Mediterranean diet for Pregnancy

Building up a healthy eating pattern and weight could be a great way to begin for women who are looking to conceive. When you’re pregnant your body needs additional vitamins and minerals to ensure that you get the nutrients both you and your developing baby need.

For a healthy pregnancy, you need to consume a variety of foods, which involves the right amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, as well as consuming many vegetables, and fruits. And following a Mediterranean diet - which involves eating plenty of fresh, non-starchy produce - has been found to be beneficial for pregnant women.

The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a high content of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, vegetables, and nuts. This healthy diet pattern has been associated with lower obesity and cardiometabolic risk in adults.

According to a study, it was found that pregnant women with higher intake of the Mediterranean diet had a 32% lower risk of having children with accelerated growth patterns than those who did not follow such diet.

Particularly- during pregnancy, the Mediterranean diet has been related to

• Low risk of gestational diabetes

• Decreased risk of pregnancy weight gain

• Lower obesity and blood pressure in resulting children when aged 4-7 years

• Decreased risk of allergy, eczema, and asthma in resulting children

How to make your meal plan more Mediterranean

Going the Mediterranean way is one of the best things you can do for your health, particularly waistline and heart health.

Here are six simple steps to help you get started or make your diet more Mediterranean.

• Include plenty of plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables - broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, kale, carrots, onions, cucumbers, apples, bananas, pears, oranges, berries, etc - in your diet.

• Replace your butter with healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, and avocados.

• Eat poultry and Fish twice a week.

• Include legumes and whole grains in your daily diet.

• Flavor your meals with spices and herbs such as garlic, basil, mint, cinnamon, and pepper while cutting back on salt.

• Try to limit red meat to no more than a few times a month