Eating for Two During Pregnancy may Not be the Best Idea

While proper nourishment of the baby is a legitimate concern for all expectant mothers, a new study published in the journal Obesity Reviews has warned that eating more when pregnant could be detrimental to the baby. Researchers from the McMaster University in Canada have warned that following the traditional “eating for two” advice could prove to be dangerous to the baby since it increases the risk of attention deficit disorder, eating disorders and schizophrenia.

The researchers said that the advice could be applicable to only those who are well below the average weight and women who are at healthy or are slightly overweight should not use pregnancy as an excuse to start eating more.

National Obesity Forum’s Tam Fry said that pregnant women need just 200 calories extra in their final trimester. “There is still a lot of folklore about pregnancy, and a lot of women who still believe that 'eating for two' is the way to nurture their child. Those kinds of myths are really dangerous - in fact, pregnant women only need about an extra 200 calories a day in the last trimester”, he told The Daily Telegraph.



Source-Medindia