Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby: A Healthy Pregnancy Guide By Nidhi Gupta

With a background in science and a passion for learning more, Nidhi Gupta decided to study exercise, science, and nutrition. This allowed her to help many women like herself around the world. That’s how FITNESS WITH NIDHI was born.

She is an internationally certified coach with the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the world’s top fitness certification. After transforming herself she has helped many women worldwide to deal with issues like PCOS, thyroid problems, skin problems, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

 She designs her programs to be flexible and fit into your daily routine. Hard work, dedication, and consistency can create excellent results. She believes in making lifestyle changes by incorporating healthy meals and exercise into everyday life

A healthy pregnancy is the first and foremost factor in determining the health of both the mother and her baby. If the pregnancy period is safe and without any complications, the whole family feels emotionally secure as they have a surety for the physical fitness of both the baby and the mother.

Benefits For Mother

A healthy pregnancy offers many benefits to the expecting mother like:

1. No risk of complications – A healthy pregnancy ensures the safety of the mother from any lifelong complications like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, or any kind of infection.
2. Postpartum recovery—A healthy pregnancy period means the mother follows an active and healthy lifestyle throughout her pregnancy, which means she will have a faster and proper recovery after her delivery.
3. Emotional well-being – The mother stays emotionally safe during her pregnancy period if, her pregnancy is a safe and healthy one.
4. Future motherhood – If the first pregnancy is completed without any complications, then this means that any pregnancy that will happen in the future will also be a safer one.

Benefits For Baby

A healthy pregnancy simultaneously affects the health of the fetus positively as:

1. Baby’s overall health – A healthy pregnancy ensures that the baby will be safe from any kind of birth defects and low birth weight. A healthy diet is followed during pregnancy.
2. Reduced risk of baby’s abnormalities – If the mother is consuming a healthy diet rich in folic acid, all through her pregnancy, then this reduces the risk of many birth defects like neural tube defects, etc.
3. Complete development of the fetus – A healthy diet and lifestyle during the pregnancy period ensures that the baby is not born preterm and hence, the complete development of the fetus is achieved. 

Best Foods For Pregnancy

1. Foods rich in folic acid: Folic acid or vitamin B6 is important during pregnancy as it helps the development of the spinal cord in the fetus and hence protects from neural tube defects in the baby. The pregnancy diet must include plenty of green leafy vegetables like spinach, amaranth, kale, radish leaves, bathua, etc. A combination of citrus fruits or their juices along with iron-rich meals, make iron absorption easy by the mother’s body. So, must eat citrus fruits like lemon, amla, orange, guava, etc.
2. Foods rich in iron: Iron is essential in the formation of haemoglobin. It protects the mother from being anaemic during pregnancy which in turn protects the baby from getting short on oxygen supply, as haemoglobin helps in the transport of oxygen in the body. Mothers should eat plenty of iron-rich vegetables like red meat, eggs, fish, chicken, beans, lentils, spinach, amaranth etc, and iron-fortified cereals.
3. Foods rich in calcium: Calcium is known to keep bones and teeth healthy. It keeps the mother’s bones healthy and strong and also helps in the development of the baby’s skeletal system and teeth. Healthy food for pregnancy includes calcium-rich foods in their daily diet like ragi, cabbage, green leafy veggies, tofu, plant-based milk, milk and milk products, etc.
4. Foods rich in vitamin D: Calcium relies on vitamin D for its better absorption in the body. It also boosts our immune system functioning. Vitamin D-rich foods like eggs, salmon fish, milk, mushrooms bathed in sunlight for 10 minutes, and even a sunbath for 10 minutes daily, must be included in pregnancy care routine by pregnant women.
5. Foods rich in healthy fats: Omega 3 fatty acids are the most essential fatty acids that help the mother’s and baby’s overall health and well-being. Foods rich in omega-3 fats like fish, walnuts, chia seeds, avocado, flaxseeds, etc are best recommended to be included in the diet of a pregnant woman.
6. Foods rich in vitamin C: Vitamin C helps absorb iron in the body. It also supports the body’s immune system and tissue repair. Many foods that are rich in vitamin C like amla, lemon, oranges, cabbage, spinach, guava, etc can be easily incorporated into a woman’s diet during pregnancy.
7. Foods rich in iodine: It supports thyroid gland functioning and boosts the fetus’s developmental process. Iodized table salt, seafood, dairy products, etc are rich sources of iodine, which must be used generously in a pregnant woman’s diet.
8. Protein: It supports body-building purposes. Protein-rich foods like beans, lentils, tofu, milk, and milk products are essential during pregnancy.

Foods To Avoid During Pregnancy

1. Caffeine – Tea and coffee are rich sources of caffeine and must be avoided during pregnancy. Caffeine induces sleep disturbance in the mother and hence the baby.
2. Green Teas Or Herbal Teas – Green tea may contain some herbs that are known to induce contractions and negatively affect pregnancy, such as chamomile and licorice root.
3. Alcohol – It is not good either for the mother or baby as it is known to cause cognitive defects in the fetus and also cause complications during pregnancy.
4. Certain Fish – Some fish like swordfish, mackerel, tuna, shark, etc, contain mercury. Mercury is known to affect the development of the brain and nervous system of the fetus.
5. Unwashed Fruits and Vegetables – Unwashed fruits and vegetables pose a great threat of virus and bacteria-borne infections. These must be kept soaked in water for about 15-20 minutes and after properly drying them, store them in a cool and dry place. The storage area must also be clean and dry. 
6. Undercooked food – Raw or undercooked foods like cured and smoked meat, poached eggs, undercooked eggs, uncooked eggs used in cookie batter, salads containing raw vegetables, etc. must be avoided being consumed by pregnant ladies, to avoid infections from bacteria and viruses.

Pregnancy Workouts

1. Slow Walking: Walking is an ideal pregnancy exercise as it is a low-impact workout that can be done during any trimester of your pregnancy. Choose slow walking instead of a brisk walk. It helps in making the mood fresh and keeps you energetic.
2. Light Yoga Poses: Some poses in yoga like pranayama, Vajrasana, shavasana, cat-cow pose/marjaryasana, child’s pose/balasana, butterfly pose/ bhaddakona asana, warrior II pose/Virbhadrasana II, triangle pose/ Trikonasana, all are low impact exercises. Practicing these poses for 30 minutes daily is beneficial in pregnancy. Pregnancy yoga blog
3. Kegel Exercises: These exercises focus mainly on your pelvic floor muscles, abdomen, and hips. Done in the right way, these exercises help in maintaining bladder control after giving birth to the baby. These also help in the labor period.
4. Swimming: Swimming in normal temperature water, avoiding hot pools or saunas is helpful as it is a low-impact exercise. Swimming helps in reducing back pain, improves blood circulation, strengthens muscles, etc. Always choose a clean area without any slippery surfaces for swimming.

Conclusion

Pregnancy is a time of emotional and physical stress for the expecting mother. It requires extra care with both diet and lifestyle routines. Choosing the right diet and exercise regimen is key to a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby. Fitness With Nidhi provides customized pregnancy diet plans tailored to all three trimesters. We create these diet plans through in-depth consultations with you, helping ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy journey.