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How Proper Pregnancy Nutrition Helps Control Weight Gain

The most widespread question that women have throughout pregnancy is how to control their weight with proper pregnancy nutrition. After all, you wish to eat right to give the maximum nutritional rewards to your infant as it grows and develops inside of you.

Maintaining your bodyweight gain to a minimal is handy after you have the baby, as it’s much easier to get back into shape if you don’t have much weight to lose. An average weight gain of close to 20-30 pounds can enable you keep fit and energetic during pregnancy while still giving your little one everything she demands to grow healthy for birth.

So how can you keep on track with a healthy weight gain through pregnancy? The best ideas for eating well and controlling your gain are introduced below with our guide to pregnancy nutrition.

Avoid Processed Foods

Processed meals are best avoided for the duration of being pregnant, as they include excess fillers, salt, and calories that can lead to water retention and bodyweight gain. How can you get rid of processed foods from your diet?

To start with, instead of eating lunch meat when pregnant, you should find a whole and organic supply of lean protein as an alternative. Raw nuts, nut butters (with no additional salt), lean cuts of natural and hormone-free meat, and organic eggs are all superb sources of protein.

These necessary protein sources are also lower in calories, free from fillers, and don’t contain the excess salt that is found in processed meats and foods. They’re a good way to stay on track nutritionally without ingesting those questionable extras that come with processed foods.

Reduce Your Intake of Gluten and Wheat

Even if you don’t have sensitivity to wheat or gluten when not pregnant, you can develop one when you are carrying your baby. So if you are experiencing problems with extra weight gain and water retention, try getting rid of wheat and gluten from your diet.

You can replace these carbohydrates with quinoa, millet, brown rice, and sweet potatoes, all of which are healthy grains.

These grains also have the additional advantage of being high in fiber, which will help you maintain regular digestion and elimination throughout pregnancy. These grains are additionally good for minimizing gastric bloating and indigestion, a widespread complaint during pregnancy.

Eliminate Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

It’s time to tame your sweet tooth if you want to keep from gaining excess pounds during your pregnancy. Cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and other glucose derivatives must be avoided if you wish to fight water retention and weight gain during pregnancy.

But don’t believe that synthetic sweeteners will help, either. These man-made sugar substitutes are chock-full of questionable chemicals that could possibly harm your unborn child. Rather, look for all-natural glucose alternatives such as raw honey, agave syrup, stevia, and xylitol. All of these can help curb your craving for sugar without chemical substances or a huge caloric punch.

Cut Back on Caffeine

Finally, one of the very best dietary choices you can make for the duration of pregnancy is to cut back on caffeine. If you are addicted to coffee or tea, you should gradually step down your consumption rather than try to stop cold turkey. The detox symptoms from suddenly ceasing your caffeine habit can be particularly difficult to deal with during pregnancy.

Most doctors agree that you can eat 150mg of caffeine every day without harming your little one, so try to bring your consumption down to that level. You can step down from coffee to dark tea to green tea to white tea, and ultimately switch to natural teas if you wish to do away with caffeine altogether. Try upping your consumption of drinking water during this time to flush poisons from your system and help eliminate any detox headaches you may experience.