We have all heard the importance of good diet during pregnancy. Monitoring what you eat during the nine months of your pregnancy is vital for your health and your baby's growth too. But can the food you eat also affect your baby's intelligence levels now and later in life? Yes, very much. Nutrition during pregnancy is a powerhouse which can shape the future health and intelligence of your baby.
So today let's talk about 10 best foods or supplements which you must include in your daily diet during pregnancy. These can translate into better IQs, lesser learning disorders, smoother academic journey, better retention and a well-rounded and accomplished individual in future.
1. Omega-3 fatty acids
The first in this list is DHA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid. It is important for the development of the baby's brain and retina, affecting the child's learning ability and vision.
DHA leads to better cognitive outcomes, prevents ADHD, reduces the risk of premature deliveries, ensures healthy weight gain for the baby, reduces the risk of postpartum depression in the mother too.
When to start taking the DHA in pregnancy?
As early as possible, ideally three months before the conception. The fetal brain begins to develop in the first trimester around five weeks and continues later also. So the earlier the better and should be continued throughout the pregnancy.
But how much omega-3 is enough for a pregnant woman?
The recommended dose in pregnancy is at least 200 milligrams of DHA. In diet, the fatty fish are a good source of DHAs. Incorporating two servings of low mercury fish per week can actually meet this requirement. But the vegetarian diet is not a very great source of DHA.
However, some seeds like chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, walnuts are rich in ALAs. These are the types of omega-3 fatty acids which need to be converted to DHA in the body. For those who do not eat fish or want to take a fish oil supplement, so the recommendation is the right pregnancy supplement. So please ask your doctor, check your supplements.
2. Nuts and seeds
Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, even peanuts. They are loaded with healthy fats, proteins, zinc, magnesium, fiber, vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids which we just now spoke about.
They also contain antioxidants and they also improve blood flow to the brain. Both of these lead directly to an improvement in the memory and concentration.
How to have them? Soaked or unsoaked?
Better soaked because this leads to better absorption. Otherwise, whichever way you like it. To have them with the skin on or without it? Better with the skin on. Avoid them if you have any allergy to them.
How much to have every day?
Roughly a fistful which is about 10 to 20 grams every day.
3. Green leafy vegetables
They contain iron and folic acid. So remember your seasonal greens are your best sources of your fiber, iron, folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin B. The spinach which is palak, mustard, sarson, fenugreek which is methi.
Local greens like red spinach which is laal palak, bathua, lettuce, kale, coriander. Make sure that you have at least one meal in a day which has a good quantity of green leafy vegetable. Have them fresh. Do not overcook. Just steam or briefly saute them.
Combine them with daal or make a salad. Local preparations like sarson ka saag with makki ki roti, palak daal, palak paneer are great choices. You can mix them in your rice preparations, knead them into your dough to make tasty parathas or make just simple good soups.
Folic acid in vegetable is also known to reduce the risk of neural tube defects and eliminating cleft lip and various heart defects in the babies. You can also reduce the risk of preeclampsia during pregnancy. Remember your greens are an excellent source of iron.
Your iron intake needs to double in pregnancy since iron helps to deliver life-sustaining oxygen to your baby. So if your baby is deprived of oxygen in the womb, the risk of poor growth and lower IQ increases. So make sure that your diet includes other iron rich foods too like dates, apples, bananas, figs, red meat, legumes, beets and pomegranate. Also do not forget your supplements.
4. Beans, lentils and daals
Beans are packed with tons of nutrients including healthy fiber, carbohydrates, omega-3s, vitamins, minerals, proteins. It's an important brain and intelligence boosting food. Now whether you make a simple beans dish or you make a daal or a rajma rice combination or a khichdi or mash them into a dip like hummus or spread them onto tortillas or crackers, beans are deliciously versatile. You can even incorporate them in soaps for the colder winter months too.
5. Eggs
Eggs are high in proteins and low in calories especially boiled eggs. They contain an amino acid called choline which has been proven to aid in the brain development and enhance memory too.
When consuming eggs during pregnancy ensure they are not raw or undercooked too. This means no soft boiled, poached or scrambled eggs too.
6. Milk
In almost all cultures, the pregnant woman is supposed to have a diet rich in milk. Milk aids in developing healthy cognitive functions and support brain development in babies before birth. Milk is a great source of protein and contains calcium too.
Have it simply as milk, curd, cottage cheese which is paneer. Avoid high caloric options like shakes and cheeses. Which milk? All types, cow, goat, buffalo, they are all okay. But avoid packaged milk. In vegan options, soya milk has got better calcium.
How much to have? About 500 to 750 ml per day in any form is sufficient.
7. The berries
Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries. All berries are famously full of antioxidants. They're also rich in omega-3s and vitamin C. All of these nutrients reduce the inflammation and they work wonders in improving and boosting the brain function. In long run, they keep the brain healthy and reduce the diseases like Alzheimer's or even dementia. But remember to have the seasonal and local ones only.
8. Avocados.
Avocados are rich in mono unsaturated fats. They are anti-inflammatory. They promote healthy blood flow. They are crucial for developing the baby's brain. They also contain folate which is essential for preventing neural tube defects and copper which is responsible for development of hippocampus and dentate gyrus. Forget the names, these are the higher learning and higher thinking areas in the brain.
9. Vitamin D.
Get some sunshine during your day, never before has vitamin D been so important. All you need to do is to soak some sunshine up to 20 minutes a day. So we routinely test the pregnant moms who come to our clinic for vitamin D and more than half of them are deficient.
That's because of combination of lack of exposure to sunlight and not getting enough vitamin D in their diet. So scientists have also started investigating a link between the lack of vitamin D in pregnant women and autism in the baby later. So vitamin D supplementation is very essential in pregnancy.
600 to 800 international units per day is essential. It's available in sachets, tablets, syrups whichever way you want to take.
10. Keep your thyroid under control
So thyroid is essential for the body's metabolism. During pregnancy, if your thyroid levels are unstable, they can affect the baby. That's why checking the thyroid function test during pregnancy is one of the essential tests in pregnancy.
Deficiency of thyroid in the mother can affect the intelligence quotient of the baby.
Conclusion
Even though food is a very significant part of a pregnant woman's pregnancy journey, but nurturing a brilliant mind in your baby is also dependent upon many other factors like bonding with the baby inside, exercising, avoiding contaminants, good antenatal care and finally a safe delivery. So do have a look at our other pregnancy posts too and let me know if you want me to cover any other topic too.