Nutrition & Health - Pregnancy - Knowledge Area

Making the difference from the bottom up

PREGNANCY - NUTRITION

As with all our advice pages, this is some basic information to guide you but please speak with your GP or Midwife if you have any queries or concerns.

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What to eat when pregnant

Plenty of fruit & veg - at least 5 a day
Plenty of starchy foods (preferably wholegrain) such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes
Foods high in protein such as lean meat, chicken, fish (see What to Avoid below for further fish advice), eggs (cooked through) & pulses
Foods high in fibre to help prevent constipation (wholegrain bread, pasta, rice, pulses, fruit & veg)
Foods high in calcium such as milk, cheese (see What to Avoid below for further cheese advice), yoghurt (ie, dairy foods)
Drink fresh fruit juices and plenty of water.

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Vitamins & Minerals

Folic Acid - take from one month before conception (if possible) to the end of the 12th week of pregnancy.
Supplements are easily available from pharmacies, large supermarkets, health food stores and by prescription.
Also take the natural form (folate) found in foods, such as leafy green veg, baked beans, brown rice, fortified breakfast cereals, peas & orange juice.
WHY? Taking folic acid can reduce the risk of neural tube defects (such as spina bifida) in your baby by up to 70%.
For information on Spina Bifida, visit the NHS website.

Iron - When pregnant you can become deficient in iron, however there is an iron saving because of the absence of periods.
Iron rich foods include - red meat, pulses, bread, green veg, fortified breakfast cereals.
Have food & drink containing vitamin C (fruit, veg, orange juice) to help your body absorb iron.
Liver contains iron but should be AVOIDED during pregancy (see below).
If you have iron deficiency you should be prescribed with supplements - check with your GP/Midwife.

Vitamin A - usually essential for good health, but high levels during pregnancy have been linked to birth defects.
Only take supplements if you have been advised to do so by a health professional
Liver and liver products should be avoided - pâtè, fish liver oil etc.

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What to avoid when pregnant

Foods that can cause listeriosis - a rare flu-like illness caused by bacteria (listeria monocytogenes) which can harm your unborn baby or cause miscarriage or still birth. Listeria can occur in:
Pâtè (including vegetable pâtè)
Some cheeses - blue-veined and soft cheeses, whether pasturised or unpasturised, such as Brie & Camembert and soft goats' cheese can contain listeria. (Hard cheeses, cottage cheese, mozarrella, feta, ricotta, cream cheese and cheese spread are fine.)
Other foods to avoid:
Oysters & shellfish - unless they are part of a hot meal & have been thoroughly cooked through. Raw shellfish can cause food poisoning.
Raw or partly cooked egg - only eat eggs when both the white and yolk are solid to avoid the risk of salmonella which causes a type of food poisoning.
Mayonnaise, ice cream & salad dressing - are all fine unless they've been made with raw egg (see just above), which are likely to be home-made versions. Check in restaurants etc. Shop bought products are very likely to have pasteurised egg so they're safe to eat.
Raw & undercooked meat - especially important with poultry and minced meat products. Make sure there is no pink meat and they are piping hot all the way through. Always wash your hands after handling raw meat which contain bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
Liver - as above (Vitamin A), avoid all liver products.
Undercooked ready meals - make sure any pre-cooked meals are heated thoroughly untill piping hot throughout.
Some Fish - Avoid eating Shark, Swordfish and Marlin and no more than 4 medium-sized cans of tuna or 2 fresh tuna steaks a week. This is because the mercury present in these fish could harm your baby's nervous system if levels are high.
Restrict yourself to no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week - salmon, fresh tuna (canned is not counted as oily fish), mackerel, sardines & trout but eating fish is important for the development of your baby.
Caffeine - a recent study in the US (Jan 08) showed that just 2 cups of coffee a day can increase the risk of miscarriage by nearly half. The experts in the study issued a health warning - caffeine should be avoided during pregnancy, even in small amounts. Caffeine can be found in coffee (100mg in a mug), energy drinks, tea, cola and chocolate (a 50g bar of chocolate contains up to 50g of caffeine). Check the label on decaffeinated coffee as some contain chemicals that should be avoided in pregancy.

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Alcohol

When trying to conceive and when pregnant it is best to avoid alcohol altogether (men should avoid alcohol when trying to conceive as well to maximise fertility).

If you do have alcoholic drinks, you should not drink more than 1 or 2 units of alcohol once or twice a week (and always avoid getting drunk) to minimise the risk to your baby (as recommended by the Department of Health) and it's important not to add up your "allowed" units into one day - they should be spread out as advised.

WHY? When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, the alcohol passes through the placenta and can effect the baby's development. This happens throughout the pregnancy, not just in the first few weeks.

Excessive drinking can lead to low birth weight & can also affect the physical and mental development of the child. This condition is known as Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).

To help you, here is a guide of how many units are in various drinks, but it is best to avoid spirits & strong drinks when pregnant::

Type of Drink	Average %ABV (alcohol by volume - check the bottle for %)	Amount	Units
Beer - bottle/can	4%	330ml	1.3
Beer - pint	4%	568ml	2.4
Lager - bottle/can	5.2%	330ml	1.7
Cider - bottle/can	5.3%	330ml	1.7
Ready-to-drink - Smirnoff Ice, etc	5.5%	275ml	1.4
White Wine - small glass	12%	125ml	1.5
White Wine - standard glass	12%	175ml	2.1
Champagne	12%	125ml	1.5
Red Wine - small glass	12.5%	125ml	1.6
Red Wine - standard glass	12.5%	175ml	2.3
Fortified Wines - sherry, port, etc	18%	50ml	0.9
Light Sprits - gin, vodka, etc	37.5%	25ml	0.9
Spirits - whisky, etc	40%	35ml	1.4

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Additives

While additives that are legally allowed in the UK have not been proven to have a detrimental effect on unborn babies and pregnant mothers, it makes sense to keep your diet as natural as possible to maximise the healthy growth of your baby, and particularly if you are prone to allergies.

Try to Avoid:

MSG - Monosodium Glutamate - usually to be found in Chinese & Japanes foods as a flavour enhancer and may be in some stocks, sauces & crisps. Can cause headaches & upset tummy to those sensitive to the product.
Artificial food colouring - research has suggested a link between some artificial food colourings and hyperactivitiy in children & allergies although the Food Standards Agency has not been convinced to review the safety of these colourings. Try to avoid: Tartrazine (E102); Quinoline Yellow (E104); Cochineal (E120); Ponceau R (E124); Erythrosine (E127); Allura Red AC (E129); Patent Blue V (E131); Indigo Carmine (E132) and Green S (E142).
Artificial Sweeteners - saccharin is in many soft/fizzy drinks, especially diet versions, and passes through the body undigested as well as the baby's placenta. It is generally thought that aspartame is a safer sweetener but it is best to avoid them altogether. Avoid high sugar in pregancy, but if you can't (!!) then sweeten naturally with honey or malt sugars rather than sweeteners.
Olean/Olestra - Found in low-fat and fat-free products, this is a fat substitute made from a mix of vegetable oil and sugar which also passes through the body undigested. Best to avoid in pregnancy as it is proven to inhibit the absorption of some nutrients and vitamins.

Get into the habit of:

Label reading - check the label of any food & drinks products you are buying - it's good to get into this habit for when you are buying for your baby/child as they grow up. A good tip is to avoid products with ingredients you haven't heard of or aren't in your kitchen cupboard.
Know your shop - find out about the policy of your supermarket with regards to their own label products and additives etc.
Make your own - try to prepare as much of your own food as possible from fresh ingredients and you'll be naturally avoiding processed food (if you have time off before your baby arrives, good advice is to do a load of cooking and fill your freezer)
Wash and go - wash all fruit and veg to remove any residue of pesticides/fertilisers etc
Try organic - organic foods are produced avoiding exposure to chemicals. Check the label though, many products (food and other) have the word "organic" but closer inspection shows a tiny percentage of ingredients are actually organic. Look out for the Soil Association logo.

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Personal Experiences

If there is anything you would like to add, please do let us know by getting in touch. Thanks.

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