Pregnancy requires all the nutrients for a complication-free journey of conception and a healthy baby. Following an Indian diet during pregnancy makes for a balanced and healthy choice of meals, whether you are a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian. A balanced diet should ideally include food from all the major food groups, namely, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins, and water. An Indian food plan involving pulses, dairy, meat, fruits, vegetables, and liquids ensures that you get all the required nutrients. So if you are pregnant and tons of advice from people about ideal pregnancy food is making you confused between what to eat and what not to eat, then read on. This post will help you understand the Indian diet you may want to try during pregnancy.
The Right Indian Diet During Pregnancy
Once you are pregnant, it is rather important that you eat the right type of foods and in the right quantities. No one food group can provide your unborn baby and you with the nutrition that you need during these months. If you have been eating well till now, you are most likely on the right path already. However, if your diet was poor till now, or you were not including all nutrition groups in your everyday diet, you will have to make some changes. An Indian diet for pregnancy is rich in all the nutritional requirements that both you and your baby need during the pregnancy months. It will help you gain the right amount of weight and will also provide your body the energy it needs to help support your baby as well as keep you healthy and fit and in good shape for the delivery. The graph here depicts the usual trends in dietary intake of Indian pregnant women based on the data collected by the National Family Health Surveys in the years 2005-2006 and 2015-2016. While the consumption of pulses and vegetables decreased in 2016 vis-a-vis 2006, that of dairy and fruits increased. Meat consumption continued to be the least.
Dietary intake among pregnant women in India
Indian Food Sources For A Healthy Pregnancy
While you are looking for an Indian food during pregnancy, here are a few key food groups that you should aim to include in your everyday diet plan:
1. Milk And Other Milk Products:
Include foods such as whole milk or skimmed milk, yogurt, buttermilk, cheese, cottage cheese (paneer). All these food items are rich sources protein, calcium, and vitamin B12.
2. Pulses, Dals, Cereals, Nuts And Whole Grains:
If you are not a meat eater, include pulses, dals, cereals, nuts and whole grains in your everyday diet to make up for your body’s requirement of protein. If you are a vegetarian, you will need about 45 gm of nuts each day, as well as about a two-third cup of pulses on a daily basis.
3. Fruits And Vegetables:
Include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your everyday diet as it will help you gain your body’s required amount of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Make sure you have about five servings of each on a daily basis.
4. Fish, Meat, And Poultry:
If you eat meat and fish, make sure you include them in your everyday diet as well, as they will provide your body with the required amount of concentrated proteins.
5. Liquids:
While you are pregnant, you will need additional liquids to make sure that you are hydrated all the time. Drink as much water and liquids as you can through the day. You can simply have clean and filtered water throughout the day, or sip on infused water with fresh fruits. Avoid going for packaged juices as they are very high in their sweet content.
6. Fats:
Eating fats will help your body get the energy it needs to help you support the growing baby as well as prepare your body for the delivery. Vegetable oil is a good source of fat as it has unsaturated fats. Butter and ghee (clarified butter) contain a lot of saturated fats, and hence you should have them in small amounts only.
How To Spread Out Your Diet Through The Day
To make sure that what you eat helps your body and also helps you stay interested, spread out your food through the day by following different food ideas. While you are pregnant, it is important to make sure that you first check about anything that you eat or drink with your doctor. Even though the suggested foods are considered healthy, your doctor will be the best person to assess your overall health and give you the go-ahead. Once you have a confirmation, here is how you can spread out the meal plan through the day:
1. Pre-Breakfast Snack:
A glass of plain cow’s milk
Almond milk
Milkshake
Apple juice
Tomato juice
Dry fruits
2. Breakfast:
Bowl of fruits
Wheat rava upma with lots of vegetables
Poha with lots of vegetables
Oats porridge
Whole wheat toast with butter and omelet
Vegetable omelet
Paranthas with fillings of spinach, dal, potatoes, carrots, beans, cottage cheese, cheese with curd
Mixed bean cutlet or patties
Some fruits to go along with the breakfast such as apricots, dates, sweet fig, banana, oranges
Cheese toast or cheese and vegetable sandwich
Vegetable handvo
Rice sevai with lots of vegetables
3. Mid-Morning Snack:
Tomato soup
Spinach soup
Creamy spinach soup
Carrot and beet soup
Chicken soup
4. Lunch:
Roti with choice of dal, vegetable and a bowl of curd
Parantha with dal and a bowl of curd
Carrot and peas parantha with a bowl of curd and some butter
Jeera or pea rice with raita
Rice, dal and vegetable with vegetable salad
Lemon rice with peas and some vegetable salad
Vegetable khichdi
Chicken salad with lots of fresh vegetables or vegetable soup
Chicken curry with rice
Grilled chicken with a bowl of curd
Rice, dal, mint raita and a fruit
Kofta curry with rice
Cottage cheese parantha with butter and vegetable salad
Curd rice
Parantha with sprouted beans salad
5. Evening Snack:
Cheese and corn sandwich
Vegetable idli
Spinach and tomato idli
Sevaiya with lots of vegetables
Carrot or lauki halwa
Fruit smoothie with fresh fruits such as banana or strawberry
Roasted peanut mixture with vegetables
Cauliflower and peas samosa
Bread cutlet
Chicken cutlet
Chicken sandwich
Chicken soup
A bowl of dried dates or dry fruits
A cup of green tea
Milk porridge with oats, sevaior daliya
Vegetable daliya
Mixed vegetable uttapam
6. Dinner:
Rice with dal, spinach vegetable, and some green salad
Roti with a bowl of dal, a vegetable of choice and a glass of buttermilk
Mixed dal khichdi with a vegetable curry and a bowl of curd
Vegetable pulaoor chicken rice with a bowl of yogurt
Plain parantha with a glass of buttermilk
Is It Important To Add Any Supplements To Your Indian Pregnancy Diet?
Your doctor will tell you whether or not you need to add any supplements to your diet while you are pregnant. Here are a few conditions in which your doctor may feel you would need a supplement, so make sure that you discuss it with your doctor:
If you are too nauseous, it can be difficult for you to eat properly, especially in the first trimester. Your doctor may suggest that you go for a mineral and vitamin supplement along with your regular food, as it will help to give you the minerals and vitamins that are important during pregnancy.
If you are a vegetarian or follow any other dietary restrictions due to religious or other reasons, you may be at the risk of contracting some nutritional deficiency. Speak to your doctor about the same to see if you need some supplements.
One supplement that you will be asked to take while you are pregnant is folic acid. Taking a folic acid supplement while you are pregnant will help prevent various birth defects in your unborn baby, especially neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida. Your doctor will most likely prescribe you a folic acid supplement only after you are 12 weeks pregnant.
In addition to folic acid supplements, your doctor will also prescribe you some iron supplements. Taking an iron supplement will make sure that your body gets the right amount of blood, and you are not deficient in your energy levels. Your doctor will regularly check your iron levels at each appointment to check the dosage of iron supplements that you need. Your doctor may also advise you about supplements depending on your medical condition, such as if you are suffering from diabetes, have anemia or have a history of pregnancy complications from earlier pregnancies.
A Few Tips To Remember While Eating During Your Pregnancy
Keeping a check on what you eat while you are pregnant is as important as understanding how you should eat it. Here are a few tips that will be of help, especially while you are pregnant:
