Weight in pregnancy best controlled by diet, study shows
Dietary advice was based on limiting overall calorie intake; balancing protein, carbohydrate and fat; and eating foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables and pulses.
Dr Thangaratinam added: “What we don’t know is why diet should be so much better than exercise in controlling weight gain. It could be that it is simpler and easier for women to stick to. It may also be that eating a high-fibre diet has other positive health effects for a pregnant woman.”
Combining data on the thousands of women who participated in these trials will also allow researchers to further examine the effects of diet and exercise across women of various ages, body mass index, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and medical conditions.
What Should I Do If I Gain Too Much Weight During Pregnancy?
If you have gained more weight than recommended during the beginning of your pregnancy, talk to your medical provider. In most cases it is not appropriate to intentionally attempt to lose weight during pregnancy.
Be sure to eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you and your baby need. Here are some tips to slow your weight gain:
- When eating out at a fast food restaurant, choose lower fat items such as broiled chicken breast sandwich with tomato and lettuce (no sauce or mayonnaise), side salad with low-fat dressing, plain bagels or a plain baked potato. Avoid fried foods such as French fries, mozzarella sticks, or breaded chicken patties.
- Avoid whole milk products. You need at least four servings of milk products every day. However, using skim, 1%, or 2% milk will greatly reduce the amount of calories and fat you eat. Also choose low-fat or fat-free cheese or yogurt.
- Limit sweet or sugary drinks. Sweetened drinks such as soft drinks, fruit punch, fruit drinks, iced tea, lemonade, or powdered drink mixes provide many calories with little nutrients. Choose water, club soda, or mineral water to avoid extra calories.
- Do not add salt to foods when cooking. Salt causes your body to retain water.
- Limit sweets and high calorie snacks. Cookies, candies, donuts, cakes, syrup, honey, and potato chips provide many calories with little nutrition. Try not to eat these types of foods every day. Instead, try fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, angel food cake with strawberries, or pretzels as lower calorie snack and dessert choices.
- Use fats in moderation. Fats include cooking oils, margarine, butter, gravy, sauces, mayonnaise, regular salad dressings, sauces, lard, sour cream, and cream cheese. Try the lower fat substitutes that are available for these foods.
Prepare meals using low-fat cooking methods. Frying foods in oil or butter will increase the calories and fat of that meal. Baking, broiling,grilling, or boiling are healthier, lower fat methods of cooking.
Exercise. Moderate exercise, as recommended by your health care provider, can help burn excess calories. Walking or swimming is generally safe, effective exercises for pregnant women. But, be sure to talk to your health care provider before starting an exercise program.
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The Women’s Health Research Unit at Queen Mary, University of London has recently established an international collaboration on Weight Management in Pregnancy (i-WIP) to answer these questions.
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Kerry Noble
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44-207-882-7943
Queen Mary, University of London
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