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According to experts, the pregnant woman requires between 300 and 500 kilo calories more after 20 weeks of gestation.

A balanced and nutritious diet, while it is paramount throughout the life of people, it is especially during this stage of the mother, since it has to meet the nutritional requirements of the baby.

According to experts’ recommendations, the pregnant woman requires between 300 and 500 kilo calories more after 20 weeks of gestation.

However, the recommendations vary according to the particular characteristics of each person. On average, women with a Body Mass Index (BMI) standard (21 -25 kg/m2) is recommended to rise between nine and twelve pounds during pregnancy.

Women who begin pregnancy underweight are recommended an increase from twelve to fifteen pounds, while those that begin with overweight is recommended that only increased from seven to nine kilograms during this stage of his life.

During pregnancy, three nutrients are of particular importance: folic acid, iron and calcium:

* Folic acid is a very important vitamin during the first years of life of women. This vitamin B complex is part and during pregnancy helps form the baby’s nervous system.

Breastfeeding is necessary for consumption to meet the daily recommendations of both mother and baby. The main sources of folate include liver, green vegetables, beans, orange juice and cereals added.

* Iron ore is a very important throughout the life cycle of women. It is an important part of hemoglobin (the substance that makes blood red) and carries oxygen to cells and carbon dioxide to the lungs.

Therefore, adequate nutritional status of iron helps improve performance, vitality, learning and helps prevent anemia. Similarly, the iron that is consumed during breastfeeding helps replenish lost during pregnancy and at delivery.

The recommended daily intake is 15 mg of iron, which can be found in red meat, green vegetables, legumes and fortified cereals.

* Calcium is a mineral needed for training, strength and bone growth, vital for normal muscle function and blood clotting. Women’s bones are naturally thinner and less dense than those of men.

For this reason, women need to consume calcium from an early age to be stored in bones, helping them to stay strong the rest of life. During pregnancy, calcium is important for the formation of bones and teeth of the baby and breastfeeding is still essential to the health of both.

Your recommended daily intake is 800 mg. and can be found in dairy products, tortillas, and in some minerals and fortified cereals. It is also important that after thirty years continued to consume calcium to maintain reserves in the body.

Tags: Calcium, Folic Acid, Iron, Nutritious diet, Pregnancy, Pregnant woman, Women