HOW IS THE FEEDING OF PREGNANT WOMEN IN BRAZIL? THE MODERN MOTHER AND THE CHALLENGE OF BALANCED NUTRITION

• Main Author: Perina, Natalia
• Format: Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Morressier 01.01.2017
• DOI: 10.26226/morressier.5c51786979e4d5001478d2f9

ABSTRACT- Background and aims During gestation, woman's body undergoes various transformations in order to create a harmonious environment for the baby that is developing.During this period, women's nutritional needs also change. Their nutritional reserves and food intake are the primary sources of nutrients to ensure proper growth of the baby. However, with the day-to-day running of the modern woman the adoption of a healthy lifestyle can be hampered.The aim of this project was to understand the dietary and nutritional habits of the new mothers in Brazil and their vision about an adequate diet during pregnancy.- MethodsOnline interviews conducted by Ibope Conecta with 500 pregnant women, over 18 years old, from all regions of Brazil.- ResultsMaintaining a balanced and healthy diet is the main concern of 73% of the interviewees; 31% of the women said that even pregnant they cannot maintain a balanced diet because their daily lives are very busy; more than one-third of study participants did not consume multivitamins and 12% did not take any supplement at all. Several myths and conflicting information such as the beliefs that eating canjica (white corn dessert) in pregnancy helps have milk for breastfeeding and that women must 'eat for two' during gestation persist in some regions of Brazil.- ConclusionsDay-to-day running of the modern woman the adoption of a healthy lifestyle can be hampered and so multivitamin supplementation may be an important ally to ensure adequate nutritional intake for this period.