ust as structural foundations are stronger if they are made with durable materials, pregnancies are healthier if they are built upon diets filled with quality ingredients. Our bodies were designed to reproduce healthy offspring, and so the job of nutrition is to give your body – and your growing baby – what it needs to function optimally.
Quality: Food vs. Food Products
This should be your mantra during pregnancy. By choosing foods that are closest to the form found in nature, you provide the right balance of nutrients for your body. When we consume food products (the processed, eternally shelf-stable options which bear little substantive resemblance to their whole food namesakes), our bodies’ cells are challenged to identify and use what they are receiving.
This doesn’t mean that you have to cook everything from scratch, but these guidelines can be helpful when trying to make quality food choices.
Look for items that:
- Use whole food ingredients rather than preservatives
- Use the actual food versus processed flavorings
- Don’t have high fructose corn syrup
- Don’t have partially hydrogenated oil
Quality: Examples of Quality Food Choices
- Baked apple with whole/low-fat plain yogurt, oats and cinnamon sprinkled on top, instead of apple pie flavored fat-free, sugar-free yogurt
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A bowl of high-fiber cereal and mixed seeds, nuts, berries, and whole (or low fat) milk, instead of a protein bar with minimal fiber
Low-sodium vegetable soup with half a grilled turkey and cheese sandwich (save the other half for a snack later), instead of full-sodium minestrone with a roll or baked potato
Air-popped popcorn with oil, butter, or Parmesan cheese, instead of fat-free potato chips with hydrogenated oil and flavoring
