Dieting during pregnancy can compromise the baby's IQ, especially if it is an unbalanced diet, with few calories and healthy fats that are necessary for the baby's brain development. These healthy fats are mainly the omega 3s that are present in foods like salmon, nuts or chia seeds, for example.
In addition, for the formation of the baby's brain other nutrients are also needed, such as vitamins and minerals, which in a slimming diet are ingested in a smaller amount, and not ingesting the adequate amount of nutrients necessary for the development of the baby's brain can lead the baby to have a lower IQ or intelligence quotient.
How to Follow Healthy Eating in Pregnancy
It is possible to follow a healthy diet in pregnancy with all the necessary nutrients for the pregnant woman and for the correct development of the baby, without the pregnant woman exceeding the normal weight gain of pregnancy, about 12 kg.
This type of diet should include foods, such as:
- Fruits - pear, apple, orange, strawberry, watermelon; Vegetables - tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, pumpkin, red cabbage; Dried fruits - nuts, almonds; Lean meats - chicken, turkey; Fish - salmon, sardines, tuna; Whole grains - rice, pasta, corn cereals, wheat.
The adequate amounts of these foods vary according to several factors, such as the age and height of the pregnant woman, so they must be calculated by the nutritionist.
See a healthy pregnancy menu at: Pregnancy Food.
