Eating during pregnancy is mostly about eating healthily. There are however a few extra things that you do need to know.
If you have a well balanced diet prior to pregnancy you should have good stores of most of the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy baby, in which case there will only be a few minor adjustments that you need to make.
If however your diet has been poor in the lead up to pregnancy, you will need to be a bit more careful in order to avoid anaemia or other vitamin deficiencies.
Many women put on a huge amount of weight during pregnancy as they feel the need to "eat for two." The growing baby is only small and requires feeding in proportion to its size. In addition to this, the mother's gut absorbs nutrients more efficiently during pregnancy. It is quality of food, not quantity that is important
You may be surprised to hear that the optimum weight gain during pregnancy is only 12.5kg (27lb). During the first trimester (the first 3 months) there should be little or no weight gain, and thereafter a pound a week is what you should aim for.
You should avoid dieting; healthy eating is your goal.
Your energy requirements are exactly the same as pre-pregnancy until the last trimester (the last 3 months) at which point your calorie requirement only increases by about 200 calories.
What vitamins should I take?
1. Folate (folic acid). All pregnant women should take a 400mcg supplement as soon as they start planning a pregnancy, which should be continued until the end of the first 12 weeks. This aids placental implantation and also helps prevent spina bifida (a congenital spinal cord defect) from developing in your unborn child. Other sources of folate in the diet might be wholegrain or wholemeal bread, leafy green vegetables and pulses
2. Iron. The blood becomes more dilute as the pregnancy progresses and it is very common to become anaemic, especially in the final 3 months of pregnancy. Your midwife or GP will check your haemoglobin level through your pregnancy and if you become anaemic will recommend that you take an iron supplement. Eating foods rich in iron can help prevent anaemia. Good sources of iron are lean red meat, eggs, baked beans, leafy green vegetables and apricots.Cooking with a balti pan can help as the food absorbs iron in the cooking process.Tea binds iron, so you should avoid drinking it if you are anaemic. Replace it with orange juice as vitamin C encourages its absorption
3. Calcium. Your requirement doubles during pregnancy. This is partly offset by the fact that the body's absorption of calcium is improved. Not eating enough can lead to dental caries. Foods rich in calcium include dairy products such as milk, yoghurt and cheese (use low fat varieties if possible). Other sources include dried apricots, brown rice, tofu, and tinned fish (the ones with the soft bones that you can eat). If you do take a calcium supplement, take one that is specially formulated for pregnancy.
4. Vitamin A. Too much vitamin A can harm your baby so it is important to avoid liver or liver products which are very rich in vitamin A, through your pregnancy. Other sources of vitamin A such as carrots and tomatoes have vitamin A in much lower concentrations and are good to include in your diet.
What other precautions should I take with food during my pregnancy?
1. Prepare all food from fresh if you can avoiding pre-packaged foods such as pate, pre-packaged cooked meats and pre-packaged salads or coleslaw. They can carry a bacteria called listeria, which although only causes a mild flu like illness in an adult can cause miscarriage and still birth if it affects the your baby.
2. Wash all your fruit well to remove all insecticides. If you can, buy organic as the fruit or veg will be chemical free.
3. Cook chicken, fish and eggs well to avoid salmonella.
4. If re-using foods, make sure it cools quickly and that you re-use it within 24 hours and heat it through properly before use.Take care with cheese. The old rule used to be to avoid soft or blue cheeses as they were un-pasteurised and can cause an infection in the unborn child called listeria. However not all hard cheeses are pasteurised and some soft cheeses are,so the safest thing to do is check the label and if you are unable to tell if the cheese is pasteurised or not, then avoid it.
4. Limit your caffeine intake to 4 cups coffee or 6 cups of tea a day. Make sure you drink plenty…at least 8 cups of fluid a day.
5. There is still conflicting evidence that drinking alcohol during pregnancy can damage your unborn child. Until there is more evidence, probably the best thing to do is avoid it altogether.
6. If you suffer with morning sickness, make sure you eat little and often, as low blood sugar can worsen nausea. Avoid fizzy drinks and fatty foods. Ginger and peppermint are good natural anti-emetics. Try ginger or peppermint tea or gingernut biscuits
