Dundalk Personal Trainer Pregnancy Diet

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I’m pregnant, should I eat for 2??

An old myth that people often still refer to is the idea that women need to be eating for two during pregnancy. We now know that during pregnancy a woman’s body becomes much more efficient at absorbing nutrients and in using the bodies’ readily available stores of nutrients too. For this reason, calorie intake doesn’t increase much during pregnancy. .

Expectant mothers only need around 200-300 extra calories daily during pregnancy. What does 200-300 extra calories look like?

Any ONE of the following items:

-Bowl of porridge.

-2 pieces of fruit.

-1 chocolate bar.

-1 slice of bread with butter and jam.

-handful of nuts.

It is true that your nutrient needs increase, so that’s why its very important to keep food quality high.

Before becoming pregnant, I always wondered how my eating habits would change and would I just crave chocolate all day everyday. But to be honest, my diet hasn’t changed a whole lot. My approach to nutrition is 80/20, and has remained pretty much the same throughout my pregnancy so far. I have increased my calories by having the extra bit of chocolate and/or extra spuds with my dinner?.

80% of my foods come form nutrient dense sources, such as meat, eggs, yogurts, rice, potatoes, fruit and vegetables. The remaining 20% comes from less nutrient dense sources, but highly palatable foods like, chocolate, biscuits, ice cream and Nutella.

Another thing I am keeping a really close eye on is my protein intake each day. It directly affects me and my little baby. Pre pregnancy I consumed 120g on a daily basis, now I’m aiming for 130-140g daily.

Adequate dietary protein is crucial to ensure you have a healthy baby. The amino acids in protein help build everything from the baby’s muscles to its brain.

From my point of view, I want to hold onto any muscle tissue I have to keep me strong and fit throughout my journey. If I was to eat a low protein diet, I wouldn’t be long losing the muscle I have worked very hard for.

DUNDALK GYM

CAVAN GYM