Top 7 pregnancy superfoods you can't afford to miss

Get more calcium You have learnt from your school text books that calcium helps in bone and teeth development. More reason why you need it during your pregnancy. Your baby’s calcium requirements need to be met for overall skeletal development. So have that glass full of milk and gorge on milk products like cheese, yoghurt, paneer. ‘If you are lactose intolerant or develop intolerance during your pregnancy it is no reason you should miss on natural sources of calcium and depend on pills. Turn to non-dairy products rich with calcium to make up for the deficiency,’ says Deepshikha Agarwal, a Mumbai based dietitian and sports nutritionist expert. Other good sources include lotus stems, almonds, broccoli and til or sesame seeds . Read more about why you should include calcium in your diet.Eat foods rich in folic acid Folic acid is essential for foetal brain and spine development. ‘Often women are prescribed pills as doctors believe one might not include enough of it in the diet and hamper foetal well-being,’ informs Deepshika. Though you shouldn’t miss out on your pills, you can supplement them by having tofu or soya paneer, dark green veggies like spinach and fenugreek, bottle gourd, musk melon, peanuts and peanut butter. ‘Many women are allergic or might develop peanut allergy during pregnancy. If you notice any allergic reaction due to it, drop it from your food list. Other food items would still give you enough folic acid if taken adequately,’ says Deepshika. Learn more about why folic acid is important during pregnancy.Reach out for fruits Chomp on them, all colours and all variants. Ideally it is recommended that one should have five portions of fruits a day during pregnancy. ‘Have foods rich in antioxidants like musk melons, strawberries, grapes, etc. Oranges rich in vitamin C would help in absorption of iron and apples can help relieve constipation a common pregnancy woe, being fiber rich,’ says Deepshika. Don’t restrict yourself here. Go ahead and pick your favourites.Load up on iron It helps to up the haemoglobin levels in you and helps in the organ and cell development of your baby. ‘Remember you need to keep your iron levels up as you are now responsible for your baby’s health and development too,’ says Deepshikha. Have plenty of dark green veggies like spinach, fenugreek, broccoli, dates, raisins, figs, beetroots and apples. ‘Never have iron and calcium-rich foods together as calcium many interface with absorption of iron,’ cautions Deepshika. For instance avoid broccoli salad with curd or milk with a spinach toast. Read more about 10 diet dos and don’ts during pregnancy7 tips to make your pregnancy diet healthy The best thing about pregnancy is that you can pile up your plate with food without any guilt. The unrestricted freedom aside, it is important that you include the right things in your diet plan and eat healthy always. Here is a list of essentials that you should eat one way or the other.Get more protein on your plate Your protein intake during pregnancy should increase by 10 g. Protein helps in cell and muscle development in both you and your baby. Eggs and chicken are by far the best source of protein. If you are a vegetarian, include all varieties of pulses, soya and sprouts to get the requisite amount of protein on your plate.Dont miss this wonder vitamin Vitamin B12 is needed for proper brain functioning of both the mother and the baby. Liver and poultry products are rich source of this vitamin. ‘Sprouted beans are also a best source of this vitamin. Just when the bean germinates it becomes the storehouse of vitamin B12,’ informs Deepshikha. Soya milk fortified with vitamin B12 would also serve the purpose.More reasons to drink water You don’t need any explanation on why you should have water during pregnancy. ‘This will not only help your body get rid of internal toxic build up, but will also save you from urinary tract infections which are common during pregnancy,’ says Deepshikha. Sipping on coconut water or fresh orange juice would also help.