One person eats for two? Dispelling misconceptions

After learning that she is pregnant, the expectant mother will happily share the good news with relatives and friends. At this time, the parents-in-law or the parents on her mother's side will be very concerned about the expectant mother's physical conditioning and nutritional intake. In addition to cooking supplements or buying nutritious foods, they will also prepare the expectant mother's favorite food, hoping to achieve the effect of one person eating and two people nourishing. However, many modern obstetricians and gynecologists will emphasize that eating for one person does not necessarily benefit two people. If the wrong way of eating is used, it will easily cause the pregnant mother to be "fat twice after giving birth". Not only will it not benefit the fetus, it will also increase the difficulty of losing weight after childbirth.

Why did we emphasize in the past that one person eats to benefit two?

Wu Wanzhen, a nutritionist at the Department of Nutrition at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, said that literally speaking, the concept of "one person eating for two" is indeed correct, because during the pregnancy, the placenta will slowly form in the body and attach to the mother's uterus through the villi. At this time, the nutrients taken by the mother can be transmitted to the mother through the umbilical cord. The nutrients in the food the expectant mother eats will be passed on to the fetus, so whether the expectant mother eats nutritiously or not is the key to affecting the health of the fetus. In addition, many parents of the older generation have a joyful and serious attitude towards the birth of their grandchildren, so they often remind expectant mothers that if they have a good appetite, they should eat more, for fear that the fetus in the belly will not get enough nutrition and catch a cold. However, if expectant mothers eat too much food with too high sugar and oil content, they may put the cart before the horse, burden the fetus, and have a negative impact on their health. This is why many doctors have recently emphasized that "food intake is more about quality than quantity, and eating more is not as good as eating smartly." Therefore, expectant mothers should grasp the nutritional key points and the principles of moderate intake during pregnancy to avoid the dilemma of having difficulty regaining their figure after giving birth.

How much weight gain is normal during pregnancy?

Before becoming pregnant, expectant mothers should first understand whether their BMI value is too thin, normal or overweight, so that they can control their weight during pregnancy. Nutritionist Wu Wanzhen said that based on the physique of Oriental people, expectant mothers with a BMI below 18.5 are considered underweight, so they can gain 14 to 16 kilograms during pregnancy. If the BMI falls within the range of 18.5 to 24, they can gain 11 to 14 kilograms during pregnancy. For expectant mothers with a BMI over 24, it is recommended to gain 7 to 11 kilograms.

On average, between the 0th and 3rd months of pregnancy, the total weight gained is about 2 kg. In the middle and late stages, the weight gradually increases at a rate of 0.5 kg per week. If the expectant mother has a higher BMI value, the weekly weight gain rate can be maintained at 0.2 to 0.3 kg.

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