Many pregnant women do not know how to feed properly

During pregnancy, eat for two? A refuted myth
Many women in pregnancy are unsure how much they should eat exactly. It is very important that families and especially women are educated about a healthy diet during pregnancy. This may potentially protect the health of pregnant women and their unborn babies. Researchers found that about 69 percent of pregnant women are unsure how much they should eat during pregnancy.

Scientists from the National Charity Partnership (Diabetes UK, British Heart Foundation and Tesco) found in a survey that more than two thirds of pregnant women (69 percent) in the UK do not know exactly how many extra calories they have during pregnancy should take, according to the press release organization.

Many women are unsure how much they should eat during pregnancy. Physicians warn that high levels of food intake can cause health problems for mothers and babies. (Image: Syda Productions / fotolia.com)

Pregnant women are often encouraged to take larger meals
Of the female subjects, 63 percent reported being influenced by other people who wanted to motivate them to eat larger meals. In fact, 14 percent of pregnant women surveyed said they were constantly exposed to this pressure.

Healthy diet during pregnancy is important
The National Charity Partnership works with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) to provide those affected with a healthy diet during pregnancy. For example, the myth that women have to eat for two during pregnancy should be dispelled. A healthy diet during pregnancy is important to prevent unwanted weight gain, explain the authors.

What are the benefits of a healthy diet for mother and child?
There has been a myth for years that pregnant women should eat for two if possible, but this advice is not helpful, explains Alex Davis of the National Charity Partnership. Rather, the consumption of healthy food during and after pregnancy is very important. Such a diet also reduces the risk of pregnancy and birth complications. In addition, health problems such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are avoided, explain the scientists.

How many calories should women take during pregnancy??
"We encourage all women to think about how they can eat healthier," says Davis. The new information should also make it easier for pregnant women to implement a healthy diet. The official NICE adviser, for example, suggests that energy needs should not be changed during the first six months of pregnancy. In addition, women should only consume about 200 extra calories per day during the last trimester of pregnancy. This is equivalent to two pieces of wholewheat toast with olive oil or a handful of nuts, seeds and dried fruit, say the experts. Many women do not know these rules.

Often, women eat too much during pregnancy
More than one in three pregnant women believe that she has to eat 300 or more extra calories a day, according to the survey. About six out of ten women (61 percent) think that they have to take the extra calories in the first or second trimester, the doctors say. One in four pregnant women (26 percent) use pregnancy as an excuse to eat unhealthy snacks and meals, the experts add.

Effects of increased food intake during pregnancy
To consume too much food during pregnancy leads to increased weight gain. This in turn can be harmful to both mother and baby, the researchers say. Women who are overweight during pregnancy are at an increased risk of miscarriage and are increasingly developing symptoms such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, and pre-eclampsia. Such women also need a caesarean section more often and have a premature birth more often, bleeding after childbirth, or even develop life-threatening clots, the experts add. In addition, overweight women have larger babies, who in turn become more obese and therefore develop significant health problems. (As)