“Eat all you can eat, you are carrying another human being inside your belly!”

 That’s the advice most people give expecting mothers when it comes to feeding and maintaining a healthy diet during pregnancy.

While this may sound logical, it is actually a bad idea. Eating for two during pregnancy may only make good situations turn bad.

Fortunately, more women nowadays are coming to the realization that going for quantity rather than quality will only add more to their waistline and build up body fat that may become very hard to lose after delivery.

Today, more and more women are embracing healthier diet and going slow on large and empty food options.

In fact, the nine months period of pregnancy is probably the most vital period of a woman’s life where she must watch both food quality and quantity. It is important that she eats food portions meant for one (with an additional 300 calories per day) but nourishes for two.

Here are a few local Nigerian foods and fruits that not only nourish a pregnant mother and her unborn child but also help to keep the unwanted weight away.

1. Nature’s Blessing, Water!

Water may be common but it is a very important part of our diet. It is even more important for an expecting mother.

Asides the many wonderful benefits of drinking water regularly, it helps prevent water retention which leads to the swollen face, feet, and fingers that are common with pregnant women.

Water keeps your body moving and equally helps the normal growth of your unborn child. Drinking water regularly means that you are drinking less of other unhealthy drinks that will probably cost you even more to buy.

So start today, drink a glass of water, and aim for a healthy 4 litres per day.

2. Leafy Vegetables

These vegetables are often the dark-green colored kind. They include the good old lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, broccoli, spinach and so on. While broccoli is not so commonly eaten in most Nigerian homes, it is still a very healthy food option you should consider from time to time.

These dark green veggies contain a high amount of folate, iron, and calcium… nutrient needed by every pregnant woman.

You can always increase the nutritional quality of your salad dishes by adding more deep green veggies. The deep green colour indicates a higher level of vitamin content. You can also spice things up by adding a little green to your pasta, bread sandwiches and lots more.

3. Lean Meat

You may be wondering what lean meat is, well they are simply meat with very low-fat content. Examples include red meat (pork, beef) with most of its fat trimmed off, skinless turkey or chicken.

These examples are excellent sources of iron. Your daily iron needs tend to double during pregnancy and these food options should help you cope with the increasing demand.

4. Sweet Potatoes

Did you know that sweet potato contain even more vitamin C than oranges? Well, they do and that is why they are considered as one of the most important prenatal foods for women. Vitamins C is invaluable during pregnancy because it helps in the absorption of dietary Iron. Our body gets iron from food sources such as beans but is unable to absorb them except in the presence of Vitamin C. However, a pregnant woman still needs her supply of iron at a higher rate now that her baby is placing a demand on her iron store.

Hence, more Vitamin C means more iron will be absorbed and the pregnant woman has enough to build up her energy levels and prevent pregnancy-induced anemia.

Other food options that will give pregnant women some of the nutrients mentioned above include beans, soybeans, oatmeal, fish (almost all types), breakfast cereals, Nut butter, Whole Grain bread, eggs, banana, and lots more.

While cooking up your healthy diet plan, remember to always eat for one but nourish for two.