• You need nutrient-rich foods to help your baby grow.
• An increase of about 300 calories a day is recommended as you get into the second trimester, and is particularly important as your pregnancy progresses.
You may have been making a special effort to up your vitamin and mineral intake prior to conception, so if you have, you won’t need to make huge changes to get your diet right.
There are foods that should be avoided during pregnancy, such as soft cheeses, smoked seafood, liver, and fish containing high mercury levels like swordfish. We don’t list them here, but your GP will advise you on what to steer clear of until you have your baby.
What’s most important is to ensure that you eat a well-balanced diet high in vitamins and minerals that will give you and your baby all you need to stay healthy.
The following foods are nutrient rich, so stock up your cupboards with as many of these as you can:
• Green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, and broccoli, brussels sprouts, red bell peppers, onions, aubergine and alfalfa sprouts.
• Oily fish high in essential fats (salmon is rich in folic acid and low in mercury)
• Cooked beans - a good source of calcium, important when pregnant
• Eggs – rich in Vitamin D (the bone builder), protein, iron, folate and choline
• Soups: the right soups are both nutritious and hydrating
• Healthy fats like olive oil and nuts
• Anti oxidant-filled fruits such as prunes, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries, plums, cherries and dates.
Drinking more water and other fluids will keep you hydrated and help eliminate toxins. Lots of water is ideal, but other fluids such as milk, fruit and vegetable juices, and soups are also beneficial in the right amounts.
Getting sufficient protein is a must during pregnancy, as the amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, are essential for a growing fetus. Protein is found in meat, poultry, fish and eggs. But for those on a vegetarian diet, it’s also plentiful in beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and some dairy products.
What’s on the menu?
Try to mix and match your three daily meals to achieve the right balance of grains, fruit and vegetables, dairy, protein and essential fats.
These are suggestions for warming dishes high in nutrients:
Breakfast
• Porridge or wholegrain cereal topped with berries and natural low fat yoghurt
• Eggs Florentine: Poached egg with spinach and a light white sauce, with seeded whole meal toast
• Baked beans on a whole meal granary bap
Lunch
• Beef and vegetable soup or organic vegetable soup
• Hummus and aubergine wrapped in warm pitta bread
• Warm chickpea salad
• Taco stuffed with kidney beans, grated cheese, lettuce and tomatoe
• Spinach omelette with leafy green salad
• Avocadoe and egg pâté with wholegrain crackers and tomatoe salad
Dinner
• Chicken and bean casserole or Italian bean casserole (vegetarian)
• Salmon and broccoli loaf with dill and capers
• Beef or chicken fajitas
• Chicken or seafood stir-fry (light on oil and sauces)
Snacks
• Black bean hummus on wholegrain crackers
• A handful of nuts and raisins
• Berries – to boost your Vitamin C during the day
• If you’re at home, try a dry fruit milkshake (mix a spoon of natural yoghurt with fresh figs, almonds, pistachios (soaked), a teaspoon of honey, a pinch of vanilla essence and some warm milk)
A useful tip or an old wives tale?
• Many pregnant women find that eating smaller, more frequent, meals helps when there’s extra pressure on the digestive system
• Honey in a glass of warm milk can often relieve heartburn
• Spicy foods don’t harm your baby, although you may find them harder to digest during pregnancy.
With a little thought and planning, the right foods can help you stay warm, comfortable and healthy during your pregnancy, and with energy stored for the new arrival!