Eating well in pregnancy
There's no need for you to spend lots of time measuring out portions, but you might like some guidelines to help you make sure you're eating well.
© DK
Eat a varied diet and balance your intake of different nutrients over a couple of days, rather than at every meal.
Daily eating needs
- First-class proteins - three servings
- Vitamin C foods - two servings
- Calcium foods - four servings in pregnancy, five when feeding
- Green leafy and yellow or red vegetables and fruits - three to four servings
- Other fruit and vegetables - two or three servings
- Whole grains and complex carbohydrates - four or five servings
- Iron-rich food - two servings
- Fluids - eight glasses a day, not coffee or alcohol. Water is best.
| What you need | The foods to eat | |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium foods |
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| First-class protein foods |
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| Green leafy and yellow or red vegetables, and fruit |
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| Whole grains and complex carbohydrates |
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| Vitamin C foods |
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Vitamins and minerals during pregnancy
Foods can provide all the vitamins and minerals our bodies need, except for vitamin D. It is found in some foods, but we get most of our vitamin D from sunlight. The table here is a guide to the best sources of essential vitamins and minerals. They tend to be easily destroyed so aim to eat foods that are as fresh as possible for the most benefit. Some foods contain a range of vitamins and minerals.
| Name | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Vitamin A (retinol & carotene) | Whole milk, butter, cheese, egg yolk, oily fish, green and yellow fruit and vegetables |
| Vitamin B1 (thiamine) | Whole grains, nuts, pulses, pork, brewer’s yeast, wheatgerm |
| Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | Brewer’s yeast, wheatgerm, whole grains, green vegetables, milk, cheese, eggs |
| Vitamin B3 (niacin) | Brewer’s yeast, whole grains, wheatgerm, green vegetables, oily fish, eggs, milk |
| Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) | Eggs, whole grains, cheese |
| Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | Brewer’s yeast, whole grains, soya flour, wheatgerm, mushrooms, potatoes, avocados |
| Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) | Meat, fish, milk, eggs |
| Folic acid (part of B complex) | Raw leafy vegetables, peas, soya flour, oranges, bananas, walnuts |
| Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | Rosehip syrup, sweet peppers, citrus fruits, blackcurrants, tomatoes |
| Vitamin D (calciferol) | Fortified milk, oily fish, eggs (particularly the yolks), butter |
| Vitamin E | Wheatgerm, egg yolk, seeds, vegetable oils, broccoli |
| Calcium | Milk, cheese, small fish with bones, walnuts, sunflower seeds, soya, yogurt, broccoli |
| Iron | Fish, egg yolks, red meat, cereals, molasses, apricots, haricot beans |
| Zinc | Wheatbran, eggs, nuts, onions, shellfish, sunflower seeds, wheatgerm, whole wheat |
Preparing food for pregnant mothers
- Trim fat off meat before cooking.
- Skim fat off the surface of casseroles and soups.
- Bake, steam, microwave, or grill rather than fry.
- Stir-fry food in a teaspoon of olive oil, plus a little water, or with a stock cube dissolved in a cup of water.
- Use non-stick pans and as little fat as possible when you make omelettes or scrambled eggs.
- Use flavoured vinegars, such as raspberry, basil, thyme, or garlic (home-made ones are better than shop-bought), or yogurt for salad dressings, instead of mayonnaise, salad cream, or sour cream.
- Add dried skimmed milk to milky drinks, or when baking, for extra servings of calcium.
- Eat fruit and vegetables raw as often as you can.
- Eat oily fish, but not more than one portion a week. Some fish contain high levels of mercury, which can cause damage to your baby's developing nervous system, so should be avoided altogether (see Choosing proteins).
Posted 16.11.2010
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