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13 best diet Foods for pregnant women in the second trimester

Team AckoFeb 8, 2024

Eating right is important at this stage since nobody wants extra pounds than what the pregnancy weight is already bringing in. Thus, an overview of super diet foods is helpful.

Contents

What to eat during your second trimester?
13 best diet-foods this trimester
Foods that you should not eat during the second trimester
Evaluating your diet
Cravings and food aversions
Weight gain during the second trimester

If you’re wondering if you can eat well in the second trimester and also like what you eat, well, the answer to that is yes! Proper nutrition can help promote your baby's growth and development. And with the right choices and customizations, you would love the taste too!

What to eat during your second trimester?

A healthy diet consists of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and plenty of water. During the second trimester of your pregnancy, it is especially important to eat foods that are rich in calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D. These beneficial nutrients help your baby grow strong bones and teeth.

13 best diet-foods this trimester

The food items that contain one or more of these nutrients include:

Avocado, broccoli, green beans, cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes, Greek yogurt, cheese, dried fruit, canned sardines, peanut butter, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

Fresh food is always considered healthy but there are also some fairly healthy frozen dinner options that you can buy at the shops. You should always read the labels and only choose dishes that are low in fat and sodium.

Frozen vegetables are also a good option and stocking up on these can save you time when you want a quick, healthy meal.

Foods that you should not eat during the second trimester

There are a few foods that you should avoid eating while you are pregnant, including raw meat, eggs and fish. You should also avoid eating large fish as they contain high amounts of mercury, a chemical element that can harm your baby. You should control your intake of seafood to twelve ounces per week. This is considered to be two average meal portions per week.

This includes seafood that is relatively low in mercury, such as shrimp, salmon, catfish, and canned light tuna.

You should not consume unpasteurized milk and unpasteurized milk products during pregnancy.

Grandma’s Tip: It is okay to drink coffee or other drinks with caffeine while you are pregnant, but you should not have more than one or two cups per day. You can also use artificial sweeteners, like, for example, sucralose, as long as you take them in a limited proportion. Keep yourself distracted by watching something like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge or going through your wedding album, whenever your coffee cravings get strong!

You should never drink alcohol while you are pregnant. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause birth defects and other complications, including fetal alcohol syndrome.

Evaluating your diet

The ways to evaluate your diet since you are almost halfway through your pregnancy are:

You should take care that you are eating seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day
You should eat four or more servings of dairy products per day
You must eat foods with essential fats
You should eat low sodium foods
You should take your prenatal vitamins every day

Cravings and food aversions

Some pregnant women experience cravings for particular foods or for at least one type of food. It is not known for sure why women develop food cravings during their pregnancy, but doctors say it is because of the hormones.

Pregnant women may crave for chocolate, spicy foods, fruits, and comfort foods, such as mashed potatoes and cereals. It is okay to give in to these cravings sometimes, especially if you crave foods that are a part of a healthy diet.

Most women who are in their second trimester can have aversions for certain foods. This means they never want to eat these particular foods. This may only be problematic if they have an aversion to vegetables or dairy products that are important for the baby’s growth and development.

You should talk to your doctor if you are having opposite reactions to foods you should be eating during the second trimester. After this, your doctor might suggest other food items to eat or supplements to take to compensate for the lack of certain nutrients in your diet.

Weight gain during the second trimester

Many pregnant women gain an average of 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. It is very normal to gain less weight if you start out heavier. It is also normal to gain more weight if you were underweight before pregnancy.

The increased weight that you gain during your pregnancy actually provides the nourishment to your baby. It is also stored for breastfeeding after you have given birth to your baby. Most pregnant women become self-conscious about their weight during pregnancy, but you should not worry too much about the number on the scale.

You should concentrate on eating a variety of nutritious foods and not focus on getting overweight. What is incredibly important is eating healthy! Dieting to lose weight or prevent weight gain during pregnancy is detrimental to both you and your baby. Exercising regularly during your pregnancy can help keep your weight in check. Those pregnant women who used to exercise before an attempt to exercise and do yoga regularly while those who are just starting to exercise, should take it slow.

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Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.

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