Reasons for increased appetite during late pregnancy

Many pregnant women will feel that their appetite increases in the late stages of pregnancy. This is actually a common pregnancy reaction. If it occurs, pregnant women should not be too anxious, but should calm down. In this case, they should replenish their bodies with sufficient energy. This will have a better effect and allow the fetus in their belly to grow and develop more perfectly.

During the second trimester, the fetus is growing rapidly, so pregnant women need to replenish a lot of energy, eat a balanced diet, and pay attention to nutrition. According to the pyramid of balanced dietary nutritional supplements, the general intake is 6 to 11 servings of cereals, 3 to 5 servings of vegetables and fruits, and 2 to 3 servings of protein such as milk, dairy products, and meat. Fat and desserts should be consumed in small amounts. In the 21st century, undernutrition is more common than overnutrition. Overnutrition needs our attention. The weight gain in mid-pregnancy is generally controlled at 0.3 to 0.5 kg per week.

1. Increase the intake of staple food

Some pregnant women mistakenly believe that improving the dietary structure during the second trimester mainly involves consuming more animal foods such as fish and meat. In fact, excessive intake of animal food to provide heat energy is not only a waste but also increases the burden on the mother. Therefore, adequate intake of staple food during the second trimester plays an important role in ensuring heat supply, saving protein, and ensuring fetal growth and maternal tissue growth.

2. Eat more animal offal

Animal offal includes kidneys, liver, heart, stomach, etc. They are not only rich in high-quality protein, but also contain certain vitamins and inorganic salts. These substances are exactly what other foods lack. Among the offal, the liver is the best. During the second trimester, pregnant women's needs for nutrients such as heme iron, riboflavin, folic acid, and vitamin A increase significantly. Therefore, it is recommended that women in the second trimester eat a certain amount of animal offal at least once a week.

3. Increase vegetable oil intake

Lipids, especially essential fatty acids, are the material basis of cell membranes and myelination of the central nervous system. During the second trimester, the fetal body and brain develop faster, and the need for lipids and essential fatty acids increases, which must be supplemented in a timely manner. Therefore, the amount of vegetable oil used for cooking should be increased during the second trimester, namely soybean oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, etc. In addition, women in the second trimester of pregnancy can also choose to consume foods with high fat content such as peanut kernels, walnut kernels, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, etc.

4. Eat small, frequent meals

During the second trimester, pregnant women's appetite increases and their food intake at each meal increases. However, as pregnancy progresses, the uterus enters the abdominal cavity and may squeeze the stomach, and pregnant women are prone to feeling stomach bloating after each meal. In this regard, pregnant women should appropriately reduce the intake of each meal to a level of comfort, and increase meals to 4 to 5 meals a day.