How much should pregnant women eat vegetables in a day?

Maintaining the health of yourself and the fetus in the womb has become mandatory during pregnancy. Apart from paying attention to the condition of the body, daily food intake should not be overlooked. Vegetables for example, which contribute a number of important nutrients to support the needs and growth of the fetus. Actually, how much vegetables should a pregnant woman eat?

How many pregnant women should eat vegetables a day?

The need for vegetables is not only important to be met properly before pregnancy, but also during pregnancy. This is because vegetables are packed with various important nutrients needed to support the health of you and the baby in the womb.

Starting from fiber, vitamins, minerals, to a certain amount of protein in every type of vegetable. Especially during this pregnancy period, pregnant women need lots of intake of vitamin C, folic acid, and iron.

Folic acid is useful for preventing neural tube defects in babies at birth. The combination of folic acid and iron is also needed to prevent you from experiencing anemia during the 9 months of carrying your little one.

Meanwhile, vitamin C is no less important because it functions to help smooth the process of absorption of iron in the body. In addition, adequate intake of vitamin C will help strengthen your immune system and that of the fetus.

Especially because vitamin C is not stored in the body, it is important to get enough of it every day. That is why in addition to staple foods and side dishes, pregnant women must eat vegetables every day.

Actually, it is not only the nutrients mentioned earlier, but various vitamins, minerals, proteins, and others that pregnant women can also get by eating a plate of vegetables. So, what about the portion of vegetables that pregnant women should eat?

Basically, there is no difference in the amount of vegetables that should be eaten before pregnancy and during pregnancy. Because most importantly, make sure pregnant women always get vegetable intake at least every day.

In order to ensure that their needs are met optimally, WHO recommends 5 servings of vegetables for pregnant women per day. This amount is equivalent to approximately 400 grams (gr) of vegetables a day.

Are there any vegetables that should not be eaten while pregnant?

Not only for themselves, pregnant women must also ensure that the nutritional needs of the baby in the womb are always fulfilled. Therefore, the nutrients needed by pregnant women are far more than when they are not pregnant.

However, according to the Guidelines for Balanced Nutrition from the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the types of food must also be diverse in a balanced amount.

Well, for pregnant women who want to eat vegetables, you should pay attention to the following tips:

1. Avoid eating vegetables that are not washed clean

There are various bacteria and viruses that can stick to the surface of vegetables, so they risk causing contamination when eaten. Whether it takes place during the planting process, distribution, or when the vegetables are stored.

If it is not washed thoroughly before processing, of course the bacteria and viruses in these vegetables will easily enter the body. Take for example Toxoplasma, E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria. All these parasites can certainly harm the health of pregnant women and the fetus in the womb.

2. Avoid eating raw vegetables

Apart from vegetables that are not washed thoroughly, pregnant women are also not recommended to eat raw vegetables. Just like vegetables that have not been washed beforehand, raw vegetables also have the potential to contain a lot of bacteria and viruses in them.

So it would be nice, make it a habit to always wash and cook vegetables until cooked before eating them. That way, you can get the nutrients from these vegetables without having to sacrifice the health of the body and the little one in the womb.