Healthy Pregnancy diets

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If you're pregnant, it's important you eat a well-balanced and nutritious diet, to help make sure your baby gets all the nutrients it needs to grow. Eating a well-balanced diet will help you to stay healthy too.

There are some foods you should avoid during pregnancy, such as soft cheeses, pate, and raw, or partially cooked eggs. See the 'further information' section below for more advice on what foods to avoid when you're pregnant.

Fruit and vegetables

You should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. They can be fresh, frozen, tinned or dried. A glass of pure fruit juice also counts towards one of your portions (although no matter how much juice you drink, it only counts as one portion).

Make sure that you wash all fruit and vegetables before you eat them.

Starchy foods

You need to include plenty of starchy foods in your diet. Starchy foods include:

  • bread

  • potatoes

  • pasta

  • rice

If possible, try and eat wholegrain options as they contain more nutrients.

Foods rich in protein

Protein is an important part of your diet, especially when you are pregnant. Protein-rich foods include:

  • lean meats

  • chicken

  • eggs

  • pulses (such as lentils and beans).

  • nuts
  • whole grains
  • cheese
  • tofu

You should also aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily fish. All of these protein-rich foods are also high in iron, another nutrient which will help keep your baby healthy.

However, it's important to remember that there are some types of fish you should avoid eating while you're pregnant.

Avoid eating shark, swordfish or marlin, as they contain high levels of mercury, which can harm your baby's developing nervous system. You should also limit the amount of tuna you eat, as this can also be high in mercury. Don't eat more than one tuna steak, or one medium sized tins (about 140g a tin) of tuna a week. You should also avoid raw shellfish.

For more guidance on which fish to avoid eating, see 'what foods should I avoid during pregnancy' in the 'further information' section.

Fibre

Constipation during pregnancy is common, so include plenty of fibre in your diet to help prevent it. Foods that are high in fibre include:

  • wholegrain bread

  • wholegrain pasta

  • brown rice

  • bran cereals

  • beans

  • raw fruit and vegetables.

Dairy foods

Foods such as cheese, yoghurt and milk are all rich in calcium. Your body needs more calcium during pregnancy, especially during the last 10 weeks, when it's used to help strengthen your baby's bones.

Although you need to avoid some dairy products, such as soft or blue-veined cheeses, and unpasteurised goat's milk or goat's cheese, there are lots of dairy products which are safe to eat. These include:

  • live or bio yoghurt

  • probiotic drinks

  • fromage frais

  • creme fraiche

  • soured cream

  • hard cheeses (such as cheddar and parmesan)

  • feta

  • ricotta

  • mascarpone

  • cream cheese

  • mozzarella

  • cottage cheese

You can also eat other dairy foods, such as mayonnaise, ice cream and salad dressing, but you need to make sure they haven't been made using raw egg.

Folic acid

Pregnant women should take a daily 400mcg supplement of folic acid every day. Ideally you should begin taking this from the time you start trying for a baby, until your 12th week of pregnancy.

As well as taking a folic acid supplement, you should also make sure you eat foods that contain folate (the natural form of folic acid). Foods that are high in folate include:

  • green vegetables

  • brown rice

  • fortified bread and cereals

Folic acid reduces the risk of your baby developing a neural tube defect (a condition which affects the development of your baby's spinal cord and brain). One of the most common neural tube defects is spina bifida (a condition which causes the spine to develop abnormally).

Iron

During pregnancy, your body needs more iron than normal to help ensure your baby has an adequate blood supply. To help make sure your body has enough iron, you should eat plenty of iron-rich foods, such as:

  • red meat

  • beans and lentals

  • bread

  • green vegetables

  • fortified breakfast cereals

Pregnant women who can't get enough iron from their diet may have to take an iron supplement.

Vitamin D

During pregnancy, you should take a 10mcg supplement of Vitamin D every day. Vitamin D helps to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in your body - two substances which are needed to keep bones and teeth healthy.

Vitamin D can be found in a small number of foods, such as oily fish, and eggs, but most of vitamin D intake comes from sunlight. However, when you're out in the sun, you should always make sure you keep your skin adequately protected.

 

Fine-tune your diet - even if you already eat well


Now that you're a mom-to-be, it's important to try and increase your intake of certain vitamins and minerals (such as folic acid and iron). You may also need to slightly increase your calorie intake as your pregnancy progresses.

If your diet is poor to begin with, it is even more important to make the transition to eating nutritious, well-balanced meals. Limit junk food, as it offers little more than empty calories, which means calories with few or no nutrients.

Your body becomes more efficient when you're expecting a baby and makes even better use of the energy you obtain from the food you eat. The average woman does not need any extra calories for the first six months of pregnancy and only about 200 extra calories per day for the last three months.

Two hundred calories is equivalent to:

• two slices of wholemeal toast and margarine/butter
• a baked potato with an ounce of cheese
• one slice of cheese on toast.

Your own appetite is the best indication of how much food you need to eat. You may find your appetite fluctuates during the course of your pregnancy:
In the first few weeks your appetite may fall away dramatically and you may not feel like eating proper meals, especially if you suffer from nausea or sickness.
• During the middle part of your pregnancy your appetite may be the same as before you were pregnant or slightly increased.
• Towards the end of your pregnancy your appetite will probably increase, but if you suffer from heartburn or a full feeling after eating you may find it helpful to have small frequent meals.

The best rule to remember is to eat when you are hungry. Don't worry about your changing appetite as long as you are following the advice given about the type of food you need to eat and you are gaining weight at the appropriate rate, which your midwife or doctor will monitor.

 

Eat the right kinds of fish

 


The government's Food Standards Agency has recommended that pregnant women and children under 16 don't eat shark, swordfish or marlin, as it may contain potentially unsafe levels of naturally occurring mercury (FSA 2004; FSA n.d. a).

They also advise that pregnant and breastfeeding women, and those who intend to become pregnant, should eat no more than one medium-size cans of tuna, or one fresh tuna steak per week.

Some foods are no-nos


During pregnancy you should try to avoid:

• raw seafood, such as oysters or sushi that has not been frozen before making (FSA n.d. b)

• cheeses with a white, "mouldy" rind, such as Brie and Camembert, and blue-veined cheeses like Stilton (FSA n.d. c). All these cheeses could contain listeria, a bacteria that could harm your baby.

• pate, raw or undercooked meat, poultry, and eggs (cook all meat until there are no pink bits left and eggs until they are hard) (FSA n.d. c). All are possible sources of bacteria that can harm your unborn child.

• liver and liver products (pate, liver sausage) should be avoided, too, because they may contain large amounts of the retinol form of vitamin A, too much of which could be bad for your developing baby (FSA n.d. c).

• It is recommended that some women avoid peanuts and foods that contain them. If you, your partner, or any of your other children (if you have any) have a history of allergies such as hayfever, asthma, or eczema, avoiding peanuts during pregnancy and breastfeeding may reduce your baby's chances of developing a potentially serious peanut allergy (FSA n.d. c).

• Drinking alcohol can cause physical defects, learning disabilities, and emotional problems in children, so many experts recommend that you give up alcohol completely while you are pregnant (DH 2007; BMA 2007:12).

• You might want to cut down on caffeine, too. This may be easy for women who are suddenly revolted by the stuff during their first trimester, but that doesn't happen for everyone. Why is caffeine a potential problem? Research has linked consuming more than 200mg of caffeine a day with low birth weight (FSA n.d. c). This could cause health problems for your baby after he is born and in later life. High levels of caffeine are also thought to increase your risk of miscarriage (FSA n.d. c). In fact one study has linked even low levels of caffeine to miscarriage (Weng et al 2008).

 

Take a suitable prenatal vitamin-mineral supplement


In an ideal world - free of morning sickness or food aversions - a well-balanced diet would be all an expectant mom ever needed. But in the real world, a prenatal vitamin-mineral supplement may be good insurance to help you meet your nutritional needs. Ask your doctor whether you should take a vitamin supplement.

Folic acid is one supplement that is particularly important to take before you conceive -- and for the first three months or so of pregnancy. A lack of this B vitamin has been linked with neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida (FSA n.d. c). The Department of Health recommends that women should take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid in a supplement from the time they start trying for a baby until the 12th week of pregnancy (DH 2004).

Some experts recommend that you take a supplement containing 10 mcg of Vitamin D every day (FSA n.d. c). If you are Asian, if you keep well-covered and don't get much sunlight on your skin then you may be at greater risk of Vitamin D deficiency - see your doctor for individual advice (FSA n.d. c).

Later on in your pregnancy some women may need to take an iron supplement (NCCWCH 2003: 41). Your iron levels will be checked periodically during your pregnancy, and your doctor or midwife will advise you about your individual needs.

If you are a strict vegetarian, have a medical condition such as diabetes, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, or anaemia, or if you have a history of low-birthweight babies, do talk with your doctor or midwife about any special supplements you might need.

Remember, though, that more is not always better: Vitamin A supplements which contain retinol, the animal form of vitamin A, can be toxic to unborn babies in large quantities (EGVM 2003:123-4). The plant-based carotene type of vitamin A is safe in pregnancy (EGVM 2003:113). Megadoses of most vitamins and minerals could be harmful to your developing baby.

 

Don't go on a diet


Dieting during pregnancy is potentially hazardous to you and your developing baby. Some diets can leave you low on iron, folic acid, and other important vitamins and minerals. Remember, weight gain is one of the most positive signs of a healthy pregnancy.

Women who eat well and gain an appropriate amount of weight are more likely to have healthy babies. So if you're eating fresh, wholesome foods and gaining weight, relax: you're supposed to be getting bigger!

If you are overweight, you can improve your diet, cut out junk food and get some exercise (see your doctor first). Research has shown that in these circumstances it is safe to not gain any weight or even to lose weight during your pregnancy, as your body's fat reserves will provide your baby with enough calories (Artal et al 2007).

 

Gain weight gradually


Weight gain varies amongst individuals and depends on many factors. Women are no longer routinely weighed at prenatal clinics, as there is no evidence that a specific weight gain has any effect on your baby's health (NCCWCH 2003:61).

Average weight gain during pregnancy seems to be between 8 kilos / 18 pounds and 15 kilos / 32 pounds (National Academy of Sciences 1990 cited in NCCWCH 2003:61). Concentrate on eating a healthy diet: plenty of carbohydrates, lots of fruits and vegetables, reasonable amounts of protein, and just a little in the way of fats and sugars.

When you put on weight may be as important as the total amount. Most women gain the least weight during the first trimester and steadily increase, with the greatest amount being put on over the course of the third trimester when the baby is growing the most.

 

Eat small meals every few hours


Even if you're not hungry, chances are your baby is, so try to eat every four hours. And if morning (or all-day) sickness, food aversions, heartburn, or indigestion make eating a chore, you may find that eating five or six small meals, rather than the usual three larger ones, is easier on your body.

Remember, your developing baby needs regular sustenance, so try not to miss meals.


Occasional treats are OK


You don't have to give up all your favourite foods just because you're pregnant. But processed foods and snacks and sugar-packed desserts shouldn't be the mainstay of your diet, either. So as far as snacks are concerned, try a banana rather than luxury ice cream, or a frozen fruit sorbet instead of canned peaches in sugary syrup. But don't feel guilty if you fancy the occasional cookie. Enjoy every bite!