Key Points Physical Activity during Pregnancy

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Does being pregnant mean saying goodbye to swimming, tennis or another sport you enjoy? Not necessarily.

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Being physically active during pregnancy offers women many health benefits, among them a psychological lift, better aerobic fitness and a lower risk of excessive weight gain. For most pregnancies, mild to moderate physical activity benefits mom and won't negatively affect your unborn child. Consider these benefits to staying active during pregnancy. You can:

• Feel good as your body changes.
• Promote muscle tone, stamina and strength.
• Reduce leg and back pain, constipation, swelling and bloating.
• Promote blood circulation and possibly help prevent varicose veins.
• Help your posture and balance, which is very important as your center of gravity shifts.
• Sleep better.
• Manage stress.
• Reduce risk of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.
• Prepare your body for labor and childbirth.

According to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies should get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, spread throughout the week.

Women who regularly engage in vigorous-intensity aerobic activity or high amounts of physical activity should talk to their health care provider about their activity level throughout their pregnancy. Often they may be able to continue their activity provided that their condition remains unchanged. Even if you didn't exercise before pregnancy, it's still a good idea to include moderate-intensity physical activity during pregnancy. Talk to your health care provider about how to get started.

Exercise Ideas for Pregnant Women

Some forms of exercise are safer than others during pregnancy. Try these forms of physical activity and incorporate your favorites into your daily routine:

• Walking
• Swimming
• Cycling on a stationary bike
• Strength training
• Low-impact aerobic training

Stay away from these forms of physical activity while pregnant:

• Contact sports such as soccer and basketball
• Heavy weightlifting that involves straining
• Hot yoga
• Hiking at high altitudes
• Kickboxing
• Downhill skiing or snowboarding
• Horseback riding
• Roller skating and ice skating
• Bike riding

If you experience dizziness, chest pain, difficulty breathing, contractions or vaginal bleeding while exercising, stop immediately and contact your health care provider.

Remember to eat a varied and balanced diet with enough calories to support your baby and your own needs while meeting the physical demands of your activity. Fluid replacement has even more health implications during pregnancy as your own and your baby's blood volume increases. If you don't drink enough fluids, you're at greater risk for dehydration and overheating; early in pregnancy, that can affect the development of your unborn baby. Stay hydrated throughout the day with plenty of water. Most pregnant women need about 13 cups of fluid every day.

"Disclaimer: Nutrieat works with a well experienced team.But nutrieat insists before use any type of subject matter mentioned on our website you should ask your concerned professionals about. 

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Pregnant ! Know the Food Safety Risks

Food Safety Risks for Pregnant Women

During pregnancy, women and their unborn children are at higher risk for food-borne illness, which is also known as food poisoning.

A woman’s immune system changes during pregnancy, making it harder to fight off certain harmful food-borne infections. Use the following tips to help reduce the risk of getting food poisoning.

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Wash Hands Often

It seems so simple, but it really does work. Proper hand-washing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. It’s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs, including those that cause the common cold and flu. Remember: wash your hands before, during and after meal preparation, and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, touching garbage, blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing or handling pets. Use warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds. And use a clean, dry towel to dry your hands.

Practice Good Refrigerator Safety Habits

First, make sure your refrigerator is working efficiently. Set it to 40°F or cooler and your freezer to 0°F or below. Use a refrigerator thermometer to check it regularly.

Then, use your refrigerator properly. Put perishable foods in the refrigerator as soon as you get home from the store. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. When outdoor temperatures reach 90°F or warmer, refrigerate leftovers within one hour. Discard perishable foods left at room temperature longer than these limits. Store foods in small, shallow containers (2 inches deep or less). Leftovers can generally be kept for three to four days or frozen for later use. You can also check the Is My Food Safe? app to determine how long to keep leftovers. Be sure to label leftovers to keep track of when they were made.

Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, in cold water (changing the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold) or in the microwave right before cooking. Do not leave frozen foods on the counter or in the sink to thaw, because that gives foods enough time at a “danger zone” temperature for harmful bacteria to grow.

Keep Raw Meats and Ready-to-Eat Foods Separate

Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw foods separate from ready-to-eat foods. Use two cuttings boards: one strictly for raw meat, poultry and seafood; the other for ready-to-eat foods such as breads and vegetables. Wash cutting boards thoroughly in hot, soapy water after each use or place in dishwasher. Discard old cutting boards that have cracks, crevices and knife scars.

Cook Foods to Proper Internal Temperatures

Proper cooking temperatures kill harmful bacteria present in food. Always use a food thermometer to check the doneness of meat, poultry, seafood and other dishes. Some ready-to-eat foods require reheating before use. These foods include hot dogs, luncheon and deli meats and fermented and dry sausages. Always make sure to bring these foods to the proper internal temperature before eating.

Use the following guide when cooking food, to make sure items reach their safe internal temperatures:

• Beef, veal, pork and lamb steaks, roasts or chops: 145°F (then, allow to rest three minutes before carving or consuming)
• Ground beef, veal, pork, lamb: 160°F
• All poultry, chicken, turkey and duck: 165°F
• Casseroles: 165°F
• Egg dishes: 160°F
• Finfish: 145°F or until opaque and flakes with a fork
• Scallops: cook until flesh is milky white or opaque and firm
• Shrimp, lobster and crab: cook until shells turn red and flesh is pearly and opaque
• Clams, oysters and mussels: cook until shells open during cooking (do not eat any from unopened shells)
• Leftovers: reheat to at least 165°F
• Deli-style meats and hotdogs: heat to 165°F or until steaming hot
• Soups, gravies and sauces: bring to a boil
• Eggs: whether boiling, frying or scrambling, make sure the yolks and whites are firm, not runny

Foods to Avoid

In addition to good food safety habits, there are certain foods that pregnant women should avoid:

• Rare, raw or undercooked meats, poultry, fish and shellfish. This includes rare hamburgers, beef or steak tartare, sushi, sashimi, ceviche and carpaccio, and raw oysters.
• Fish containing high levels of mercury (swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, shark, marlin, orange roughy, and big eye tuna)*
• Refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is in a cooked dish and heated to an internal temperature of 165°F. Canned versions of smoked seafood are safe to eat.
• Unpasteurised dairy products such as "raw" milk and cheese. Some fresh soft cheeses should be avoided, including Feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined varieties and Mexican-style queso fresco, unless they are labeled as being made with pasteurized milk.
• Raw or undercooked eggs, including soft-cooked, runny or poached.
• Food items that contain undercooked eggs, such as unpasteurized eggnog, Monte Cristo sandwiches, homemade Caesar salad dressing, Hollandaise sauce, tiramisu and raw cookie dough or cake batter.
• Raw sprouts.
• Pre-made meat or seafood salads from the deli counter, including ham, chicken or tuna salad.
• Unpasteurised fruit and vegetable juices.
• Meat spreads or pate from the refrigerate section or deli counter.

Although certain forms of fish listed above pose risk during pregnancy, seafood provides omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients that are valuable for a baby’s growth and development. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that women who are pregnant or breast-feeding consume 8 to 12 ounces of a variety of lower mercury seafood each week.

"Disclaimer: Nutrieat works with a well experienced team.But nutrieat insists before use any type of subject matter mentioned on our website you should ask your concerned professionals about. 

You can ask experienced dieticians of nutrieat through the Ask Us forum below, our team will try to answer your questions as soon as possible. Thanks for visiting nutrieat"

Breast-feeding: you Losing Weight ?

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Breast-feeding requires extra nutrition, making healthy eating just as important post-pregnancy. Compared to women who are not, women who are exclusively breast-feeding use 400 to 500 calories daily to make the full amount of milk most babies need from birth to 6 months. Two-thirds of those calories should come from meals and snacks containing foods from all five food groups. The remaining calories come from the weight gained during pregnancy. While many women find breast-feeding helps them lose weight, weight loss varies among mothers depending on physical activity, the amount of weight gained during pregnancy and how much breast milk is produced.

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A slow, gradual weight loss of 1 pound per week or 4 pounds per month is a safe goal for breast-feeding moms who want to return to their pre-pregnancy weight. Women who eat less than 1,800 calories per day may reduce the amount of milk their bodies make. Stress, anxiety and fatigue also can decrease milk production. Do yourself and your baby a favor ― relax and sit down to eat three meals per day. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids and choose healthy snacks between meals. Moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, also is good for you and will not reduce milk volume.

Choosing the Right Foods

Eating right while breast-feeding is not complicated and it does not need to be bland. Mothers from many cultures breast-feed successfully on a diet of widely varied foods. Follow these guidelines to reach a healthy weight while keeping your baby well-nourished.

• Eat a variety of foods from all five food groups. Visit ChooseMyPlate.gov to get a personalised eating plan for breast-feeding women.
• For protein, choose lean meat, skinless poultry, fish, shellfish, beans, eggs, nuts and seeds. Eat eight to 12 ounces per week of a variety of seafood from lower mercury sources. No more than 4 ounces per week of albacore (white) tuna, halibut and mahi mahi are recommended. Avoid fish with high mercury levels, such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish.
• Eat colourful fruits and vegetables. Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruit at lunch and dinner, and include fruit and vegetables in snacks. Focus on whole fruits, so limit juice to 1 cup per day and make sure it’s 100-percent juice.
• Include three servings of low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt or cheese each day. If you aren't able to tolerate milk, try lactose-free milk or calcium-fortified soy milk.
• Choose whole-wheat bread, brown rice and whole-wheat pasta more often than refined grains.
• Use healthful oils, such as olive and canola oil, but in small amounts since they can amount to extra calories.
• Drink enough water and decaffeinated unsweetened beverages to quench your thirst. While you are breast-feeding, your need for fluids increases. Limit caffeine-containing beverages ― including coffee, tea and soft drinks ― to three or fewer 8-ounce cups a day.
• Make smart food choices that are low in “empty calories.” Empty calories are found in foods and beverages high in added sugars or solid fats including soft drinks, desserts, fried foods and fatty meats.
• Vitamin and mineral supplements cannot replace a healthy diet. Talk with your doctor before taking any vitamin or mineral supplements.

If you have special nutrition needs, consult a registered dietitian nutritionist for a customised eating plan.

"Disclaimer: Nutrieat works with a well experienced team.But nutrieat insists before use any type of subject matter mentioned on our website you should ask your concerned professionals about. 

You can ask experienced dieticians of nutrieat through the Ask Us forum below, our team will try to answer your questions as soon as possible. Thanks for visiting nutrieat"