Food choices for a healthy pregnancy

Article

Apr 26, 2016

5 mins

Eating for two doesn’t mean eating twice as much food, but it should mean making your food work twice as hard.

Make every kilocalorie count by choosing nutrient-dense foods, in other words get more bang for your calorie buck. By choosing a variety of food from all food groups, you can be assured of a well-balanced diet. But what if you have no appetite some days or occasionally feel nauseous? Remember, a quality diet over several days is what counts, not meal by meal.

What’s the right plan for me?

These food group guidelines, are an easy way to get started on a healthy pregnancy diet. Of course, your beginning weight, height, age, stage of pregnancy and the number of children you are carrying will determine how many kilocalories and how much food you will need.

Typically a woman’s energy requirements don’t increase during the first 3 months of pregnancy. But she will need about 350 kilocalories extra each day after first 3 months.

Nutritional recommendations during pregnancy
Vegetables	5 serves/day	At every meal Raw or cooked Fresh, frozen or canned During pregnancy, make sure that fresh vegetables are carefully washed to eliminate any soil traces either before cooking or before placing in a home-made salad. Cook frozen vegetables, do not eat uncooked.
Fruits	2 serves/day	Buy fresh produce in season where possible Avoid fruit juices as they contain concentrated amounts of sugar. During pregnancy, make sure you wash fresh fruit well before eating.
Grain and wholegrain foods including breads, cereals, potatoes, rice and pasta	8.5 serves/day	Choose high fibre varieties Use wholegrain cereals, breads and choose brown rice / pasta over white Go for a variety of grains: rice, wheat, oats, barley and corn/maize.
Milk and dairy products	3.5 serves/day	Go for variety Choose unflavoured products and opt for the best sources of calcium with the least fat and salt: milk, yoghurts etc. During pregnancy, only eat pasteurised dairy products.
Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds	3.5 serves/day	Try to eat a smaller portion than that of the side dishes (vegetables, grains i.e. pasta, rice etc.) Meat: try to eat a variety of different meats and choose the least fatty cuts. Fish: at least twice a week, either fresh, frozen or canned.
Fats and oils	Limit consumption	Try to eat a variety of unsaturated spreads and vegetable oils (olive oil, rapeseed oil etc.) Limit animal fats (butter, cream, etc.)
Sweets	Limit consumption	Limit foods with a high fat and sugar content (pastries, pudding, ice cream, chocolate bars, etc.) During pregnancy, try and go for fruit instead of sweet treats (cakes, biscuits etc.)
Drinks	Limit consumption	Don’t limit water – Drink tap water or bottled water during and in-between meals Limit sugary drinks (sodas, sugary fruit drinks & nectars) Limit caffeine intake to two cups of caffienated coffee or tea per day. During pregnancy and breastfeeding it is recommended to not drink any alcohol at all.
Salt	Limit consumption	Use iodised salt. Try to limit addition of salt while cooking, and do not add salt before tasting (instead add some pepper or herbs for flavour). Limit salty foods: chips, salty appetisers.
Physical activities	At least 30 minutes’ walk everyday	During pregnancy, maintain your normal physical activity, except those which represent a risk of falling or injury. You should avoid any contact or competition sports. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, do not begin any new strenuous physical activity.

SURPRISE!Healthy fats, in moderation, are good for you. Choose unsaturated fats such as olive oil and nuts, seeds, avocado and salmon for their omega-3 fatty acids.

What is on your plate?

Here is a quick reference table which summarises what these key nutrients do and in which foods to find them

Nutrient	For	From
Protein	Important for growth and development of muscles and bones	Meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, legumes
Carbohydrates	Supplies energy	Pasta, rice, bread, cereal, potatoes, porridge/pap
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)	Important for baby’s brain and eye development	Fish, Omega 3 fatty acid supplements
Probiotics	Contribute to a healthy gut flora	Probiotic products such as yoghurt containing probiotics, probiotic supplements

Vitamins	For	From
Folic acid	Reduces risk of foetal neural tube defects	Dark green leafy vegetables, dried beans, nuts, fortified breads and cereals
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)	Important for energy production and carbohydrate metabolism	Meat, potatoes, wholegrain products
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)	Important for transport of iron and nervous system function	Dairy products, fortified breads and cereals
Vitamin B12	Important for red blood cell formation and brain function	Fish, meat, poultry, dairy
Vitamin C	Important for immune system, collagen synthesis	Oranges, Naartjies, Gauva, tomato, kiwi fruit, broccoli
Vitamin A	Important for skin structure and visual function	Carrots, spinach, other yellow vegetables and fruits, eggs and liver
Vitamin D	Building strong bones and teeth	Sunlight, fish, egg yolks and fortified milk
Vitamin E	Protects against free radical damage	Wheat germ canola/olive oils, nuts and seeds

Minerals and trace elements	For	From
Calcium	Important for bone and teeth formation	Milk, cheese, dairy products, bony fish (pilchards, legumes
Magnesium	Regulates energy metabolism, nerve transmission, muscular contraction	Nuts, green vegetables, legumes
Iron	Important for oxygen transport and blood formation	Red meats, organ meat, fortified grains, bread and certain cereals
Iodine	Production of thyroid hormones and brain function	Fish, iodized salt
Selenium	Antioxidant, maintenance of hair and nails	Seafood, poultry, eggs
Zinc	Cell division, immune system	Meat, poultry, dairy products, fish