There is a reason why breakfast is regarded the most important meal of the day. During pregnancy, its importance increases manifold. No, it is not just because your baby will go hungry if you have a late breakfast or skip one. But there could be a lot of physiological upheavals if you starve yourself for too long, which can have an impact on both you and your baby. Here is the ultimate pregnancy diet guide to follow.
Many mothers I know (well, including me), who suffer from morning sickness prefer to skip breakfast or have it later in the day. One reason for this is eating anything in the morning triggers a bout of nausea or vomiting. Severe morning sickness makes it difficult to sit and eat a wholesome breakfast. However, it is still not right to skip breakfast. Remember, the previous night while you were sleeping, you have already allowed yourself to go on a nine to 12 hour fast, while your body used all the stored resources to keep functioning and provide nourishment to your baby. So having breakfast first thing in the morning is just logical enough to replenish your system and provide your baby with required nourishment. Here are 10 diet dos and don ts every pregnant woman should follow.
If it is morning sickness which is preventing you from having your breakfast, try eating something that doesn t trigger your nausea. This will be a trial and error process, but it is worth the effort. Keep a watch on foods that help you stay satiated and prevent morning sickness. In fact, having breakfast helps to deal with morning sickness better than skipping one.
A timely breakfast also helps to kick start your metabolism and keep your blood glucose, insulin, free fatty acid and glucagon in check. A study published in the Lancet journal pointed out that skipping breakfast especially during later stages of pregnancy is not advisable for the previously stated reasons [1]. Moreover, going without food for too long increases one s hunger which could lead to binge eating and over consumption of calories both are harmful indulgences during pregnancy.
What you should do:
Reference:
1: Metzger BE, Ravnikar V, Vileisis RA, Freinkel N. "Accelerated starvation" and the skipped breakfast in late normal pregnancy. Lancet. 1982 Mar 13;1(8272):588-92. PubMed PMID: 6121184.
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