Pregnancy Child Birth

How Food is Important in Pregnancy

Sep 06 2007

Meals Versus Grazing

Pregnant women often find large meals difficult to eat, especially in later pregnancy when the abdominal organs are somewhat scrunched by the large uterus. In early pregnancy, nausea and vomiting may be exacerbated by going long periods without food and then eating a large meal. Many pregnant women find it more comfortable to “graze.” Grazing means eating lightly throughout the day. This is perfectly fine, as long as a balanced diet is maintained and sufficient caloric intake is achieved, especially in the second and third trimesters.

Lactose Intolerance

Many adults lack the digestive enzyme (lactose) that converts lactose the sugar in cow’s milk-to simpler sugars, which are easier to digest This condition is called lactose intolerance. When people with lactose intolerance drink milk, they get stomach upsets and diarrhea. Frequently, people with a lactose deficiency can tolerate dairy products such as yogurt, cottage cheese, and aged hard cheeses. They can get sufficient calcium from these milk substitutes.

Several products are available to help lactose intolerant people digest milk. Lactaid is a company that produces milk pretreated with the lactase enzyme. The company also markets enzyme capsules that can be swallowed or chewed before drinking milk and enzyme drops to be added to milk. Other choices for lactose intolerant women include taking calcium supplements or drinking calcium-fortified soy milk or calcium-fortified orange juice.

A Note On Salt

One of the symptoms associated with toxemia or preeclampsia of pregnancy is retained fluid. Because salt (sodium) holds water in the body, the belief used to be that pregnant women should limit or even avoid salt to prevent toxemia. Many women who do not have toxemia also have an increase in fluid retention in pregnancy with swelling, or edema, of the legs and ankles. In actuality, the clearance of salt by the kidneys is increased substantially in pregnancy and pregnant women naturally lose more sodium than nonpregnant women. Some edema is quite normal and restricting salt will not eliminate it. Pregnant women should not re­strict salt. Babies born to women who restrict salt may have low blood sodium at birth, a condition called hyponatremia.

Using salt to taste provides an adequate and not excessive intake of this mineral. Choose iodized salt, as the fetus needs the iodine to develop. Iodine excess is nearly impossible to achieve in any normal diet.

A Word About Culture

Food is entwined with our cultural and personal identities. As eating is one of our earliest experiences, food reminds us of our childhood and bespeaks maternal love. Immigrants often cite familiar foods as one of the things they most miss in a new country. In fact, groceries selling ethnic food products usually spring up in immigrant communities.

The suggestions in this chapter are not meant to alter the eating habits of any cultural group. Almost always, healthful choices can be made using familiar types of food.

Tags:abdominal organs, calcium, digestive enzyme, early pregnancy, fluid retention, lactose intolerance, milk substitutes, nausea and vomiting, Pregnancy Food Plan, pregnancy nausea, pregnant women stomach upsets