A must-have guide

Rujuta Diwekar’s latest book on pregnancy has everything, that an expecting mom needs to know. In an exclusive interview, the celebrity nutritionist-turned-author speaks about the book

Health expert and author Rujuta Diwekar’s latest book, ‘Pregnancy Notes: Before, During and After’ takes one through the journey of various stages of pregnancy. Each stage includes notes on food, exercise and recovery. Also included are heritage recipes from across the country.

Excerpts:

Tell us more about your book?
It’s all about what type of fitness regime you must follow before pregnancy, during and after. So that you enjoy good fitness level and get back in shape post-pregnancy.

Share a few important points from the book?

• The most important tips would be:
• It's important to eat fresh food
• Sleeping on time is also important for good respiratory and recovery process
• Exercise is critical, a lot of time people confuse pregnancy sometimes because of sickness, so stay fit it helps you in pregnancy

Can you share some tips from the book, on how to lose weight after pregnancy?
By taking a step on right time. By not rushing to knock off the weight and by knowing that some amount of fat post-delivery is required and it loves you and protects your baby. The best of it just comes out and it’s just matter of time. I have written this book to enlighten people. So that even before you start planning your pregnancy you can start improving your fitness levels. And on the day that you deliver is when you lose most of your weight and later you don’t need to struggle.

What type of nutrition do you think a pregnant woman should have?
It is best to have home-cooked food, pickle, ajwain, maithi laddus among others. One of the main issues is most women think what to eat after getting pregnant but it is important before also. If one follows a good diet before pregnancy that helps a lot during and after pregnancy.

What challenges do people face to reach a fitness goal?
I think the challenge for every mom is the same when it comes to reaching fitness goals. Fitness goals demand daily commitment and most of us are not willing to do that,and that’s where education helps to overcome it. The goal should be to eat right and do regular exercise for 150-minutes per week. One should set small tasks and see to it that they reach it. Exercise is very important and in the book, I also have written about yoga. In terms of exercise, you can do cardio, cycling, you should do it in a proper grated fashion. I have also given tips on how to plan your exercise.

Tell us about some overlooked superfoods that could be incorporated into our regular diet?
Gongura, peanuts, guava, and peru.

What do you think is the most important message you’re giving through your book about pregnancy?
Of eating home-cooked food and listing to your grandmother (laughs).

Share your working experience with Kareena Kapoor?
It has something, which has grown organically and I truly nurture the relationship that we share. Kareena has stated the biggest tip ‘get fit even before you think of getting pregnant’.