Diet Plan for Pregnant Indian Women

A balanced diet is prerequisite for a healthy mom-to-be and for undisrupted growth and development of the foetus. Your basic diet remains same during pregnancy; just you have to increase the amount and be careful about what you eat. Complete nutrition should be your priority. Most of the Indian cuisines include good amount of fruits and vegetables, rice, whole wheat, nuts and seeds, therefore, you get all the essential nutrients required for a trouble-free pregnancy. However, there are many points that you have to keep in mind during pregnancy.

Folic Acid
Taking in sufficient amount of folic acid is essential to prevent pregnancy complications such as premature birth, neural-tube defect and low birth weight. A pregnant woman daily needs 800 mcg of folic acid.  Eating half cup of dishes such as paalak paneer or matar paneer would give you 131 mcg of folic acid. Beans and dal are also good sources of folic acid. Taking half cup of beans give 90mcg of folic acid. . Bengal gram, Chick pea, Minapa pappu, Mashkalair, Chana, Kothukadalai, Sanagalu, Black gram, Urad dal, Ulutham paruppu and Udad can also give sufficient amount of folate.

Iron
Iron prevents anaemia during pregnancy and triggers production of red blood cells. You can get iron by eating chapattis, naan and paranthas made from fortified or whole grains. Green vegetables, fruits, fish such as salmon and tuna, nuts and seeds and lean meats can give you the required amount of iron. Consuming half cup of cooked spinach gives 3.2 mg of iron.


Calcium
Calcium enables proper development of your foetus’s bones and strengthens your bones. A pregnant woman requires 1300mg of calcium every day. Yoghurt is the best source of calcium. Six ounces of yoghurt gives you 258mg of calcium. Cheese (paneer) sandwiches are also packed with calcium. You can also eat paneer in the form of dishes such as paneer korma, kadhai paneer and shahi paneer. One ounce of paneer provides you 222 mg of calcium.
 
Vitamins and Proteins

Fish and meat are rich sources of vitamin and proteins.  If you are a non-vegetarian, you may take chicken, fish and meat prepared according to the various Indian recipes. Gorging on tandoori chicken will provide you sufficient amount of protein. If you are vegetarian, add asparagus to your dishes to get your share of vitamins and nutrients. For protein, take one cup or more of dal every day or eat half cup of cooked lentils to get 8.9g of protein.