There are many things you need to look out once you get pregnant.
There are the dos and don’ts when it comes to your dietary shift.
But research has found that a specific diet may be more beneficial than you think.
The Mediterranean Diet
Mediterranean refers to specific countries in the world, such as Italy, Morocco and France.
With the geographical position also comes a specific way of diet and culture.
And based on a study from Spain has proven that mums who do a Mediterranean may have smarter babies.
The Study Results
The pregnant mums were divided into three groups.
One where they were assigned to ‘usual care’.
Another where they were assigned the Mediterranean diet.
And another where they were assigned to a mindfulness-based stress reduction class.
Of these three classes, mums who were assigned with the diet were deemed to be the healthiest.
The babies who were born grew to be two years of age and they were tested with various tasks.
And the babies whose mothers consumed the diet deemed to have the highest cognitive scores.
Compared to kids who received usual care, they scored the highest in cognitive and social-emotional wellbeing.
Getting a high score in these two fields may also give a higher chance for the baby to have higher I.Q.
And as they grow up with these sharpened skills in hand, they’re able to resolve many things.
Such as resolving conflict, managing their feelings and build self-esteem.
Scientists theorised that the diet might’ve mediated changes inflammatory status to the foetus.
But despite the results, fellow dietitian Dr Duane Mellor said to look out for precautions.
One defect regarding the study was that it was conducted in a small community of Spain.
He stated: ‘The findings of this need to be treated with caution as over half of those women who enrolled onto the study did not complete the study’.
And the mothers involved in the study were lost in contact.
So, any information regarding the children now is unknown.
Shifting Your Diet
Now that you’ve read how the diet has impacted a baby, how can you shift your diet?
The diet mainly consists of what’s commonly eaten in the countries.
The diet consists of what follows:
- fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges and dates
- vegetables such as kale, tomatoes, broccoli, onions and spinach
- whole grains such as brown rice, corn, buckwheat and pasta
- poultry such as chicken, duck and turkey
You may cook these ingredients by healthy methods such as baking or lightly frying them.
Give them a light drizzle of olive oil and use it for the grilling part instead.
Eat Your Food Right
There are many precautions when it comes to your pregnancy diet.
But with the right dietary intake and practise, your unborn baby may pop out well.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice from Motherhood. For any health-related concerns, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or medical practitioner.
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