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Pregnancy and Diet Nutrition Guidelines

The handling and processing of food can affect its nutritional value. A knowlat the various food preparation methods can help you derive the maximum nutrients from the meals and snacks you prepare each day.

Vegetables

Buy fresh vegetables that are in season. Steam them or cook them quic a small amount of water to preserve the nutrients. Cook them until tender.

Frozen vegetables can add variety to your menus when ones are not available. Cook frozen vegetables the same as using just a little water (usually 1/2 cup per regular-size box careful not to overcook them.

Canned vegetables are just slightly less nutritious than fresh frozen if they are prepared properly. Because they have already been fully cooked during the canning process, they should only warmed. Further cooking will decrease their nutritional value. For maximum benefit from the vegetables you prepare, save the cooking water. This water often contains more vitamins minerals than the vegetables themselves do. Use the water in spaghetti to cook chili, gravies, soups, stews, casseroles, stuffings, cream sauces, pot roast and other recipes. Mild-tasting cooking water—from vegetables such as peas, or green beans - can be used in any recipe that calls for water, cakes and muffins. If you have no immediate use for the water, freeze it.

Wheat Germ

Wheat germ is a versatile and nutritious food that can be added to almost dish. Its concentrations of protein, vitamin B i (thiamine), vitamin E, and can fortify cake, muffin, and pancake mixes. Add about 1/2 cup of wheat g per regular-size box of mix. You can also use wheat germ as a topping casseroles. You can add it to most ground beef recipes, at the rate of about cup per pound of meat. Mix it with peanut butter for a nutritious sand spread, or add it to your baby's mashed banana. Use wheat germ as a ce served with milk, or add it to any cooked or cold cereal for extra nutritio can be used in almost any cookie recipe, in addition to or in place of nuts. nutlike flavor will enhance the taste of most foods. Let your imagination ate new uses for wheat germ.

Brewer's Yeast

Brewer's yeast is a natural vitamin B complex concentrate that can be chased in health food stores. Because its flavor is somewhat strong, you probably want to use it first in recipes that require cooking. Cooking seems produce a milder flavor. For example, you can add brewer's yeast to a rest for dark-colored cookies. Use about 1 tablespoon per average batch. You also add brewer's yeast to pancakes, cakes, and breads. For instant energy, 1 to 3 tablespoons into 12 ounces of vegetable or fruit juice. The most nutritious brewer's yeast is the powdered form, but the ins flakes dissolve better and have a milder taste. Tasteless brewer's yeast is available. In addition, brewer's yeast comes in tablets, but huge quanti must be consumed to be of value.

Honey

Honey is a natural form of sugar that is slightly more nutritious than proces sugar. It contains 1 milligram of calcium per tablespoon, but brown sugar contains more - nearly 12 milligrams per tablespoon. Honey contains 65 calories per spoon, as compared to 40 calories per tablespoon for granulated sugar.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a very rich source of protein, as are all nut butters. You can make peanut butter yourself in a blender, or you can buy freshly ground 1 peanut butter in your health food store or supermarket. Many commercial manufacturers use too much salt, extra (often unhealthy) fat, and sugar, as well as other additives. Lower-fat versions of many are now available.

Pregnancy Nutrition Tips

Get to the habit of fortifying almost everything you cook. Add wheat germ, powdered milk, brewer's yeast, or anything else that is nutritious. For example, cook a frozen pizza with wheat germ, freshly sliced tomato, 1/2 mum freshly cooked hamburger, and extra cheese.

Cooking nutritionally is a challenge, but it can also be fun. Many nutrition wititu are available that contain recipes which are easy to prepare as well as minnoionally superior. You can compensate for the additional cost by not buying foods such as soft drinks, cookies, and potato chips. In time, you will witness even greater savings because of fewer doctor and dentist bills.

If your family has well-established but poor eating habits, make dietary changes slowly. You will neither reach your nutritional goal nor have a happy family if you try to change a lifetime of eating habits in I week. Make only irwr =range at a time - and do not mention it! Gradually, as the weeks change with months, you will have a family that is eating and enjoying truly nutritious foods. The highly refined and valueless foods will simply have fallen wayside, forgotten and not missed.

To calculate the amount of protein, calcium, and iron that you are eating everyday. Although these are not the only nutrients you need. they are very important and need to be consumed in adequate amounts. By eating sufficient quantities of these nutrients, as well as a vitamin enriched food every day, you can be sure that you are getting all the nutrients necessary for a balanced diet.

Write down everything you eat and drink for 24 hours. Calculate how much protein, calcium, and iron you consumed using the table and prepare your totals to the daily requirements for a pregnant woman. If you are deficient in your consumption of a certain nutrient, refer back to the table to find foods that are high in that nutrient. Another good way to test yourself is to add up your day's totals after dinner. If you are low in any category, you can refer to the chart to identify which foods would be best in your evening snack.

In addition to protein, calcium, and iron counts, the table also includes the calorie count for each food listed. This is to help you determine which foods contain the most nutrition for the least number of calories.

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