By : Komal Thakur (Pharmacist, Naturopath, Health & Fitness Enthusiast)

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Put on healthy weight during pregnancy!

Putting on weight during pregnancy is inevitable and often one of the toughest things to lose. It becomes essential to nurture the baby and for this purpose weight gain is an imperative part of pregnancy. The most infamous question that women ask before getting pregnant and during pregnancy is “will my body change?” The right answer to this question would be “It does not have to change if you focus on what you eat and on your overall lifestyle”. Easy to say, tough to execute. Cravings are a natural part of pregnancy and often women tend to eat mindlessly. All the excessive eating is completely justified, however it does not have to be mindless binging.
In this blog, we will focus on how to make sure you put on a healthy weight that does not harm your body in any way. Very minimal modifications to your diet and lifestyle during pregnancy, will not only give you a healthier body but a healthier mind which is much more essential post-pregnancy.
Healthy body, healthy mind!
To begin with, change your lifestyle for a good start with a 30-minute walk every single day (unless advised against by your doctor). Walking also helps you balance your weight and does not let you gain unnecessary pounds.

The flexibility of your pelvic muscles to have a normal delivery is important. For this include pelvic muscle strengthening exercises in your daily routine. These exercises can be done any time of the day.

For managing your mental health and boosting your mood, breathing exercises and meditation is a must. A happy mother means a happy baby. Inculcate positive thoughts and intake positive media. Breathing exercises for at least 15 minutes every morning can help maintain your calm and boost your mood equally. This can even be a post-pregnancy routine for a healthy everyday life. This also helps your body relax and stay in shape.

Last but not the least, yoga. Simple yoga poses on an everyday basis can boost your metabolism, and probably help in normal delivery. Yoga is certainly a healthy change, your overall flexibility will increase. If yoga becomes a part of your everyday lifestyle, it helps you lose the post-pregnancy weight quicker.

So overall a 60-minute routine every day for a healthy you and a healthy baby- Walk, do pelvic exercises, breathe, and do yoga. Ain’t that tough, right!
Diet is most certainly 80% of what contributes to your overall health!
You are what you eat. During pregnancy, what you eat determines the health of your baby too. There are certain foods that you can say no to and alternatively other foods that can be replacements. Often mothers become overly concerned about the health of the baby and forget to take care of their own body, which is in fact what helps the baby’s health. Food replacement is a must to shed those extra kilos post-pregnancy.

Cravings for fried food/ junk food are most common. Once a month while junk food is ok to consume you need to remember these are just empty calories. The practical advice here would be to switch the oil you use for frying to maybe olive oil which is healthier. For shallow frying use cow ghee which is highly advised in pregnancy. Replace your cooking oil with ghee and this will be the way to ensure you put on a healthy weight that will be harmless for you and the baby.
The healthier version of chip and dip. A very easy-to-make yogurt dip would be a perfect replacement for mayonnaise. Use hung curd, add a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic and blend it nicely. This dip can be had with savory pancakes and also instead of fried packets, high in sodium chips, you can buy much on store-bought or homemade crisp khakhras (roasted flatbread).

If you are craving sweet cookies, you can switch to the digestive versions or switch to GRD chocolate cookies. These are not just great in taste but also full of protein and other macro and micronutrients which are amazing for your and your baby’s health.
If you crave savory crisps, try the GRD jeera and the mix seasoning bix. These are specially formulated to satisfy all your savory cravings, with loads of protein and folic acid, and iron which are essential in pregnancy.
Although raw vegetables can be avoided during pregnancy, eating healthy amounts of vegetables and pulses is a must. To make these more palatable, consider making chaats out of boiled pulses and steam, cook your vegetables and sauté them in your favorite healthy sauces to consume a generous amount of vegetables

Ghee, vegetables, pulses, healthier cookies, and homemade junk can be your go-to recipe during and post-pregnancy. And once in a while if you want to binge on that pizza, do not stop yourself!