be bonding with your baby as your little one is growing inside of your womb.
I experienced pregnancy in Japan and here i had already bought Folic Acid Supplements before getting pregnant and I also stopped drinking coffee so much so I limited my caffeine intake as well. Another thing I bought at the drug store was Fish Oil Omega 3 plus DHA & EPA which contains omega 3- which is essential for the development of fetal brain and retina, around 200 milligrams daily was what I took.
Folic Acid helps the embryonic neural tube, the predecessor to your baby's brain and spinal cord, to correctly close. Folic acid also assists in the development of your baby's heart and circulatory system. These two supplements, DHA + Omega 3 and Folic Acid, are the two common supplements that are suggested to take during pregnancy in Japan whereas in the USA, there are many different types of pregnancy multi vitamins and all in one supplements.
These are the exact supplements I bought in Japan before and during my pregnancy :
Folic Acid: https://amzn.to/3WuMeFX
Omega 3 + DHA : https://amzn.to/3kxRQC6
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