Pregnancy & Nutrition

Good nutrition during pregnancy is essential and will help to keep a developing baby and its mother healthy. 


During pregnancy the foods eaten by a mother provide: 


  • Nutrients the baby needs to grow and develop 
  • Nutrients to keep herself healthy 
  • Lay a foundation of heath that can support you during breastfeeding 
An optimally healthy woman will usually feel well for most of her pregnancy, and therefore have a greater chance of enjoying the experience and looking forward to her baby’s birth with joy. To some degree, it is likely that the changes that occur during pregnancy will cause periodic discomfort; many common problems are a reflection of lifestyle and diet. Some nausea may be unavoidable, however, some issues such as persistent constipation, headaches, leg cramps, and exhaustion can be prevented or relieved with good nutrition.1 Furthermore, there is overpowering evidence that excellent maternal nutrition almost always results in healthy mother and babies, while a poorly nourished pregnant mother is likely to experience complications during the pregnancy and birth.

Foods.....

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The best way to ensure that you are eating well is to include a wide variety of healthy, natural foods with minimal processing, additives or preservatives. The core of a healthy diet will be made up of whole grains beans, fresh vegetable, fresh fruits, nuts, seeds and smaller amounts of dairy products and complementary amounts of meats, particularly fish and poultry.   A general guideline of the food serving is as follows: 


Calories: eat plentiful amounts of healthy foods – now is not the time to minimize on calores. 
Protein: 4 servings 
Vitamin C foods: 2 servings 
Calcium foods: 4 servings
Whole grains and other complex carbohydrates: 4-6 servings 
Iron rich foods: some daily
High fat foods eg oils, fish, avocado, nuts, seeds - 2 daily
Salt – daily in moderation to taste
Water – 6-8 glasses per day
Suggested substitutions 
  • Substitute red meats with poultry, veal and fish 
  • Coffee can be substituted with herbal teas or dandelion tea 
  • Squeeze of lemon juice can be added to water 

Foods to eat freely 
  • All vegetables 
  • All fruit – 3 -4 serves per day 
  • Cook with coconut oil, butter 
  • Good fats such as Avocado 
  • Use olive oil or grape seed oil over salads 
  • Increase dietary fibre intake eg fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, psyllium seed husks, oat bran, legumes 
  • Make sure that there is adequate calcium intake during the day eg sardines, broccoli, almonds, yoghurt, cheese, milk, almond milk 
Foods to Eat less 
Animal foods as they tend to be predominately saturated fats and contain cholesterol. 
Reduce saturated fats to 1/3 of fat intake 

Foods to Avoid 
  • All simple sugars eg chocolate 
  • Refined carbohydrates eg white bread, white pasta 
  • Soft drinks 
  • Deep fried Foods 
  • Margarine 
  • High GI index foods 
  • Processed foods 
  • Avoid additives, preservatives and chemicals such as artificial sweeteners 
  • Alcohol 
  • Caffeine particularly soft caffeinated drinks and energy drinks 
  • Sports drinks 

SUGGESTED DAILY DIET 

Morning Juice
  • Ginger, carrot and apple juice x 2 weekly 
  • Beetroot, celery, orange and apple juice x 3 weekly 
  • Protein shake: Mediherb (Chocolate or vanilla x 2 weekly with soy or full cream milk
Breakfast 

Oatmeal with milk preferably oat milk, rice milk, soy milk or almond milk ½ cup blueberries OR any fruit 
Sprinkle of nuts and seeds eg linseed, flaxseed, almonds, sunflower seeds 
Lunch 

Grilled chicken 
Vegetable greens and assorted veggies Beans 2 tsp olive oil or sunflower oil sprinkled over veggies 
Apple or piece of fruit 
Snacks 

Yoghurt sprinkled with nuts and seeds eg linseed, flaxseed, almonds, sunflower seeds OR 
Piece of fruit OR Crackers with cheese 
Dinner 

Poached salmon 
Spinach salad, 1 cup greens, ½ cup assorted vegetables 1 tsp olive oil, vinegar ½ cup brown rice 
Eating out 
Eating out should be an enjoyable event and needn’t be stressful when seeking out the most appropriate restaurant. As long as the choice of food follows the general healthy eating guidelines, it shouldn’t be a problem. 
  • Sushi  is great but go for vegetarian or meat choices not fish. 
  • Thai food – choose a non creamy base sauce eg. Rice/vegetable/chicken in a bean curd sauce 
  • Indian – choose a non creamy base sauce Pregnancy Dietsheet 4 
  • Italian – the pastas will mostly be refined. This is OK once in a while. Choose a tomato based sauce with lots of vegetables and don’t forget to order a side salad with olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing rather than a creamy salad dressing.
Books to read 

1.     Better Babies & Natural Health and Fertility written by Francesca Naish 
2.     The Natural Way to Better Babies: Preconception Health Care for Prospective Parents. Francesca Naish and Janice Roberts. 
3.     Healthy Parents, Better Babies: A Couples Guide to Natural Preconception Health Care. Francesca Naish and Janette Roberts. 
4.     Up the Duff by Kaz Cooke 
5.     Kid Wrangling: Real Guide to Caring for Babies, Toddlers and Little Kids by Kaz Cooke 
6.     Everywoman by Derek Llewellyn-Jones. This is an oldie but very well written and comprehensive and must in every gals library. 
7.     Baby Love: Robin Barker – fabulous book for post baby care, sensible and written by a well know Sydney nurse. 
8.     Baby Love: Everything you need to know about your Babys First Year by Robin Barker. 
9.     Super Baby – Sarah Brewer, this covers the latest research on creating the SUPER baby.