HEALTHY EATING FOR PREGNANT WOMEN

The study’s investigator and examiner, Dr. Francesca Cainelli (a specialist physician with over 20 years of experience in liver diseases, trained and certified in this technique at the Royal Free Hospital in London, United Kingdom), is available to conduct the screening for the volunteer participants every Tuesday and Friday morning from 8:30am to 12:00pm, in room L11, 1st floor, building L, University of Puthisastra Campus, close to Street 180 entrance.

Eating a nutritious diet during pregnancy is linked to good fetal brain development, a healthy birth weight, and it reduces the risk of many birth defects. A balanced diet will also reduce the risks of anemia, as well as other unpleasant pregnancy symptoms such as fatigue and morning sickness.What is a balanced diet for pregnant women? Pregnant women need to have foods that contain iron, meats, fish, poultry, egg, bean, and green leaf vegetables and vegetables.

A nutritious dies includes:

  1. Carbohydrates: these are the main source of vitamins and fiber and contain calories. They include: bread, potato, cereals, rice, noodle, corn, andsweet potato. This is an important daily food.
  2. Proteins – meat, fish, bean, egg, milk, yogurt, and cereal. These contain vitamins and minerals and are high in fiber to help in digestion and avoid constipation. Milk and yogurt contain calcium and other nutrition for the baby growth need.
  3. Energy foods: include oil and natural sugar but this should have a little amount in the diet.
  4. Protected foods: contain vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables. These foods help to strenthen the immunity of the body.

It is also important to know which food/drinks NOT to consume to help promote the baby’s growth and development in the uterus.Avoid any alcohol drinks,raw meat, fish, shellfish,snails,unpasteurised milk and raw eggs. These foods can put mother and baby at risk of complications during pregnancy. As well as eating a nutritious diet, pregnant women must also have regular health check ups during pregnancy at a health clinic. At these check ups most women will be given folic acid and other multivitamin as prescribed by the doctor to ensure healthy growth and development of the baby and to support the health and wellbeing of the mother.

Reference: https://www.prb.org/maternalmortalityaleadingcauseofdeathincambodia/