Nutrition

Good nutrition in pregnancy is the best way to give your baby a jumpstart to a healthy life. Eating a healthy balanced diet will help you and your baby get the nutrition you need. Good nutrition means eating a varied diet of foods rich in vitamins and nutrients that are as close to their natural state as possible.
 

Recommended Foods
 

Grains
Whole grains such as whole wheat, quinoa, millet, and bulgur; bread, rolls, and pasta made from whole grains; brown, black or wild rice; hot or cold cereals made from whole grains and without added sugar.
For more information on prenatal nutrition, schedule an appointment with a dietitian.

Vegetables
All fresh vegetables, especially fresh dark-green, red, or orange vegetables; peas and beans; low-sodium frozen or canned vegetables prepared without added salt; low-sodium vegetable juices. 
For more information on prenatal nutrition, schedule an appointment with a dietitian.

Fruits
All fresh, frozen, and dried fruits; canned fruit packed in water or fruit juice without added sugar; fruit juices without added sugar.
For more information on prenatal nutrition, schedule an appointment with a dietitian.

Milk and Milk Products
Milk, yogurt (Greek a good protein source as well), and hard cheeses; cottage cheese, Kefir, Almond or Soy milk (calcium fortified – check your label).
For more information on prenatal nutrition, schedule an appointment with a dietitian.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, and Other Proteins
Boiled, baked, or grilled lean meat trimmed of fat; skinless poultry; fresh seafood and shellfish; canned seafood packed in water; unsalted nuts and unsalted nut butters; tofu; dried beans and peas; eggs, Salmon, tuna, halibut, trout, sardines and herring.
For more information on prenatal nutrition, schedule an appointment with a dietitian.

Fats and Oils
Olive, peanut, and canola oils avocados, nuts and seeds, salad dressings make with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and mayonnaise made from these oils.
For more information on prenatal nutrition, schedule an appointment with a dietitian.

Other
Soups and casseroles made from allowed ingredients.
For more information on prenatal nutrition, schedule an appointment with a dietitian.

Eating protein, good fats, fiber, and good sources of calcium are especially important in pregnancy. Avoid alcohol, raw fish, deli and processed meats (unless cooked), and soft cheeses.

A person with prediabetes has a blood sugar level higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. He or she is at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems including heart disease and stroke.

If you do have prediabetes, research shows that doing just two things can help you prevent or delay type 2 diabetes:

• Lose 5% to 7% of your current body weight (this is a 10-14 lbs for a 200-pound person).
• Get at least 150 minutes each week of physical activity, such as brisk walking.
  • Grains
  • Starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peas and winter squash (acorn and butternut)
  • Beans (black beans, pinto beans, etc)
  • Fruit and Fruit juices
  • Milk and yogurt
  • Combination foods
  • Sweets and snacks

Diet changes can make the biggest impact to weight loss, and a good place to start diet changes when you have prediabetes is by looking at carbohydrates. Foods that contain carbohydrates are turned into glucose during digestion. These foods impact our blood glucose. These foods are:

We need to eat carbohydrates for energy, but it is important to watch the portion size of these foods and not to over eat them. Trying to eat consistent meals with the same amount of food at each meal will help keep your blood glucose balanced. Try to limit or avoid sugary foods and beverages as these will also impact blood glucose control and weight.

Although you might know that eating certain foods can increase your heart disease risk, it’s often tough to change your eating habits. Some tips on heart healthy eating include:

1) Watch your portion size
How much you eat is just as important as what you eat. Overloading your plate, taking seconds and eating until you feel stuffed can lead to eating more calories than you should. Use a small plate or bowl to help control your portions. Eat larger portions of low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and smaller portions of high-calorie, high-sodium foods, such as refined, processed or fast foods. This strategy can shape up your diet as well as your heart and waistline.

2) Eat more vegetables and fruit
Vegetables and fruits are good sources of vitamins and minerals. Vegetables and fruits are also low in calories and rich in dietary fiber. Vegetables and fruits contain substances found in plants that may help prevent cardiovascular disease. Eating more fruits and vegetables may help you eat less high-fat foods, such as meat, cheese and snack foods.

3) Choose whole grains
Whole grains are good sources of fiber and other nutrients that play a role in regulating blood pressure and heart health. You can increase the amount of whole grains in a heart-healthy diet by making simple substitutions for refined grain products. Or be adventuresome and try a new whole grain, such as whole-grain farro, quinoa or barley.

4) Choose heart healthy fats
When you do use fats, choose monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil or canola oil, nuts and seeds, nut butters and avocados. EPA and DHA fats, found in certain fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, herring and trout are good choices for a heart-healthy diet. When used in place of saturated fat, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats may help lower your total blood cholesterol, but moderation is essential, even with good fats.

5) Select Good Protein
Lean proteins such as fish, poultry, turkey, venison, wild game are excellent protein choices.

6) Watch the salt
Processed foods typically contain large amounts of sodium. Try to cook fresh foods to limit the salt intake.

7) Limit sugary foods and alcohol
Limit foods and beverages with high sugar content and/or alcohol which can increase triglycerides.

Can bacteria in our gut comprise an internal organ all of their own? We are colonized by ten times more bacteria in our gut than there are cells in our body. They play a profoundly important role in human health and disease. Because bacteria can help us absorb nutrients to synthesize vitamins and break down cellulose, we couldn’t survive without this microbial zoo inside us. It is estimated that 60-70% of our immune system is located in the lining of our gut.

Shortly after birth, we are colonized with over 1000 species of gut bacteria. Influences such as vaginal delivery vs. cesarean section, breast-feeding vs bottle feeding, antibiotic use, industrialized processed foods, stress, chronic illness, and poor dietary choices all have an impact on which bugs or bacteria survives.

A poor gut can lead to a whole host of problems. Some of these problems include sinus congestion, joint problems, fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and more. Sometimes probiotics and prebiotics can help with a healthy diet. However, sometimes we need to do a Rest and Restart on our gut by eliminating known food allergens for 3 -4 weeks to rest the gut, and then slowly re-introducing these foods one at a time to see if a food can be identified as a culprit to issues you may be having. A dietitian can help you identify dietary treatments and food choices to help treat gut issues.

Where do you start? You Google weight loss and the diet recommendations vary – low fat, high fat, plant based, protein based, food groupings, blood type diets. The problem lies in the word diet. When looking to make lifestyle changes, we need to focus on changes that will be sustainable. Moving away from calorie counting and looking at the food for its nutritional value is one that will be most beneficial to you.

Incorporating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, heart healthy fats, nuts and seeds and good protein sources and watching the portion size of carbohydrates will allow you to be most successful. Keeping food logs and monitoring your portion sizes will help you see how much you are eating each day.

To get started with the nutrition plan that will lead to a healthier you, schedule an appointment with one of our Dietitians.