un time it was thought it was necessary to “eat for two”: today that this belief has been widely debunked, it is well known instead that keep weight under control during the months of waiting it is essential. Certainly not for an aesthetic question but for safeguard the health of mother and child.
As the experts point out, overweight women who start a pregnancy or who gain excessive weight during pregnancy, in fact, have a greater likelihood of experiencing complications also very strict, among them premature birth and gestational diabetes.
So what is the recommended weight gain? What not to eat when pregnant to avoid gaining excessive weight? And on which foods can it be useful to focus on to ensure all the necessary nutrients and follow a healthy and balanced diet?
To answer the most frequent doubts of expectant mothers we asked a few questions to two experts: la gynecologist Marinella Dell’Avanzo and the nutritionist biologist Maria Bravoboth by Humanitas San Pio X.
Why it’s important to keep your weight under control
«Reach and maintain a healthy weight before becoming pregnant it is fundamental, just as it is important to control it during all months of gestation – explains Dr. Dell’Avanzo. – Underweight women run the risk of having babies with low birth weight. The lack of trace elements also increases the risk of congenital malformations in the unborn child. At the same time, however, it is good to remember that Overweight women or those with excessive weight gain during pregnancy have a higher risk of obstetric complications such as miscarriage, premature birth and major complications also for one’s health with an increase in the incidence of gestational diabetes, arterial hypertension and breathing difficulties. The risks of this increase for the child as well congenital anomaliestransient or permanent metabolic abnormalities, negative effects on neuromotor development And tendency towards childhood obesity».
Reach your ideal weight before pregnancy
«For these reasons it is highly advisable to correct and improve eating habits to achieve an ideal weight before gestation – continues the specialist. – And above all check it throughout the pregnancy. In case of difficulty it can be useful consult with nutritionist and gynecologist. Not surprisingly, in this regard, the Higher Institute of Health issued the decalogue of nutrition and food safety in pregnancywhich contains simple rules giving correct information on the matter the most suitable diet during pregnancyso as to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes.
Pregnancy: how many kilos can you gain?
Expectant mothers often wonder about weight gain while pregnant how many kilos can you gain during pregnancy without exceeding the recommended threshold.
«The guidelines SIGO – Italian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics they recommend a weight increase between 11.5 and 16 kg for women normal weighti.e. with a BMI (Body mass index, Body mass index, ed) between 18.5 and 25 – explains Dr. Bravo. – In the case of women who become pregnant in a situation of underweight, with a BMI of less than 18.5, the recommended weight gain varies between 12.5 and 18 kg. Finally, in case of overweight women or obese, a weight gain of maximum 6-8 Kg. In the cases of more severe obesityweight gain is not recommended. For this reason, obese women are advised to reduce their weight before becoming pregnant, encouraging a change in lifestyle (nutrition and physical activity), in order to reach a BMI of at least 25″.
Is it useful to weigh yourself?
If it is true that, in a special moment such as pregnancy, the scale must certainly not become an obsessionequally important is to remember that Check your weight regularly it can help expectant mothers.
«It is good to weigh yourself to monitor the weight trend over the quarters and evaluate that it is in accordance with the recommendations of the SIGO guidelines, without however experiencing anxiety about pregnancy and possible weight gain, inevitable in a woman who begins a pregnancy in a situation of normal weight or underweight – explains the nutritionist. – Keeping in mind that weight gain in the first trimester should be minimalWhile starting in the second quarter it should increase gradually, by about 300 g per week.’
What to eat while pregnant to not gain weight
On what type of power supply is therefore good to aim for to keep weight under control but at the same time ensure all essential nutrients?
“Power must be balanced, balanced and complete both in terms of macro and micro nutrients – explains Dr. Bravo. – The energy intake coming from carbohydrates must represent about 45-60% of total daily caloriesthe one coming from protein about 15-20% and finally the one coming from about 30-35% fat. Total daily calorie intake and daily protein requirement generally do not change during the first trimester. From the second quarter on the other hand, the needs increase, especially energy and protein. According to LARN (Reference Intake Levels of Nutrients and Energy for the Italian population) in the last trimester the energy intake can increase up to a maximum of about 460 kcal more per day and daily protein intake increases to about 26 g more protein per day than normal needs.
Vitamins and minerals: do you need supplementation?
Minerals and vitamins, as we know, cannot be lacking in the correct diet of a future mother. So how to adjust? And in which cases is it useful to evaluate an integration?
“As far as micronutrients are concerned, particular attention should be paid to folic acid, the need for which increases during pregnancy and for iron, as a situation of haemodilution occurs during pregnancy, resulting in physiological anemia – explains the specialist. – Also the other micronutrients, such as B vitamins, vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iodine, EPA, DHAare essential, but a balanced diet usually contains sufficient amounts of these elements, therefore no additions are necessary”.
Don’t gain weight during pregnancy: the ideal menu
An example of typical food day during pregnancy, according to the nutritionist, it could therefore be this:
- Breakfast: a serving of plain yogurt with whole grain cereals or oatmeal, a serving of fresh fruit and a handful of dried fruit.
- snacks: fresh fruit or dried fruit or crackers and parmesan or even a yogurt (Greek yogurt is fine too).
- Lunch: a portion of whole grains (e.g. pasta, rice, spelt) and legumes with a sprinkling of Parmesan and a generous portion of cooked and/or raw vegetables; extra virgin olive oil as a condiment.
- Dinner: a portion of carbohydrates (e.g. wholemeal bread or rice), a portion of cooked and/or raw vegetables, a second course based on fish (preferably blue as it is rich in omega 3 fatty acids) or white meat or eggs or dairy products thin.
What not to eat during pregnancy
To avoid excessive weight gain and safeguard health, it is good to know too what not to eat when pregnantthat is to say which foods can have the greatest impact on weight gain.
«It is good to reduce as much as possible foods rich in simple sugarscontained in various sweets, creams, snacks and baked desserts – explains Dr. Bravo. – These are foods that in fact, they can promote glycemic and insulinemic fluctuations during pregnancy and more predisposed to weight gain and gestational diabetes. Equally important is drastically reduce the consumption of saturated fatty acids typical of fatty meats and aged cheeses and trans fatty acids from packaged food, such as chips, breadsticks and the like».
Hunger attacks: what not to eat during pregnancy?
How to deal instead with the sudden craving for certain foods? If the so-called ‘cravings’ in pregnancy do not actually have scientific confirmation, it is true that it can happen, even when pregnant, to have sudden attacks of hunger which can lead the expectant mother to give in to foods that are not always healthy.
«To reduce hunger attacks as much as possible, it is useful to do balanced snacks, low in simple sugars, in such a way as to avoid glycemic peaks» – recommends the nutritionist. Examples of recommended anti-hunger snacks are:
- Fresh fruit + dried fruit
- Creackers + Parmesan
- Bruschetta of wholemeal bread with oil
- White yogurt + mixed seeds
- 2 crackers + 2 slices of cooked ham or turkey breast
- Fruit + dark chocolate
- Fresh fruit + greek yogurt
What not to eat when pregnant for nausea?
Finally, it is good to remember that treating nutrition adequately also allows you to manage the classic but annoying ailments that may accompany pregnancy. One above all, the nausea of the first months.
«To manage nausea in the first trimester it can be useful prefer dry carbohydrate foodsas toasted bread, rusks or wholemeal crackers – concludes the expert. – Eating small and frequent meals throughout the day, so that the stomach does not empty completely, can also help. Also in this case it is good then avoid foods rich in fats and sugars as they require slow and laborious digestionwhich can make the feeling of nausea worse. Finally, a strategy to limit pregnancy nausea could be to take ginger tea which has strong anti-nausea properties. To take full advantage of its benefits, it is preferable to leave ginger root fragments in infusion».
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