Author: Fan Zhihong
Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, College of Food Science, China Agricultural University, Ph.D. in Food Science
He is a director of the Chinese Nutrition Society, a senior member of the China Food Science and Technology Association, and a director of the Beijing Science Writers Association.
His main teaching and research directions are the influence of cooking and processing on the nutritional and health value of food, the design and development of nutritious foods and nutritional recipes, and the influence of health factors on food selection.
This article is excerpted from Fan Zhihong's book: Fan Zhihong's Detailed Explanation: Maternal Diet and Nutrition Encyclopedia.
The "China Clinical Nutrition Network" has been authorized to be released
(Image source: WeChat public platform public photo library)
Question 1: The Internet says that oats are sticky and slippery, and buckwheat cold will be infertile, can pregnant women really not eat these things?
A: Eating oats will slip tires, eating buckwheat will cause infertility, all lack of scientific basis. Eating whole grains can supply more B vitamins and vitamin E, which is good for conception. Although studies have found that eating all whole grains reduces estrogen levels, statistics show that low-income areas that eat more whole grains have much lower infertility rates than in wealthy areas that only eat refined white grains and a lot of meat.
Buckwheat is not easy to digest, and pregnant women with a bad stomach can eat less or not, but it is good for controlling blood sugar, and women with gestational diabetes can sometimes replace white rice and white steamed buns with soba noodles. Oats have a wider range of adaptation, oats treated by fast food are better digested, high nutritional value, suitable for the vast majority of pregnant women to eat; raw oat rice digestion speed is slower, soaked and cooked with rice, the taste is more chewy, not suitable for pregnant women who are prone to flatulence, but it is very suitable for pregnant women who need to control weight and control blood sugar.
Question 2: Can pregnant women eat porcupine? Heard that it can cause fetal skeletal dysplasia?
A: The legend that pregnant women cannot eat spinach is that they are afraid that spinach contains more oxalic acid and affect the absorption of calcium. As long as it is blanched with boiling water, most of the oxalic acid is removed and then eaten, there is no problem. European and American countries have never had this taboo, and even eat spinach directly with salad, because people do not lack calcium in their diets. In fact, spinach is a vegetable with very high nutritional value, in addition to oxalic acid, other aspects are almost all advantages, such as rich in vitamin C, carotene, lutein, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin K and so on. Among them, folic acid is very important for pregnant women, and vitamin K is also necessary for bone development.
Question 3: Why do we say that pregnant women can't drink coffee, so can they drink tea?
A: Studies decades ago found that coffee intake was associated with the rate of spontaneous miscarriage in the first 3 months of pregnancy, so it is generally not recommended for pregnant women to drink coffee in the first trimester. Some studies in Western countries believe that drinking two small cups of coffee does not affect the course of pregnancy, just a limited amount, but because each person's metabolic ability to caffeine is different, if the pregnant woman herself is sensitive to caffeine, it is better to avoid it completely. Although strong tea has not been found to cause miscarriage, it may affect the absorption rate of plant iron, especially for pregnant women who rarely eat red meat, which is not conducive to preventing anemia during pregnancy, so it is not recommended to drink it often. Drinking some light tea between meals is still not a hindrance.
Question 4: I heard that almonds are poisonous, can pregnant women eat almonds and almonds (almonds)?
A: As long as it is not bitter almonds, commercially available sweet almonds and almonds can be eaten by pregnant women, they contain very little toxin, but the nutritional value is very good. The amount of 1 handful of shelled nuts per day is more appropriate. Bitter almonds must be detoxified before they can be eaten, and they cannot be eaten casually. After eating apples, peaches, plums, apricots and other fruits, do not casually peel off the nuts and eat them. It may contain more or less the same toxins as bitter almonds, called amygdalin or tonsin.
Question 5: I am a pregnant woman, is it okay to drink 1 cup of yogurt and 1 cup of milk each day? I gained more weight, afraid of drinking more milk and gaining more weight faster.
A: According to the results of existing nutritional research, drinking milk and yogurt while eating a little less rice noodle staple food is beneficial and harmless to prevent obesity. Yogurt and milk are rich in protein, calcium and B vitamins, which are very beneficial for pregnant women. So, if you don't have lactose intolerance and cow's milk protein allergy problems, it is recommended to continue drinking milk and yogurt every day. In order to prevent obesity, you can consider reducing the intake of staple foods such as rice, steamed buns, and noodles, eat some fruits and vegetables before meals, do not eat snacks such as biscuits and snacks between meals, burn vegetables with less oil, and do not eat sugary foods.
Question 6: I am now 15 weeks pregnant and like to eat eggs, is it okay to eat 2 eggs a day? Is cholesterol too high?
A: Both the second and third trimesters need to increase protein intake. 15 weeks of pregnancy in the second trimester, should be 15g more protein intake per day than before pregnancy, equivalent to 1 cup of milk plus 1 egg. Therefore, under the premise of not too much fish and meat food, pregnant women eat 2 eggs a day is no problem. In addition to being rich in lecithin and choline, eggs also contain 12 vitamins, which are very beneficial for fetal development. Cholesterol is also a substance needed for fetal development and is not a harmful ingredient. In addition to pregnant women, pregnant women and nursing mothers also need to increase the supply of protein, and eating 2 eggs a day is completely fine.
Question 7: I don't eat meat because of my faith, if I don't eat meat during pregnancy, will I be missing protein? Can I eat more tofu instead of meat?
Answer: Vegetarian pregnant women do not eat meat, they must eat more tofu, tofu shreds, tofu thousand sheets, tofu bamboo and other soy products in order to supplement protein. However, there is a difference between soy products and meat, because there is no vitamin B12 and easily absorbed heme iron in tofu, which are things that need to be adequately supplied during pregnancy. Therefore, while increasing tofu, it is best to supplement the complex nutrients containing iron and vitamin C, because vitamin C can promote the absorption and utilization of non-heme iron in plant foods. In addition, if you can eat eggs and milk, be sure to eat an egg every day and drink a cup of milk (milk, goat milk, yogurt, milk powder can be).
In addition, not eating fish may also have insufficient supply of zinc and DHA, so it is necessary to pay special attention to supplementing nuts and seeds to supplement zinc, such as melon seeds, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, etc., and also pay attention to the appropriate use of flaxseed oil to supplement Ω-3 fatty acids or take DHA-rich algal oil.
Question 8: I am a pregnant woman who is 6 months pregnant and especially likes to eat fruit. Blood glucose is normal before pregnancy and high during pregnancy. The doctor told me to stop the fruit, and then the blood sugar returned to normal. But it is really uncomfortable not to eat fruit in the summer, and the fruit also has vitamins, ah, will it be nutritionally unbalanced to eat fruit at all?
A: Fruits are not contraindicated for diabetics, including pregnant women. However, the amount of fruit eaten should be strictly controlled, and the variety should also be selected. You can choose cherry tomatoes, apples, crisp peaches, strawberries, oranges, etc. that are slow to raise blood sugar and are not very high, and it is advisable to take about 250g per day (such as 1 apple or 1 orange). Although the sugar content of watermelon is not very high, it is easy to eat too much, and it must be limited to less than 250g. The time to eat fruit should not be after meals, but between meals or on the table with meals, while losing a few bites of staple food as a balance, so that the total amount of carbohydrates does not exceed the standard. In addition, pay attention not to sit down or lie down for half an hour after a meal, and take a proper walk to move, which is helpful for the body to control postprandial blood sugar.
Question 9: I exercise a lot and walk 20,000 steps a day. Now the 36-week pregnancy of the baby 2500g, is not a little small? It was really comfortable to walk more, there was no edema, I couldn't tell from the back that I was pregnant, and my movements were very athletic. drink
The food is very normal, and no indigestion and nutritional deficiencies have been found, that is, too much exercise and worry about the baby growing small. Is it that walking more causes the fetus to not grow fat?
A: As long as the fetus exceeds 2500g, it is a normal weight, you are now 2500g for 36 weeks, wait until 39 to 40 weeks, and will continue to grow, so it is impossible to have a low weight situation, don't worry. As long as the baby's birth weight reaches the normal range, the future physical and intellectual development of a child born at 3800g is not necessarily better than that of a child born at 2800g, so it is not necessary to compare with others whose baby is heavier.
It is very praiseworthy that expectant mothers can stick to exercise throughout pregnancy! As long as there is no doctor's advice that it is not appropriate to exercise, healthy expectant mothers who are accustomed to exercising on weekdays may wish to do more than 3 times a week of moderate-intensity physical exercise during pregnancy, whether it is dancing, jumping exercises, swimming, brisk walking, jogging or gym exercise, as long as you do not ski, skateboard, mountaineering, basketball, football and other sports with the risk of impact or fall. Exercise makes the mother-to-be cardiorespiratory and physical fitness maintain good. You can still walk like the wind before giving birth, indicating that the body function is very good, the muscle strength is strong, and the heart and lung function are strong. With such a strong mother, the quality of the fetus must not be bad.
Question 10: Expectant mothers who are 34 weeks pregnant have a bit of edema, their feet are swollen, and it is a little inconvenient to wear shoes. What should I pay attention to in my diet?
A: If there are no other health problems, the main solution to the problem of edema is to increase physical activity and improve body fluid circulation. At the same time, it is necessary to adopt a salt-controlled diet to reduce water retention in the body. Water can also be drunk normally, but the daily seasoning should be as light as possible, do not eat dishes with reduced taste, do not drink salty soups, and do not eat salty staple foods. In addition, add less oil
Salt-spiced vegetables and fresh fruits can increase the supply of potassium. In staple foods, half of the white rice and white noodle foods are replaced by classes (such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, yams, etc.) and beans (such as red beans, lentils, kidney beans, etc.), which can also supplement a considerable amount of potassium, which is conducive to reducing edema. This also has the added benefit that the large intestine activity is also very smooth
Smooth, alleviate constipation problems in the third trimester.
This article is excerpted from Professor Fan Zhihong's masterpiece "Fan Zhihong's Detailed Explanation: Maternal Diet and Nutrition Encyclopedia"!
Pregnancy confinement breastfeeding diet explained in detail. Illustrated 120 pregnancy recipes.
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