8th Month Pregnancy Diet Guide And Basic Eating Habits|Guide

Now, you are more anxious about baby arrival and excited about delivery. During the 8th month pregnancy, you may start to feel pelvic pressure, acidity or, some digestion related problems. So you must take care of 8th Month Pregnancy Diet.

The duration of this month is from 31st week to 35th week. At that time, your baby will be feet or longer and achieve a weight of 5 pounds.

A mother always thinks twice, once of yourself, and of the baby. So, in care of both diet should be proper and balanced 8th-month pregnancy diet during this stage.

This guide you must follow for 8th month pregnancy diet for healthy pregnancy:

• What to eat
• What not to eat
• Eating habits or tips
• Common discomforts with dietary solution
• Conclusion
• QnA

1. WHAT TO EAT

A healthy 8th-month pregnancy diet has many elements. Let’s discuss the importance of them.

i. VITAMIN-A

Vitamin-A is necessary for good vision, immune system development and fetal growth. During this period mothers are more prone to vitamin- A deficiency because of increased growth and development of fetuses.

We provide vitamin- A to our body through Beta carotene. Thus, our body automatically converts beta carotene into vitamin-A. So, it is necessary to eat beta carotene enriched foods.

DOSE-800 mcg /day vitamin-A

Or 6500 mcg/day of beta carotene

SOURCES-

FOOD	AMOUNT	BETA CAROTENE(mcg)
Carrot (orange)	100gms	5423
Carrot(red)	100gms	2706
Sweet potato	100gms	5376
Mint	100gms	4602
Corriander leaves	100gms	3808
Methi	100gms	9245
Bathua	100gms	1075
Spinach	100gms	2605
Tomato	100gms	905
Dried dates	20gms	540
Onion stalk	100gms	700

ii. FAT

Fats are also an important part of the pregnancy diet.

Fat contains fatty acids that play a key role in the functioning of the body like energy storage. Fats are of 20-35 %of total daily calories.

Fatty acids are of two types, essential and non-essential but essential fatty acids are only good for the baby’s brain not for mother.

Basis	Saturated fat	Unsaturated fat	Trans fat
Definition	These are solid at room temperature and also known as “solid fat”.	These are liquid at room temperature in a form of oil or liquid and also known as “oil”.These are of two types; monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. They are differentiatedon the basis of their chemical structure and bond formation.	These are made by a process called hydrogenation, in which liquid vegetable oil is convertedinto solid form.
Sources	mostly available in animal foods like dark chicken, meat, beef, dairy productsBut also in plant sources such as, coconut oil, cookies.	mainly available in plant foods such as almonds, olive oil, sunflower oil, soya bean oil, nuts, and seeds.	packaged foods like, cookies, snacks, etc.
Effect on health	Too much consumption of saturated fat effects a bad impact on health.	They are beneficial for the health.	Trans fat is the worst type of fat. Strictly avoid this type of fat.

iii. OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS

This nutrient has a main role in the development of the baby’s brain and in the growth of the neural system.

DOSE-200 mg/day

SOURCES-

• Oily
• Fish like salmon
• Nuts and seeds
• Flax seeds
• Some cherries

iv. DAIRY PRODUCTS

Dairy foods like yogurt, milk, paneer, and cheese are good sources of calcium.

Around 3 -4 servings are needed in a day for a pregnant mother. Intake of dairy products especially during the last trimester impacts a good effect on the baby.

2. WHAT NOT TO EAT

i. AVOID HIGH TEMPERATURE AND MERCURY CONTAINING FISH

Two to three times a week a mother have to eat fish for good health.

Some fishes like Spanish mackerel, marlin, shark king mackerel, tilefish are high-temperature fishes. So, it is better to not consume them.

Some types of fishes have high mercury levels which is impact negative effect on babies like tilefish, tuna, marlin.

You can take deep sea perch, catfish, swordfish, etc.

ii. UNWASHED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Hygiene of food or food product is very important from production to consumption of food. Unwashed fruits and vegetables may contain salmonella and listeria microorganisms which can affect the baby’s growth and development.

Always properly wash fruits and veggies in lukewarm water and do not consume pre-cut food products.

Salmonella is a common reason for food poisoning that mainly comes through raw eggs. This can cause miscarriage problems.

3. EATING HABITS OR TIPS

Some tips are to be kept in mind during the 8th-month of pregnancy.

i. DANGERS OF DIETING WHILE PREGNANT

Pregnancy is not the time to maintain your figure or fo dieting. Some women have fear that if they gain extra weight during pregnancy then what will they do. So, be relax and don’t compromise with your health and of baby.

Fasting and dieting is not good during pregnancy. It can affect the sugar level of the mother and the development of the fetus.

ii. FOOD HYGIENE

Maintain these food hygiene practices to prevent infections and health risk.

• Always wash hands before every procedure like preparing or eating.
• Keep uncooked or cooked food separately.
• Don’t allow pets to come inside the kitchen.-Keep every surface of the kitchen clean.
• Always wash fruits and vegetables before eating them.
• Store food items at the correct temperature especially non-vegetarian food.
• Do not eat raw eggs or uncooked meat.
• Don’t drink unpasteurized milk.

4. COMMON DISCOMFORTS WITH DIETARY SOLUTION

i. SLEEP PROBLEMS

Every pregnant women experience different sleep-related problems like some can have excessive sleep and some are having insomnia.

Insomnia is very common. A mother finds it difficult to sleep. There are many reasons behind this such as, excessive movement of the baby, backache, restlessness, heartburn Management can be done by

• Sleep on their left side using pillows and comfort devices.
• Consume a glass of milk before sleep.
• You can also drink herbal tea in a little quantity.

ii. FATIGUE

It is more common during the last trimester because of changed posture and increased weight. Management is done by

• Do not overeat. Do Take a small and frequent diet.
• Take rest periods in a day of at least one hour.
• Take a well-balanced diet.
• Increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in the diet and decrease the fat and sugar consumption.

5. CONCLUSION

I hope that now you are able to find the answer to all your questions related to 8th Month Pregnancy Diet. And able to clear your misconceptions in this blog about what to eat or not to eat, eating habits or tips and what are the discomforts and their dietary solution during the eighth month of pregnancy. If you still have any

doubt or query, then you can ask in the comment box below or inbox. Thank you so much and have a nice day.

You may also read: Having a sudden urge to eat: Here is all about Food Cravings

9th Month Pregnancy Diet Guide And Basic Eating Habits

What Not to Eat During Pregnancy, Foods to Avoid?

6. QnA