Scales For You

Many women are overweight or obese when they become pregnant.  Eating a healthy diet for the baby can be even more complicated if the future mother is too heavy, but it is even more important.  Almost all pregnant women need to increase their intake of certain vitamins and minerals, protein and calories.  If their diet is already poor, they’ll need to begin eating nutritious, well-balanced meals.  Junk food is little more than empty calories and should be eliminated, or at least limited.  A pregnant woman only needs about 300 additional calories per day, therefore, eating for two doesn’t require a lot more food.  Caffeinated beverages can pose real problems for the baby.  Some studies suggest that drinking more than four cups of coffee a day can lead to miscarriage, low birth weight, or even stillbirth.  Drinking water, skim milk and 100 percent fruit juice is a healthy choice for the future mother and her baby.

A large capacity scale can help any woman, pregnant or not, determine if her eating habits and exercise program are leading toward a healthy body weight.  With a few small changes in diet and exercise, she can see progress weekly.  A healthy baby is a lot easier to care for than a sick baby, and the baby’s health largely depends on the mother’s diet, exercise, and rest during pregnancy.