Dieting in pregnancy can compromise the baby's IQ, especially if it is an unbalanced diet with few calories and healthy fats that are needed to develop the baby's brain. These healthy fats are mainly the omega 3's that are present in foods like salmon, nuts or chia seeds, for example.
In addition, for the formation of the baby's brain are also needed other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, which on a slimming diet are ingested in smaller quantity, and not ingesting the adequate amount of nutrients needed to develop the baby's brain can lead the baby to have a lower IQ or intelligence quotient.
How to Follow a Healthy Eating in Pregnancy
It is possible to follow a healthy diet in pregnancy with all the nutrients necessary for the pregnant woman and for the correct development of the baby, without the pregnant woman surpassing the normal weight gain of the pregnancy, about 12 kg.
This type of diet should include foods such as:
- Fruits - pear, apple, orange, strawberry, watermelon;
- Vegetables - tomato, carrot, lettuce, pumpkin, purple cabbage;
- Dried fruits - nuts, almonds;
- Lean meats - chicken, turkey;
- Fish - salmon, sardines, tuna;
- Whole grains - rice, pasta, corn cereals, wheat.
The adequate amounts of these foods vary according to several factors, such as the age and height of the pregnant woman, so they must be calculated by the nutritionist.
See a healthy pregnancy menu at: Feeding in Pregnancy.
