Diet during Second Trimester of Pregnancy

Dear Moms-to-be, as you step into the second trimester, most of you would have come out of the sickness caused during the first trimester where you would have had aversions towards many food items. Now, getting back to normal self and your normal energy levels, it is time to take care of your diet as the baby would be growing in your womb.

A whole lot of nutrients are needed now for both you and your baby, especially you, because the baby will suck his needed nutrients from your body for his brain development, spinal cord growth and the development of other organs. Hence, it is you who should load yourself with ample nutrients in order to stay healthy and provide for your baby.

Second Trimester of Pregnancy: 14-27 Weeks

During this period, the baby grows up to as long as 13 inches, which could be an obvious indication to you that you need to eat for the healthy living of two lives.

Diet During Second Trimester

What are the essential nutrition needed in the diet during Second Trimester?

During the second trimester, your diet should include a lot of proteins, as they are the body building foods and also include food that would give you more calories. While Folic acid is required for baby’s bone development, the intake of Omega 3 fatty acids is absolutely essential for his brain development. Along with these, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium is the other important nutrients which should be included in your diet.

A healthy diet during second Trimester should contain:

Egg (Protein) – Avoid in raw form

Vegetables (Vitamins and Minerals) – Green, yellow, white and red vegetables, except bitter gourd which can be allergic

Green Leaf vegetables (Fiber, Iron) – drumstick leaves, spinach, curry leaf, kale in particular and other green leafy vegetables too.

Fruits (Vitamins, Minerals and Fiber) – Jujube, Pomegranate, etc all fruits except pineapple, papaya

Whole grains (Carbohydrates) – Rice (matta rice), Barley, Whole wheat, broken wheat, corn

Dry Fruits and Nuts (Minerals, Protein, Good Fats and Fiber) – Almonds, Cashew nuts, peanuts, pistachios, raisins, walnuts, dried fig, apricot, dates

Dairy Products (Calcium) – Cheese, Butter, Yogurt, Ghee, curd, Milk, Ice cream, fruit milk shakes, milk cream, chocolates

Beans (Protein) – all bean varieties (with skin)

Millets (Fiber and Carbohydrates) – all millet varieties, but better to avoid barnyard millet as it can generate body heat.

Root Vegetables (Carbohydrates) – Alocasia, Colocasia, Palmyra sprouts

And Plenty of Water

Your daily food must contain the mentioned above items to fulfil the good food requirements that are necessary for you and your baby.

Curry Leaves For Iron Supplement During Pregnancy

How do you choose your healthy food?

The very safest way to have healthy food is to avoid outside foods and to avoid consuming processed or frozen foods which have preservatives, even if prepared at home. Go for home cooked foods, including food items which form a healthy and wholesome balanced meal.

Also, avoid having refrigerated and reheated foods too often, even if they are home made. Fresh, home cooked food is always advisable.

Foods to Avoid in diet during Second Trimester

Few foods to be avoided during this period of pregnancy are some varieties of seafood, raw Eggs, uncooked Sprouts, half cooked meat, caffeine, unpasteurized dairy products, artificial sweeteners and Alcohol.

Why to limit Seafood?

Some fishes like salmon, Catfish, shrimp, Sardines should be avoided as they are high in Mercury, which can severely affect your baby’s growth

No Caffeine

Having coffee is acceptable but not more than twice in a day and also should strictly avoid other drinks with caffeine if you are having coffee as part of your daily drink.

Unpasteurized Dairy Products

Unpasteurized dairy products contain bacteria which could cause infection. Also, dairy products like cheese, feta, brie and milk shakes which have preservatives should be avoided.

Strictly No Alcohol:

Consuming alcohol may cause birth defects and also many serious complications like neural disorder and also fetal alcohol syndrome.

Artificial Sweeteners:

Artificial sweeteners can pose a high risk when had pregnancy leading to a lot of health complications. Also, they have literally no nutrients in them, no vitamins or minerals, nothing at all. Avoid having sugars, which are rich in sucrose, dextrose, fructose and maltose, etc and also honey, corn sugar.