What to Eat While You are Pregnant
Chapa-De Indian Health Auburn Grass Valley | Medical Clinic
Making smart food choices is especially important for women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. Choosing the right food can benefit the mother and baby. It can also help reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.
What Foods Should Pregnant Women Eat?
Women who are pregnant need more of certain nutrients. This includes protein, iron, folic acid, vitamin c and calcium.
Foods that contain these important nutrients can include:
- Fruits such as oranges, grapefruits and honeydew
- Vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, and brussel sprouts
- Black beans or lima beans
- Whole grain and enriched breads
- Pasteurized milk, cheese, and yogurt
Many women choose to take a prenatal vitamin to help them get the nutrients they need.
What Should Pregnant Women Avoid?
There are some foods that women should not eat during pregnancy because they can be harmful to the baby and/or mother. These foods include:
- Foods high in mercury, like some large fish species (bigeye tuna and shark for example)
- Excessive caffeine and added sugars
- Alcohol
- Foods at a high risk of causing foodborne illness
What is a Foodborne Illness?
A foodborne illness is when you get sick after eating contaminated food. Food can be contaminated in a few different ways, including bacteria, viruses, harmful toxins, and chemicals. There are many different types of foodborne illnesses. Pregnant women are at a higher risk of getting a foodborne illness.
Certain foods have a higher chance of being contaminated and should be avoided during pregnancy. This includes:
- Raw or rare meats, poultry, eggs, and fish
- Unpasteurized juices, milk, and cheese
- Lunch meats, deli meats, and other cold meats, unless they have been heated thoroughly
- Premade salads
- Raw sprouts
How Chapa-De Can Help
There are many kinds of people who may help you during your pregnancy. The highly trained and caring staff at Chapa-De supports mothers through every step of their pregnancy and beyond. Our Prenatal Care Services and Baby Luv Program at Chapa-De helps women get the education and services needed for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.
For more information or to schedule a pregnancy test or prenatal care appointment, call our Auburn location at (530) 887-2800 or our Grass Valley location at (530) 477-8545.
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Chapa-De Indian Healthcare Auburn Grass Valley