5th Month Pregnancy Diet - Which Foods To Eat And Avoid?

Motherhood is undoubtedly one of the most cherished occasions in a woman’s life. This is perhaps the one turning point every woman longs and desires for. It is essential for the mother to eat right to keep her own as well as baby’s health in top notch condition.

As a woman enters the second trimester of her pregnancy, her body undergoes a noticeable change. The little one being nurtured inside of her begins to bloom, causing her belly to grow. Her cravings for food rise as the hormones reshuffle themselves. A new to be mum’s joy-mixed anxiety is at its peak and so are the baby’s requirements for nutrition.

Food just starts tasting better when you are pregnant! You get this strange urge to gorge on chocolates, ice-creams, pizzas and pickles. But to make sure everything stays on the right track till the end, there are certain simple must-do’s you need to follow during your second trimester of pregnancy to ensure the health of you and your baby. Here we mention what to be included in your diet during 5th month of pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a delicate matter. Consult Trusted doctors at Lybrate.

5th Month Of Pregnancy Diet: What To Eat?

1. Beef Up Your Fluid Intake:

Stay hydrated at all times. Remember, you have to take care of two people now. Drink plenty of water to avoid constipation. In addition to water, consuming at least 2 glasses of milk every day will provide you with calcium and micronutrients that are vital for your baby’s healthy bone development.

2. Eat Protein-Rich Foods:

Proteins are the building blocks of our body. They are considered as the best 5th month pregnancy food. A diet rich in proteins is essential to ensure baby’s physical development is on the right course. Muscles, skin and organs need protein to grow and sustain themselves. Include chicken, eggs, nuts, pulses and cereal in your diet. If you are a vegetarian, you can always go for soya chunks, steamed chickpea, cottage cheese and tofu.

3. Rely on Salad Power:

Salads made from raw veggies like cabbage, carrots, fresh tomatoes, rocket leaves and beet root are a great way to include minerals and fiber in your diet. Avoid using salad dressings and pickled veggies like olives and capers, because they are high in sodium content. Make sure you drink plenty of water so that constipation is at bay. It is suggested that pregnant women should have on an average 1 ounce of fiber per day. Excess fiber in the diet can also result in complications such as haemorrhoids.

4. Have Some Fruits:

Fruits are brimming with vitamins and minerals, and they taste delicious too. You can never get bored with fruits and you never run out of choices. There are apples, pears, bananas, kiwis, oranges, berries and currants to choose from. Why not blend some strawberries and yogurt and make a healthy smoothie?

5. Eat Your Greens:

Eating a lot of green veggies might get boring. But do it for the sake of your little one. Include spinach, fenugreek and broccoli in your diet to fulfil the body’s need for iron. You can bake or grill the veggies to add some zing to them. You could also throw in a handful of spinach in your smoothies.

6. The Wholesome Goodness:

Include whole grains in your diet in the form of flatbreads. Whole grains such as wheat, ragi, rice, corn and oats are rich in vitamin E, vitamin B complex, iron and magnesium and fulfil the growing baby’s need for energy and nourishment very well.

Pregnancy is a delicate matter. Consult Trusted doctors at Lybrate.

5th Month Of Pregnancy Diet: What Not To Do?

Now that you’ve grabbed the must have’s, here are some foods that you should include in your fifth month of pregnancy diet to steer clear of.

1. Say No to Fizz:

Carbonated drinks contain caffeine, sugar and unhealthy calories. You definitely don’t want your calories to come from all wrong sources, do you? Instead, consume fresh fruit juices and lemon water.

2. Fruits You Shouldn’t Eat:

Tropical fruits are packed with micronutrients and fiber, improve digestion and taste yum! But feasting on tropical fruits during pregnancy is not a great idea. Papaya, pomegranate and pineapple are known to induce uterine contractions in pregnant women, leading to miscarriage. Avoid the use of meat tenderizers because they contain raw papaya extracts or similar enzymes that break protein down.

3. Throw the Goblet Away!

If you happen to be one of those ultra modern ladies who don’t mind sipping on alcohol, you will need to quit drinking for some months now. Heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause congenital defects in the baby. However, the impacts of an occasional binge are not yet clearly known. But why risk it? It’s your precious baby we are talking about.

4. Kick the Butt:

Smoking is proven to hinder with baby’s development and cause physical anomalies. It can deprive baby of its oxygen supply, hamper the development of the baby’s respiratory system and cause its heart rate to go haywire. It might as well induce miscarriage or result in stillbirth.

5. Cut Back on Caffeine:

Both tea and coffee contain caffeine. So, you must restrict your tea/coffee intake to a maximum 2 cups a day. High caffeine intake during pregnancy is known to cause restlessness and sleeplessness in babies after they are born. You certainly don’t want your baby to wail endlessly through the initial days after it is born. Unfortunately, chocolate too contains caffeine and I know it’s hard to resist the urge, but you have to.

6. Avoid Fatty Food:

Don’t let the desire to binge on fries and pizzas get the better of you. The hormonal changes and ‘eating for the 2’ thing are enough to throw you off the scale. You should avoid eating fattening foods and canned stuff as well. An abnormal weight gain can cause unwanted complications during the gestation period.

By the time a woman reaches the fifth month of her pregnancy, the baby’s organs such as the brain, heart, kidneys, liver etc. have already taken their preliminary shape. The further course of pregnancy involves growth and development of these organs. The senses too begin to develop during this phase. Their skin begins to thicken too.

The baby needs a lot of nutrients to take a good physical shape. On the other hand, bad stuff, or rather unhealthy foods can hamper the baby. This is why it is so important to be aware of what to eat and what not to eat in 5th month of pregnancy diet. Following the do’s and don’ts listed above will surely help you ace you fifth month of pregnancy.