Why are carbohydrates crucial for your pregnancy?
Boost your energy during your pregnancy with the right amount of carbohydrates every day.
Pregnancy can be as tough as it is rewarding. You need to make sure that you have the right amount of energy to make sure you can cope with fatigue, which is a common symptom of pregnancy.
You can recharge yourself by consuming carbohydrates, which are broken down into glucosei and used as fuel for your body–and especially your brain and muscle tissues. Not only that, energy during pregnancy is required as fuel to enable building new tissues for your growing baby as well as additional maternal tissues like placenta.
Where can you find carbohydrates from?
Generally, carbohydrates can be classified into 2 groups:
-
Digestible carbohydrate such as starch and sugars is used by your body as fuel. Starch can come from foods like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. While fruits, honey, and milk are some foods that naturally carry sugars
-
Indigestible carbohydrate such as fibre can help support gut health and relieve constipation. Fibres come from cell walls of plants. Fibrous foods include vegetables, fruits, wholegrain products as well as beans.
How much carbohydrates and fiber do you need during pregnancy?
Carbohydrates provide about half of your body’s energy, so it’s important to eat six to seven servings of carbohydrate rich foods each dayii. A serving can be a half bowl of rice/noodles or 2 slices of bread or 1 large potato.
A low-fiber diet may cause constipation during your pregnancy. To avoid constipation, you should consume 25 to 30 grams per day of dietary fiber; These could be sourced from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, prunes and bran.iii
References:
i Your Guide to Diet & Diabetes. University of Illinois Extension. (n.d.) Retrieved April 10, 2017 from http://extension.illinois.edu/diabetes2/subsection.cfm?SubSectionID=2
ii Pregnancy - During Pregnancy - Diet & Your Pregnancy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2017, from https://www.singhealth.com.sg/PatientCare/ConditionsAndTreatments/Pages/Pregnancy-During-Pregnancy-Diet-and-Your-Pregnancy.aspx
iii Pregnancy And Constipation. Retrieved 2 June 2017 from, http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/constipation-during-pregna...
