Up the Duff? Here’s What to Put in Your Mouth

Posted on 2 March, 2017

Pregnancy is one of the most nutritionally demanding stages of the life cycle.

Women often feel a strong desire to produce a healthy baby, while at the same time worrying about how their own body will fare once the pregnancy is over. Stretch marks, anyone?

Your decisions about health and nutrition can significantly affect both your own and your baby’s lifelong health. That’s why the goal of good pregnancy nutrition is to provide adequate nutrients to both the developing baby and the mother that will promote optimum, lifelong health in both parties.

Essentially this means that good pregnancy nutrition should help you:

• Deliver a healthy, full-term baby
• Achieve a healthy weight gain during pregnancy
• Achieve optimum nutrient stores to support breastfeeding and future pregnancies

Pregnant women don’t have an instinctive drive to consume more nutrients nor are ‘cravings’ reflective of what your body needs to be eating. Pregnancy hormones can do crazy things to a woman’s body, so be sensible with your cravings and choose whole, fresh, unprocessed foods whenever possible.

For more information about the specific nutrients required during pregnancy please check out my article: Your Pregnant Body Needs

Pregnancy nutrition

Pregnancy increases the body’s needs for almost every vitamin and mineral, yet your body’s need for extra kilojoules (energy) is very small and only really occurs in the final trimester of pregnancy.

This means that in order to meet your body’s nutritional needs without consuming excess amounts of kilojoules you need to choose nutrient dense foods as much as possible.

Choose nutrient dense foods

Nutrient dense foods are ones that contain lots of vitamins and minerals for a low amount of energy. Think whole, fresh, unprocessed foods and you’ll on the right track.

The extra energy required by the average women in the final trimester of pregnancy is approximately 1800kJ (430 cals). You could easily meet this with two chocolate bars or one large slice of chocolate cake. However, this extra food would not provide you with the extra nutrition such as folate, iron, iodine, calcium, vitamins A, B, C and E that are required to grow and nourish a healthy baby.

A banana smoothie, a bowl of spinach salad and a handful of fresh strawberries also equals 1800kJ yet also offers you folate, calcium, vitamin C and a handful of other important nutrients. Choosing foods like this will not only nourish your body and that of your growing baby’s but it’ll also mean you won’t experience excessive weight gain either.

Pregnancy is NOT the time for Weight Loss

If you are currently overweight, pregnancy is not the time to lose weight. Restricting your energy intake through dieting or skipping meals can seriously compromise the health of both you and your baby. Your goal should be a healthy weight gain of approximately 8-15kg or as directed by your doctor. Checking in with a nutritionist/dietitian during this time is a good idea to get some individualised advice and see how you’re tracking.

To maximise your nutrition and achieve a healthy weight gain, choose from the following food groups daily:

Five serves of vegetables

Your baby needs folate, antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals to grow and develop. Vegetables are the primary source of these health-promoting chemicals and should be the cornerstone of your diet. One serve equals approximately one cup of vegetables.

Try this recipe: Cashew and Vegetable Stir Fry

Two serves of fruit

Fruit is a fantastic source of vitamin C, antioxidants and dietary fibre. They make great snacks, shakes, smoothies, breakfast cereal toppings or are fantastic added to salads and mains. One serve equals approximately one piece of large fruit (mango, apple etc), two pieces of small fruit (apricot, plum etc) or 100g of berries, grapes or melon.

Try this recipe: Watermelon Salsa

One serve of legumes

Legumes are a fantastic source of low GI carbohydrate, dietary fibre, antioxidants, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, iron, folate and other B-group vitamins. One serve equals approximately one cup of legumes or beans.

Try this recipe: Chicken & White Bean Parcels

1-2 serves of nuts & seeds

Nuts and seeds are a great source of healthy unsaturated fat. In particular linseeds, chia seeds and walnuts contain omega 3 fatty acids which are an essential part of our diet. They are also a great source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. One serve equals approximately 30g or a small handful.

Try this recipe: Trail mix

2-3 serves whole grains

Healthy carbohydrates are products or foods that contain the whole cereal grain rather than refined processed products that only use a portion of the cereal grain. One serve of whole grain is equal to two slices of bread or one cup or cooked pasta, rice or other whole grain.

Try this recipe: Quinoa Nourish Plate

1-2 serves of meat, poultry or fish

Fresh, unprocessed meat is a great source of complete protein, B vitamins (particularly vitamin B12), iron and zinc. One serve equals approximately the size of your palm or about 150-200g.

Try this recipe: Fish & Chips

Two serves of dairy

Dairy is by far the best source of calcium in your diet. It’s also a great source of magnesium, B vitamins and many other nutrients in smaller amounts. One serve of dairy is equal to approximately 300ml of milk, 200g of yoghurt or one slice of cheese. Check out this article on non-dairy calcium sources if you need other options.

Try this recipe: Mango & Haloumi Salad

If you’re pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant in the future and would like more tailored information to your specific lifestyle and situation, please make an appointment with one of our nutritionists or dietitians.