HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT (2A)

Pregnancy

Handout: For Expectant Mothers

Note: Dad may want to mail this home.

Nine Basic Principles for Nine Months of Healthy Eating

Every Bite Counts. You've got only nine months of meals and snacks with which to give your baby the best possible start in life. Make every one of them count. Before you close your mouth on a forkful of food, consider, "Is this the best bite I can give my baby?" If it will benefit your baby, chew away. If it'll only benefit your sweet tooth or appease your appetite, put your fork down.

All Calories Are Not Created Equal. For example, the 150 calories in a doughnut are not equal to the 150 calories in a whole-grain, juice-sweetened bran muffin. Nor are the 100 calories in ten potato chips equal to the 100 in a baked potato served in its skin.

Starve Yourself, Starve Your Baby. Just as you wouldn't consider starving your baby after it's born, you shouldn't consider starving it in-utero. The fetus can't thrive living off your flesh, no matter how ample. It needs regular nourishment at regular intervals. Never, never skip a meal. Even if you're not hungry, the baby is. If persistent heartburn or a constant bloated feeling is spoiling your appetite, spread your daily meals instead of three large ones.

Efficiency Is Effective. Fill your daily nutritional requirements in the most efficient way possible within your caloric needs. Eating 6 tablespoons of peanut butter (if you can get it down) at 600 calories, or about 25% of your daily allotment, is a considerably less efficient way of getting 25 grams of protein than eating 3 1/2 ounces of water-packed tuna at 125 calories. And eating a cup and a half of ice cream (about 450 calories) is a far less efficient way of getting 300 milligrams of calcium than drinking a glass of skim milk (90 calories) or eating a cup of nonfat yogurt (100 calories). Fat, because it has more than twice as many calories per gram as either proteins or carbohydrates, is a particularly inefficient source of calories. Choose lean meats over fatty ones, low-fat milk and dairy products over full-fat, broiled foods over fried; spread butter lightly; sauté in a teaspoon of fat, not a quarter of a cup.

Healthful Eating Should Be a Family Affair. If there are subversive elements at home, urging you to bake chocolate chip cookies or to add potato chips to your shopping list, it's a sure bet that the you won't stand a chance. So make other family members your allies by putting the whole household on the diet with you. Bake naturally sweet Fruity Oatmeal Cookies instead of chocolate chip; bring home whole-wheat pretzels or toasted sunflower seeds instead of potato chips.

HEALTH ISSUES

Pregnancy

Calories. The old adage that a pregnant woman is eating for two is true. But it's important to remember that one of the two is a tiny developing fetus whose caloric needs are significantly lower than yours-a mere 300 calories a day, more or less.

Protein: four servings daily. Protein is composed of substances called amino acids, which are the building blocks of human cells; they are particularly important in building the cells of a new baby.

Vitamin C Foods: two servings daily. You and baby both need vitamin C for tissue repair, wound healing, and various other metabolic (nutrient-utilizing) processes. Your baby also needs it for proper growth and for the development of strong bones and teeth. Vitamin C is a nutrient the body can't store, so a fresh supply is needed every day. Vitamin C-rich foods are best eaten fresh and uncooked, as exposure to light, heat, and air destroys the vitamin over time.

Calcium Foods: four servings daily. Calcium is also vital for muscle, heart, and nerve development, blood clotting, and enzyme activity. But it's not only your baby who stands to lose when you don't get enough calcium. If incoming supplies are inadequate, your baby making factory will draw upon the calcium in your own bones to help meet its quota, setting you up for osteoporosis later in life. Still another reason to drink your milk (or take your calcium in other forms) is the recent research indicating that a high calcium intake may help prevent pregnancy-induced hypertension (pre-eclampsia).

Green Leafy and Yellow Vegetables and Yellow Fruits: three servings daily, or more. These bunny-set favorites supply the vitamin A, in the form of beta-carotene, that is vital for cell growth (your baby's cells are multiplying at a fantastic rate), healthy skin, bones, and eyes, and may even reduce the risk of some types of cancer.

Other Fruits and Vegetables: two servings daily, or more. In addition to produce rich in beta-carotene-vitamin A and vitamin C, you need at least two other types of fruit or vegetable daily-for extra fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Whole Grains and Legumes: five servings daily, or more. Whole grains (whole wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, rice, millet, triticale, soy, and so on) and legumes (dried peas and beans) are packed with nutrients.

THE BEST-ODDS DAILY DOZEN (Continued)

Iron-Rich Foods: some daily. Since large amounts of iron are essential for the developing blood supply of the fetus and for your own expanding blood supply, you'll need more during these nine months than any other time in you life. Get as much of your iron as you can from your diet.

High-Fat Foods: four full or eight half servings, or an equivalent combination daily. According to generally accepted nutritional guidelines, no more than 30% of an adult's calories should come from fat. The same guidelines apply to pregnant adults.

Salty Foods: in moderation. At one time, the medical establishment prescribed limiting salt (sodium chloride) during pregnancy because it contributed to water retention and bloating. Now it is believed that some increase in body fluids in pregnancy is necessary and normal and that a moderate amount of sodium is needed to maintain adequate fluid levels.

Fluids: at least eight 8-ounce glasses daily. You're not only eating for two, you're drinking for two. If you've always been one of those people who goes through the day with barely a sip of anything, now's the time to change that habit. As body fluids increase during pregnancy, so does your need for fluid intake. Your fetus, too, needs fluids. Most of the body, like yours, is composed of water. Extra fluids also help keep your skin soft, lessen the likelihood of constipation, rid your body of toxins and waste products, and reduce excessive swelling and the risk of urinary tract infections. Be sure to get at least 8 cups (2 quarts) a day-more if your retaining a lot of fluid.

Nutritional Supplements: a pregnancy formula taken daily. Vitamin supplements have always generated controversy in the scientific community. The controversy surrounding prenatal vitamin supplements has now intensified with a statement from the National Academy of Sciences, which concluded that there is currently insufficient evidence to encourage routine use of supplements.