Eating a healthy diet when pregnant is important not only for the growth and development of your baby, but can also impact your child's long-term health. We spoke to Accredited Practising Dietitian and author of The Pregnancy Weight Plan, Melanie McGrice for her expert advice on how to give your baby the very best start in life.
1. Take your prenatal vitamins
With all the recent media headlines suggesting that pregnancy multivitamins are "unnecessary" and "a waste of money", women might be feeling confused as to what supplements to take pre-conception and during their pregnancy.
The evidence stands strong for the use of folic acid (400mg a day) before conception and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida; and vitamin D (10 micrograms a day), which is important for the baby's bone and tooth formation, and to aid calcium absorption. These are the current guidelines from the NHS and Department of Health.
2. Get plenty of iron
Your overall requirement for iron significantly increases during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy." A woman's blood volume increases by 150% during pregnancy to increase the delivery of oxygen and nutrients around the body," explains Melanie. "Iron is an essential component in blood, so as blood volume increases, so too does her iron requirements. Iron requirements increase from 18mg per day to 27mg each day." Extra iron is also required for the growing baby and placenta.
There are two types of iron in food - iron from animal foods (haem iron) and iron from plant foods (non-haem iron). Haem iron is absorbed by the body about 10 times better than non-haem iron, and the best source is red meat (the redder the meat, the more iron it contains). Non-haem iron can be obtained from wholegrain and iron-fortified breads, nuts, legumes and green leafy vegetables. Non-haem sources of iron should always be combined with a food source of vitamin C (such as tomato, red pepper or a squeeze of lemon juice) which can help to enhance the iron absorption.
3. Minimise your caffeine intake
It is recommended that caffeine should be limited to 200mg a day during pregnancy. High levels of caffeine during pregnancy can result in babies having a low birth weight, which can increase the risk of health problems later in life. There is some evidence to suggest that too much caffeine may also increase miscarriage risk.
As a guideline, here are the caffeine levels in some food and drinks:
One mug of instant coffee: 100mg
One mug of filter coffee: 140mg
One mug of tea: 75mg
One can caffeinated fizzy drink: 40mg
Small bar plain chocolate: 50mg
Small bar milk chocolate: 25mg
If you're buying takeaway coffee, bear in mind that the caffeine content of espressos, and coffees based on espressos, such as cappuccinos and lattes, can depend on the outlet. But don't be concerned if you have more caffeine than 200mg a day on the odd occasion - the risk from this is thought to be very small. Pregnant woman holding jar of gherkins pregnancy cravings
4. Avoid high risk foods
During pregnancy women are at a higher risk of food poisoning, and need to be mindful of preparing and storing food carefully. It is recommended that foods be avoided that may contain listeria bacteria like soft cheeses (brie, camembert, ricotta, feta and blue cheese), sandwich meats, pate, bean sprouts and pre-prepared salads. Raw eggs, unpasteurised milk/milk products, raw and undercooked meat, and raw shellfish fish should also be avoided. For a comprehensive list of foods to avoid,