Question

1. why is proper nutrition critical during pregnancy?

2. comment on the saying that "a pregnant mother eats for two."

3. what are the common diet-related problems during pregnancy?
give suggestions to reduce or control such problems.

Answer 1

1) Nutrition consists of eating a healthy and balanced diet so that your body gets the nutrients it needs. In the first two quarters, in which there is a small growth of the fetus, the mother is in an anabolic situation thanks to her hyperphagia, and hyperinsulinemia, which allows her to take full advantage of the nutrients she ingests. During this time, it increases its fat reserves by increasing the synthesis of fatty acids (lipogenesis) and glycerol and glycerides (glycerolgenesis) in adipose tissue. In the third trimester it passes to a catabolic situation in which it presents a great tendency to suffer hypoglycemia despite the increase in gluconeogenesis. And it is that glucose is the substrate that most crosses the placenta. Said hypoglycemia stimulates lipolysis in adipose tissue, whereby ingested lipids give rise to triglycerides and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL). Normally the mother in this phase uses free fatty acids. But under fasting conditions these fatty acids are converted by beta oxidation into ketone bodies, which cross the placenta and are metabolized by the fetus.

2)"a pregnant mother eats for two" The caloric intake to meet the energy requirements of both the baby and the amdre must be met by the appropriate intake of nutrient-rich foods that develop satisfactorily in all stages of pregnancy to the fetus

3) Poor maternal nutrition has an effect on the programming of the offspring, that is, it predisposes the fetus to suffer cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes throughout his life. "Thus, factors such as low food intake during pregnancy, Mother's obesity, protein restriction and excess, hypertension, low calcium intake, iron, zinc and low folic acid deficiency would lead to these diseases.These mechanisms related to inadequate perinatal maternal nutrition leave some signs in the offspring (usually genetic type marks) that predispose to suffer from a disease, and can be detected to be able to apply preventive treatment before it is established.

To avoid this type of problem it is necessary to have a diet that covers nutritional needs, or to avoid those foods that adversely affect pregnancy, such as alcohol, no level of alcohol consumption is considered safe during pregnancy. Also, take vitamins or herbal products. It is important to avoid diseases that originate in certain foods, such as listeriosis and toxoplasmosis, which can endanger the life of an unborn baby and can cause birth defects or miscarriages.