Tips For Choosing The Right Food To Meet The Nutrition Needs Of Pregnant Women

JAKARTA - Fulfilling maternal nutritional needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding is very important to support the fulfillment of children's nutritional needs during the first 1,000 days of life. During that period, pregnant women are advised not to eat processed foods with high sugar and salt levels such as ready-to-eat food.

An obstetric and gynecologist specialist who graduated from the University of Indonesia, dr. Merry Amelya Sp.OG advises pregnant women to choose food as much as possible with a simple processing process, which is now referred to as real food, to meet nutritional needs.

"Of course, good food is a food that can be processed as much as possible as possible or called real food. If you eat chicken, it's normal fried chicken, not chicken at ready-to-eat restaurants," he said, quoted from ANTARA, Tuesday, September 3.

He said that ultra-process food (Ultra-processed Food/UPF) which usually contains preservatives, MSG, and high salt is also not good for the health of pregnant women if consumed regularly.

"The condition of mothers who have been malnourished from the start, from the nutrition of their mothers is not good, it will automatically cause the development of babies during pregnancy is also not good," he said.

According to him, this condition can get worse if the mother's nutritional needs during breastfeeding are not met, mother's milk production is not good, and the provision of breast milk complement food for children is not good.

Merry said that nutritional needs cannot be met by just increasing the portion of food.

The doctor who practices at Bunda Hospital said that the food consumed by mothers must also be tried to contain sufficient macro and micro nutrients needed during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding, mothers are advised to eat foods that contain enough carbohydrates, protein, and fat and micro nutritional substances such as folic acid, iron, and vitamin D.

If the needs of macro and micro-mother nutrients are met during pregnancy and breastfeeding, it is hoped that children will get nutritional intake according to their needs so that they can grow and develop optimally.

"Nutrition is also different every trimester, of course you have to discuss it first with your respective obstetricians. All of them require nutrition from pregnancy, breastfeeding, it is hoped that it will not come from eating foods that are UPF but rather real food," said Merry.

He said that during pregnancy mothers can consume special milk for pregnant women or vitamin supplements recommended by doctors to increase nutritional intake.

"The completeness of milk, yes, but should it be? Not really. Do not let the patient not eat just drink milk or drink mostly milk, because remember, the sugar is also relatively high," he said.

"The vitamin content in pregnant milk is actually available on supplements that doctors usually give, so don't be afraid that the nutrition is lacking," he added.