Nutrition Department
Nutrition is the science or practice of consuming and utilizing foods. The role of nutrition in a person’s development is of utmost importance to their lifelong health and wellbeing. Under-nutrition may occur when certain important nutrients are not consumed in the correct quantities or are not absorbed properly to the needs of the body.
Food is made up of 6 classes of nutrients. These nutrients are
- Macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats)
- Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and
- Water
If you neglect to have the right combination of these 6 items, it will be very difficult to live a healthy lifestyle. An unhealthy diet increases the risk of many diet-related diseases.
Nutrition During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a demanding physiological state. There is widespread maternal malnutrition leading to high prevalence of low birth weight infants and very high maternal mortality.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet will help your baby get the nutrients he or she needs and grow at a healthy rate.
But how many extra calories do you really need?
Though you do need some extra calories, it’s not necessary to “Eat for Two”. The average pregnant women needs only about 300 healthy calories more a day than she did before she was pregnant. This will help her gain the right amount of weight during pregnancy (10-12 Kg) and birth weight of infants (about 3 Kg).
These calories should come from a balanced diet of protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, with sweets and fats kept to a minimum. A healthy, well-balanced diet during pregnancy can also help to reduce some pregnancy symptoms, like nausea and constipation.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends the following key components of a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy: appropriate weight gain, eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and appropriate and timely vitamin and mineral supplementation. The best nutritionist for pregnancy in Ahmedabad is available if you need any kind of help or suggestion for yourself and the baby.
Importance of Nutrition During Pregnancy
- Meet increased nutrient demands
- Provide needed energy
- Prevent or minimize common pregnancy related problems
- Reduce risk of birth defects
- Supply needed nutrients for baby’s growth
- Ensure healthy birth weight
- Maintain a healthy weight
Nutrition for Pre-Pregnancy
When trying to get pregnant it is even more important to ensure that you are getting the nutrients needed to develop healthy sperm and eggs and to support a healthy foetus. It can definitely help to lay the groundwork for a healthy pregnancy by paying close attention to your nutrition.
Role of nutrition in pre-pregnancy
- Well balance Nutrition status of body
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Essential for optimal growth and development of fetus
- To provide adequate nutrition for maintenance of maternal body tissue
- To prevent Nutritional deficiencies
nvNutrition in IVF pregnancy and importance of Fertility Diet
A vibrant, varied diet rich in nutrients can help to strengthen your body’s systems and create a healthy foundation for IVF. It’s less about sticking to a strict “fertility diet” and more about developing a healthy lifestyle.
Studies have shown that physical fitness can make a difference in IVF outcomes. Both obesity and a too-low body weight can have adverse effects on your fertility and may reduce the success of IVF cycles. While there are many circumstances which can contribute to body weight and health, a good diet is an excellent first step. If you are already at a healthy weight, paying attention to your diet can ensure that you’re getting all of the vital nutrients you need to carry a pregnancy. It is also an exceptional way to offer yourself some care and nurturing as you go through a process which can be emotionally and physically demanding.
If you are considering IVF, we highly recommend that you make a nutrition counseling appointment with our nutrition Consultant.
Nutrition in Paediatric
A healthy balanced diet before conception and during pregnancy will help nourish the growing foetus and build optimal body reserves in preparation for breastfeeding. Good quality foods in infancy and childhood do not only promote optimum growth and development during that time, but also play a role in helping to prevent obesity and some diseases of adulthood, particularly non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Ensuring a good nutritional start for the paediatric population will help reduce morbidity and mortality later in life.
Outcome of Inadequate Diet
- Poor growth
- Poor cognition
- Poor muscle development
- Reduced work capacity
- Poor social development
- Low immunity/High rates of illness
- Poor academics
- Poor Memory and learning skills
Importance of Healthy Weight loss
Losing weight as part of weight management is important because weighing too much is not good for your health. Being overweight increases your risk of health conditions such as heart problems, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.
Your weight, your waist size, and the amount of weight gained since your mid-20s can have serious health implications. These factors can strongly influence your chances of developing the following diseases and conditions:
Cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, Diabetes, Cancer, Arthritis, Gallstones, Asthma, Cataracts, Infertility, Snoring, Sleep apnea
Some studies show that just a 5 to 10 percent decrease in your weight can change your health.
These are some of the benefits you may see:
- Decreased risk of diabetes
- Lowered blood pressure
- Improved cholesterol levels
- Decreased risk of heart disease
- Decreased risk of certain cancers
- Improved mobility
- Decreased joint pain
- Improved blood sugar levels
- Decreased risk of stroke
- Reduced back pain
- Decreased risk or improvement in symptoms of osteoarthritis
- Decreased risk or improvement in symptoms of sleep apnea
Lifestyle Benefits
In addition to the medical benefits of weight loss, you may also experience an improved lifestyle if you slim down. Many successful losers report improvement in these areas:
- More active social life
- Greater confidence
- Better sleep
- Improved energy
- Improved sex life
- Decreased stress
- Improved body image
- Improved vitality
- Improved mood
How to use food as medicine to prevent, reverse chronic diseases
A plant-based diet can help prevent and even reverse many chronic diseases we have today, such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis. By eating nutrient-dense plant foods your body is getting all the disease fighting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients that have been found to fight and prevent these diseases. All these nutrients acts like symphony in the body with each nutrient doing its specific job and working in concert together. So, consuming a diet of whole plant-based food is truly a holistic approach that nourishes the whole body with the vital balance of nutrients. Eating the right food is more effective for your t health than any supplement or pill!
As a nutritionist, I’ll help you transition to a healthy lifestyle with a whole food, plant-based diet to achieve optimal health.
Patient Testimonial
To get a nutritionist for pregnancy in Ahmedabad was the best thing for me as me and wife lived alone, we had no idea what to eat and how to take care of both my wife and the baby. She gave us a complete chart for every trimester and we had to visit her for checkup so that she can change the food intake list according to the baby’s growth and mother’s health. It was so much helpful to us during that time. Thank you so much.
I am a big time foodie person and the thought of stopping all my favorite food items during pregnancy was just not acceptable. I looked for a nutritionist for pregnancy in Ahmedabad who could help me give delicious food item list and suggest what to do to keep me away from the junk. Luckily it helped me and my baby is very much healthy and fine today.
