Diet in pregnancy is key. What you eat in that time will influence the growth and development of baby not only whilst it is in your womb but for the rest of it’s life. Research has shown the risk of chronic diseases are influenced this early on by the mums diet.
What extra do I need?
The body adapts in pregnancy to provide some of the extra needs by either absorbing more from food or by decreasing the amount of nutrients lost. It’s a very clever business. For example non-harm iron (from plant sources) is absorbed better and less iron is lost as menstruation does not occur in pregnancy. For some nutrients such as calcium the increased amount needed for the baby is met extra calcium being released from the mum’s bones.
The key nutrients to focus on are:
Folate – extra 400µg per day for first 12 weeks of pregnancy and during conception.
Vitamin D – 10µg per day throughout pregnancy
Vitamin C – extra 10µg/day in last trimester
Vitamin A – do not go overboard, 100µg/day only, some vitamin supplements will be unsuitable in pregnancy as they contain too much Vitamin A.
Iron – eat plenty of iron rich foods. Good sources are red meat, green leafy veggies, dried fruit, beans and pulses, nuts, seeds and fortified breakfast cereals.
Calcium – include these 3-4 times a day
Omega 3’s – eat 1 x 140g portion of oily fish per week – salmon, fresh tuna, haddock, trout, mackerel, pilchards, kippers and sardines.
Plan to Eat:
At least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day
Starchy carbohydrates at each meal – focus on wholegrains
Iron rich foods each day
3-4 calcium foods a day (yoghurt, milk, cheese, rice pudding, custard, sesame seeds, green leafy veggies, ready brek)
Oily fish once a week
Lean protein daily
Hello
I have read that pregnant women should not eat fish at all because of the mercury level (this small dozes in fish are very toxic to the baby). I also was told not to eat pineapple as it thinners blood. Please, can you comment on it?
Fish is fine to eat as long as you are mindful of the amount. So no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week (salmon, herring, trout, mackerel, fresh tuna etc..) and no more than 4 tins of tuna week due to the mercury content. Pineapple is perfectly fine to eat 🙂
Thanks for a great post, its great to hear some quality nutrition information on pregnancy as sometimes this is difficult to find for the average punter.
Thanks again,
Jo @ The Balanced Lunchbox
Thankyou so much Jo! Lovely to read a comment like this. Much appreciated and do feel free to share the post to anyone it may be helpful to.