A well balanced diet will give you and your baby the essential ingredients to have a happy and healthy pregnancy. Sometimes it can be a little confusing for expectant mums to know what to eat. So here is a simple guide.
Vitamins and Minerals Make sure that you eat your five portions of fruit or vegetables a day. This will help ensure that you have enough vitamins and minerals to feed your growing baby. At the start of pregnancy it is recommended that you have extra folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida. You can take these as supplements; you need an extra 400mcg a day until you are 12 weeks pregnant. You might need more if you have had a baby before that has had one of these conditions.
Foods which contain calcium are important too. Try and have milk, low fat yoghurt, and cheese to help build strong bones. You’ll need plenty of protein too. Lean meat, fish, eggs, nuts (not peanuts) and pulses are essential. Fibre You may have already noticed, but pregnant women are prone to constipation. You have plenty of hormones whipping through your body relaxing your bowel making it sluggish and you feeling uncomfortable. Try and eat a high fibre diet. Swap your white bread or pasta for wholemeal, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, and try snacking on dried fruit and seeds. Just changing a cheese sandwich on white to a cheese and tomato wholemeal pitta can make a lot of difference.
Drinking
Try and increase your fluid intake as well. Not only can this help prevent constipation but can also help prevent urinary tract infections. Pregnant women are prone to urine infections because hormones make the tubes from your kidneys to you bladder wavy instead of straight; and urine can move slowly. Flush your system through with plenty of water. You might want to try cranberry juice which is thought to prevent bladder infections. This is also rich in vitamin C which is good at helping your body absorb iron. It is known that drinking alcohol every day can be harmful for your baby. A safe level is 1–2 units of alcohol a week. A unit of alcohol is half a pint of beer or a single pub measure of a spirit. A glass of wine is around 2 units. Iron and preventing anaemia You might want to try and eat or drink some type of vitamin C with each meal you have. Fruit juices, squashes, broccoli, kiwi and other fruits and vegetables all contain vitamin C. It is a good idea to avoid tea and coffee with a meal because they are thought to discourage iron absorption. Have them in between meals instead.
Foods that are rich in iron are
Red meats
Green vegetables
Nuts and seeds
Fortified cereals
Beans and pulses What not to eat! Avoid liver and liver products. Liver contains too much Vitamin A which can be harmful to your growing baby.
Avoid soft cheeses and pâté. These foods can contain listeria which can be harmful to your unborn baby. Cheddar, cottage, ricotta, mascarpone and mozzarella cheeses are fine to eat, and so too are cheese spreads.
Avoid raw and undercooked eggs. This is because of the risk of salmonella. Raw eggs are found in homemade mousse, ice creams and mayonnaise. Shop bought mayonnaise is absolutely fine. If you have a family or personal history of eczema, asthma and allergies it is worth avoiding peanuts. But remember that other nuts and seeds are very good for you and contain essential proteins and healthy fats. There are certain types of fish to avoid. These are shark, swordfish, marlin and snapper. This is because they contain high levels of mercury and can harm your baby’s nervous system. Tuna fish also contains some mercury, but two portions a week will be fine. So if you want a tuna and mayonnaise sandwich then have it. Try it with wholemeal bread with some salad or sweet corn added for extra vitamins and fibre! Make sure that you cook your meat thoroughly and avoid raw shellfish. Cooked shellfish is fine. If you want a hot prawn curry then go for it! Too much caffeine can be harmful. There is no need to cut it out altogether but drink it in moderation. You can have up to 300mg a day. One mug of instant coffee = 100mg
One mug of tea = 50mg
One can of cola = 40 mg
50g bar of plain chocolate = 50 mg
You’ll be pleased to know that you can eat…….
Cooked shellfish
Crème fraîche
Shop bought mayonnaise
Soured cream
Spicy foods
Live yoghurts
Fromage frais
Eating for two? Pregnancy is not an excuse to eat more naughty food. You might find that you are more hungry than usual. If this is the case then listen to your body’s needs and have something healthy to eat. Most women will gain about 10–12 kg (about 2 stone) whilst they are pregnant and any more than this can be doing you more harm than good. Women who gain a lot of weight whilst they are pregnant can develop high blood pressure, urine infections and have more complications during their labour and births. Without sounding too boring, just try and be sensible. Of course occasional treats of cakes and biscuits are allowed, just not too often!
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