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Nutrition During Pregnancy
Healthy foods for pregnant women
It is important to choose a wide variety of foods to ensure the nutritional needs of both mother and baby are met. Try to eat:
• Lots of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain breads and cereals
• Moderate amounts of low fat dairy foods and lean meats
• Small amounts of foods high in fat, sugar and salt
• Lean meat, chicken and fish
• Dried beans and lentils
• Nuts and seeds
• Low fat milk, cheese and yoghurt
• Green leafy vegetables.
Folic acid (folate)
Folate (known as folic acid when added to foods) is a B-group vitamin found in a variety of foods. Some breakfast cereals, breads and juices are fortified with folic acid. This will be listed on the nutrition label of these products.
As well as a healthy diet, it is also recommended that a folic acid supplement be taken prior to conception and for the first three months of pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Folate taken over this period can prevent up to seven out of 10 cases of neural tube defects.
If you are planning a pregnancy or are in the early stages of pregnancy, you should increase your folate intake by an additional 0.4mg (400mcg) per day above the recommended daily intake (RDI) of 0.6mg (600mcg) per day for pregnancy.
Folate in your diet
Excellent food sources of folate include:
• Asparagus
• Bran flakes
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Chick peas
• Dried beans
• Lentils
• Spinach.
Very good food sources of folate include:
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Leeks
• Oranges
• Orange juice
• Parsley
• Peas
• Wheat germ
• Wholegrain bread.
Good food sources of folate include:
• Hazelnuts
• Vegemite
• Parsnips
• Potato
• Salmon
• Strawberries
• Tomato
• Unsalted peanuts
• Walnuts.
Although liver is high in folate, it should not be recommended to women who are, or could be pregnant, because of its high vitamin A content.
Iron
Pregnancy increases the need for iron in the diet. The developing foetus draws enough iron from the mother to last it through the first five or six months after birth so a woman has an increased need for iron during pregnancy.
Iron losses are reduced during pregnancy because women are no longer menstruating and so lose less iron from menstrual blood loss. It is useful to include foods that are good sources of iron in the diet every day (for example red meat) and to have foods that are good sources of vitamin C (like oranges) to help absorb the iron.
The recommended daily intake (RDI) of iron during pregnancy is 27mg per day (approximately 9mg per day more than that for non-pregnant women). The amount needed depends on the amount of iron the mother has ‘stored’ in her body prior to pregnancy. If a woman’s iron stores are very low, she may need to get more from supplements. However, iron supplements can cause constipation.
Vitamin A
Although vitamin A requirements do increase during pregnancy, vitamin A supplements are rarely recommended for pregnant women. This is because an excessive intake of vitamin A may cause birth deformities.
The best way to increase your intake of vitamin A, if it is low, is through food sources like milk, fish, eggs and margarine.
Multivitamin supplements
Multivitamin supplements may be recommended for the
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