Vital Vitamins

You can have ripe papaya, which is a good source of vitamins and helps in preventing constipation. Sometimes, your gynaecologist might give you additional B-complex tablets. This is because you may develop anaemia in spite of a good iron intake.

When you are pregnant, constipation is very common due to foetal pressure. Thus it is very important to eat foods rich in dietary fibre. So, fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, are very important.

Iron for You

Green leafy vegetables are of course a great source of iron. You must have these even if you may not like it as much. Also, chikoos, mangoes and pomegranates are good sources of iron.

You can even have green coloured vegetables but they don't contain as much iron as the leafy veggies.

Til and garden crest seeds are also good. While you are pregnant you need 38 milligrams of Halim or garden crest seeds per day. You can add til in the flour and eat laddoos made of garden crest seeds.

Precautions to Be Taken:

• Always drink clean, boiled and purified water. Mineral water is fine, but ensure that it is a good brand, sealed and from a good place.
  
  
• If eating out, South Indian food is good because it is fermented. This helps it to last longer, but avoid the chatni, as it can be stale. Also, a lot of this food is steamed, which is good for health.
  
  
• Green and herbal tea is good, but about three cups is enough. Also, limit your intake of regular tea and coffee to two cups per day.
  
  
• Chocolates, candies, ice-creams should be eaten in limited quantity.
  
  
• While eating out, eat only in good, clean restaurants.

Foods to Avoid:

• Avoid aerated drinks as much as you can. You can have them occasionally, but keep the intake to the minimum.
  
  
• Avoid alcohol and smoking; even passive smoking is bad.
  
  
• Avoid spicy food. You have a tendency to get acidity while you are pregnant, but too much spice can aggravate it further.
  
  
• Avoid street food and foods with too much sugar content.
  
  
• Artificial sweeteners that are a replacement for sugar are not recommended.
  
  
• Avoid junk food and if you are having Chinese, tell the restaurant to cut out ajinomoto from your dishes. This is a taste enhancer but is not recommended for you.

Follow a rich and healthy diet, stick to homemade food and you won't have any cause for worry.

(With inputs from Gynaecologist, Dr Mugdha Raut and Chief Dietician, Leena Mogre's Fitness, Kajal Khaturia).

Author: Jayshree Mulherker

(The author is a freelance writer)