Pregnancy Diet suited best for women

During pregnancy, intake of healthy foods is of crucial importance for a safe delivery and healthy baby. Thus, follow the given food advices irrespective of your lifestyle and pregnancy stage.Week Zero to Eight

• Increase your intake of green and leafy veggies, such as Spinach (paalak), fenugreek leaves (methi), bathua, sarson, and lettuce.
• Black-eyed beans such as Bengal gram and chickpeas.
• Eat more citrus fruits, such as muskmelon, oranges, and grape fruit.
• Take fortified breakfast cereal and nuts, especially walnuts and almonds.
• Avoid caffeinated drinks. Instead opt for coconut water, milk shakes, fresh fruit juices or lemonade.
• Increase water intake to avoid dehydration.

Week Nine to 16

• Green leafy vegetables and others such as bottle gourd, bitter gourd (karela) and beetroot.
• Whole-wheat items, brown rice and pulses like green gram, yellow lentil and soya beans.
• Twice in a week, take iodine rich foods, such as meat, eggs and fishes.
• Bright coloured fruits such as oranges, sweet lime and apples.
• Vitamin D sources, such as dairy products especially milk.
• Take eight to ten large glasses of water a day to prevent heartburn.

Week 17-24

• Dry fruits such as almonds, figs, cashews and walnuts.
• Coconut water, fresh fruit juice, buttermilk and ample amount of water.
• Calcium sources, such as kidney beans, soya bean, cheese, cottage cheese, and other dairy products.
• Green and leafy vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, fenugreek (methi).
• Increase your intake of vitamin C sources, which include oranges, strawberries, beetroot, blackcurrant and tomatoes.
• Take light snacks, such as roasted Bengal gram, up-ma, vegetable idlis or poha.

Requirements of every pregnant woman vary from others to a certain degree. It is owing to this that a pregnancy diet chart is prepared after accounting daily routine and requirements of pregnant mothers. Week 25-32

• Increase your water consumption to 10-12 glasses a day.
• One or two stuffed chapattis with yoghurt and salad.
• Add handful of almonds and cashew nuts in your diet.
• Avoid juices, rather take fresh whole fruit.
• Wheat bran, rice bran, brown rice and wholegrain cereals are preferable.
• Soluble fibre sources, such as apples, pears, bananas, and green leafy vegetables.
• Oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel or herring. Vegetarians can take fish oil supplements.

Week 33-40

• Increase your intake of salad. Include cucumber, radish, carrot and green, yellow, and red pepper strips.
• Take plenty of vitamin C sources, such as strawberries, lemonade, steamed broccoli or gooseberry (amla) juice.
• Ensure daily intake of a handful of dried fruits, such as dates, figs, almonds, walnuts, apricots or raisins.
• Avoid spicy, oily and junk foods.
• Include special foods, such as brinjal, pulses (dal) and drumsticks.
• Minimize your intake of tea, coffee and sugary drinks.
• Opt for low sugar food items to prevent gestational diabetes.