Pregnancy nutrition
Making small changes to your daily diet now will benefit both of you. Even if you’ve always eaten healthily, there are some foods to avoid in pregnancy and others you should eat plenty of, so it’s a good idea to read up on what you should and shouldn’t be eating.
The eatwell plate
The eatwell plate below can be used as a general guide to healthy eating; it tells you which foods and how much of them you should include. However, during pregnancy, there are some extra considerations to bear in mind.
Tips for healthy eating during pregnancy
- Eating a range of foods from each of the different food groups will give you a good balance of nutrients
- Eat little and often. You should be aiming for 3 main meals a day, with 2-3 light snacks in-between
- Add extra servings of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals and beans to up your fibre intake
- Drink at least 2 litres of water a day with extra fluids such as low-fat milk, fresh fruit juices and soup on top
- Aim to eat one portion of oily fish and one portion of white fish each week (but avoid shark, swordfish and marlin)
- Vegetable, corn, olive and sunflower oil are healthier alternatives to butter for cooking but use them sparingly
- Processed and preserved foods can contain high levels of salt and additives so avoid them where possible
- Drink no more than 2 mugs of tea or coffee a day
- Sweets, crisps, cakes, biscuits, fats, oils, and sugar provide no real nutritional value - only extra calories – so are best kept for occasional treats or replaced by healthier alternatives. Resisting them now will make it easier to regain your pre-pregnancy figure afterwards
If you don’t feel as though you’re eating enough of a particular food group and you’re worried about missing out on vitamins, minerals or other nutrients, speak to your midwife or doctor who may be able to help or recommend a safe pregnancy supplement.
Why not try some of our pregnancy recipes that have been designed for mums-to-be and breastfeeding mums.
Our team of experienced mums and a midwife are here to help too. Call them on 0800 996 1000 or try our one-to-one online messaging service, Live Chat available from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday.
ive just found out that im pregnant but want to know what the best food i can eat
11 October 2010 11:03