Iron is one of the important minerals needed during pregnancy, because your body produces a lot of blood that helps your baby grow,Iron helps your body make more red blood cells, so you should keep an eye on your iron levels in your blood.
The amount of iron you need depends on the month of pregnancy, so you should check your iron levels every month, and whether they are normal or not. Fitness Garage cares about everything about you. Let's see how to avoid iron deficiency during pregnancy through nutrition?
How much iron do you need during pregnancy?
In the first months, you don't need a lot of iron, about 0.8 mg roughly, but in the second trimester it goes up to 4 to 5 mg, because at that time the baby's body needs more blood to form, and the amount you need in the last three months goes up to 6 mgLow iron in your body can cause many problems for the baby and also puts your body at risk.
How to get the right amount of iron?
There are lots of supplements that can give you the iron you need but one thing to make sure is balancing iron from food and supplements and also making sure your body absorbs it well, which you can do by:
- Eat meats rich in iron:Some meats have high iron like chicken, lamb, or goat, and liver also has a lot, but some cases shouldn't eat liver during pregnancy, so you should ask your doctor in that case.
- Dark leafy green vegetables: The more iron it has, the darker the vegetable gets, like cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, radish leaves, and mint.
- Vegetables: Some veggies are rich in iron like pumpkin, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and beets.
- Nuts, dried fruits, and seeds: They have a high iron content like cashews, pumpkin seeds, coconut, sesame seeds, nuts, walnuts, and pistachios.
- Legumes: Legumes are high in iron too, such as beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils.
- Dried light snacks: Raisins and dried cranberries are good sources of iron, but you should eat them in moderation because they raise blood sugar.
Try to always eat foods rich in vitamin C so your body can make use of the iron amounts in food, like tomatoes and citrus fruits, and avoid tea, whole grains, and dairy because they don’t help iron absorption.
If you want a diet suitable for pregnancy that helps you during this period, you can join Fitness Garage for dietary plans for this period and to get all the nutrients you need through healthy eating plus tracking all tests during pregnancy. You can sign up through the Facebook page by clicking here.
