Importance of Nutrition in Pregnancy

Introduction

Pregnant mother should eat proper and
adequate food as it helps the woman to live healthy and the foetus also remain healthy
till birth.

The intake of protein, carbohydrate,
vitamin and mineral salts are necessary to provide for the need of the growing foetus
and prevent anaemia which has ill effects to the mother. Mothers in good nutrition
states are better equipped for the strain of labour and lactation. A pregnant
woman should eat plenty of the following: meat, fish, egg liver, kidney, beans,
milk, vegetable, and fruit.

Definitions

Nutrition
can be defined as the science that study
how people eat and how it affects their health and performance.

Nutrition is the intake of diet to provide
source of energy, material for growth, or substance the regular growth or
energy production nutrient includes carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and
vitamins.

Pregnancy is the period during which a
woman carries a developing foetus, normally in the uterus. Pregnancy lasts for
approximately 266 days, from conception until the baby is born, from the first
day of the last menstrual period.

Classes
of Food, Sources and Their Relationship to Our Health

S/N	FOOD CLASSES	SOURCES	RELATIONSHIP TO OUR HEALTH
1.	Carbohydrate	Rice, yam, garri, bread, potatoes in shut all starchy foods	It provides energy to the pregnant women and the developing foetus.
2	Protein	Meat, milk, egg, fish, crabs, and groundnut e.t.c.	It improve growth and for repair and replacement of worn-out tissues.
3	Vitamin	Fruits, such as grapes, banana, leafy vegetables, liver, fish, and milk e.t.c.	Essential for the proper functioning of muscles and nerves of the mother and the developing foetus. It also plays important role to releasing energy from food in promoting normal growth of tissue.
4	Mineral	Generally found in all fruit especially in orange, pineapple, vegetables and common salt.	It essential in the structure of bone, tissues and regulate the body function.
5	Lipid (fat and oil)	Oil margarine butter e.t.c.	Essential for the regulation of body temperature of the expectant mother.
6	Water	River, well, tap, stream, rain e.t.c.	Essential for the transportation of nutrient from the mother to the placenta (after birth). It is also essential for chemical reaction in the body to take energy production control.