Pregnancy Diet

• Changing snacks from buttery dairy products to fruit and vegetables will be beneficial for mother and child.
• Cut up fruit and vegetables such as carrots and celery or buy salad to keep in the fridge. Whenever you are hungry, you can eat them fresh with salad dressing or yogurt as an instant snack.
• Buy powdered ginger to keep at home or boil ginger and keep it in a bottle in the fridge to reduce morning sickness.

It can be said that a mother’s diet plays a large role in increasing the strength and improving the health of the child and mother during the 280 days of pregnancy, from conception to birth. A mother should choose foods that have value and are appropriate for each trimester.

First Trimester (Conception – 3 months)

Health of the Mother & Child:
The mother has morning sickness, feels that things smell bad, is unable to eat, and feels fatigued and dizzy.

Specific Needs:

• Food that is easy to digest, not sour and does not have a pungent smell
• Easy to digest carbohydrates that are rich in nutrition and increase energy such as brown rice, yams, job’s tears (Chinese pearl barley), etc.
• Folic acid helps develop the child’s brain cells. There is an abundance of this in green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, etc.
• Omega 3 fatty acids help develop the child’s brain cells. There is an abundance of these in mackerel, salmon, seaweed, etc.
• Vitamin C helps build immunity, absorb iron and strengthen the placenta. This is found in green vegetables, guavas, oranges, etc.
• Vitamin D helps absorb calcium from sunlight
• B Vitamins help develop the child’s brain cells and memory. These are found in egg yolks, liver, milk, etc.
• Choline helps develop the child’s brain cells, neurotransmitters and memory. There is an abundance of this in rice, egg yolks, animal meat, etc.
• Fat helps take care of the mother’s bodily functions and looks after the child’s brain. These are found in various vegetable oils

Recommended Menu

• Brown rice congee
• Spinach soup
• Stir fried chicken with ginger
• Stir fried prawns with broccoli
• Steamed sea bass with lemon
• Stir fried cobia fish with lemon
• Spicy fruit salad

Second Trimester (3 – 6 months)

Health of the Mother & Child:

The mother has problems with constipation and needs to eat more food because the fetus is growing quickly.

Specific Needs:

• Protein creates baby tissue. Eat protein with good fats such as fish, beans, dairy products, etc.
• Iron helps create more blood, which supplies food and oxygen to the child. There is an abundance of this in red meat, liver, egg yolks, basil, etc.
• Iodine helps look after the brain and intellectuality. There is an abundance of this in seafood
• Dietary fiber reduces constipation. There is an abundance of this in rice, whole-wheat bread, fruit, vegetables, etc.

Recommended Menu

• Stir fried vegetables
• Seafood tom yum
• Mackerel yellow curry
• Vegetable yellow curry
• Stir fried liver with holy basil
• Spicy fried egg salad
• Brown rice with shrimp paste

Third Trimester (6 – 9 months)

Health of the Mother & Child:

The mother eats less because the fetus is growing larger but she eats more frequently. She gets cramp easily.

Specific Needs:

• Eat snacks that have nutritional benefits
• Calcium and phosphorous help strengthen the bones of the child and prevent cramping. There is an abundance of these in sardines, sesame, soy, etc.
• Vitamin A causes the child to be healthy. There is an abundance of this in egg yolks, livers, carrots, pumpkins, green vegetables, etc.

Recommended Menu

• Chili paste with sardines
• Tofu
• Rice with roasted sesame
• Stir fried pumpkin with egg
• Pork gravy with kale and carrot
• Pumpkin soup