Healthy Foods for the Pregnant Women and Their Fetuses

➥During the pregnant period, diet is very important both to the pregnant mothers and their babies. If the women do not eat proper food at this period, it is not only harmful to the health of their own body, but may also affect the normal growth and development of their fetuses. Following are some healthy foods which are very beneficial to the pregnant mothers and their babies.

First, apple - to promote the development of brain and prevent fetal malformations.
Apple is rich in zinc, which is closely related with the memory of human being. Zinc is conducive to the development of fetal brain, so apple is known as "the fruit which is beneficial to human intelligence". If the pregnant women suffer from zinc deficiency, it may cause a variety of zinc-related abnormalities, such as fetal underweight, developmental stagnation, congenital heart disease, bone abnormality, hypospadias, and so on. What's worse, it may even lead to other serious consequences such as miscarriage or stillbirth. If the pregnant women eat one or two apples every day, it can meet the daily demand for zinc by the fetuses.

Second, seaweed - to avoid the mental retardation of the fetuses.
During the third to fifth months of pregnancy, the development of fetal brain mainly relies on the adequate supply of thyroxine by their mothers' body. If the pregnant women suffer from iodine deficiency, the synthesis of thyroxine in the body will be affected, so the fetuses can not get enough thyroxine needed by their body, which may result in poor brain development and lower IQ. Therefore, pregnant women must pay attention to the supplementation of iodine during pregnancy. Among the daily foods, kelp contains the largest amount of iodine, so it is the best food for pregnant women to supplement iodine.

Third, egg -to promote the development of fetal brain.
The nutrients contained in egg are very comprehensive and balanced. The seven kinds of nutrients almost can be completely utilized by the body. Especially the lecithin contained in egg yolk, which is called as "memory element", it is not only very beneficial to the development of the fetal brain, but also can enable pregnant women to maintain a good memory. As a result, egg is an ideal food for pregnant women. In addition, the high-quality protein in eggs can be stored in the pregnant women's body, which can improve the quality of the breast milk during the postpartum period. However, although egg is helpful for the health of pregnant women and fetuses, they should not eat too much every day. Generally speaking, eating three to four eggs every day is appropriate. Otherwise, it may increase the burden on the liver and kidney.