Pregnancy Eating Plan

The best way to meet you and your baby’s nutritional needs is to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods and be as healthy as possible as early as possible.


These foods should include:
-Bread, cereals, rice, pasta and noodles—preferably wholegrain or wholemeal 
-Vegetables and legumes 
-Fruit 
-Milk, yoghurt, hard cheese—preferably low fat 
-Meat, fish, poultry, cooked eggs and nuts



The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating from the Commonwealth Government Department of Health and Ageing recommends:

Weight gain during pregnancy varies between women. It is normal to gain 12-14kg during pregnancy. So it is important not to diet or skip meals while youre pregnant your baby grows every day and needs you to maintain a balanced, healthy diet.

Vitamins, nutrients and minerals

During pregnancy your body needs extra vitamins, minerals and nutrients to help your baby develop. The best way of getting these vitamins is through your diet.



Folate

Folate is a B vitamin and is added to food or supplements as folic acid. Folate is important for your baby’s development during early pregnancy because it helps prevent birth abnormalities like spina-bifida.

The best way to make sure you get enough folate is to take a daily folic acid supplement of 400 to 600 micrograms (μg) one month before becoming pregnant and during the first three months of pregnancy. If you have a family history of neural tube defects you may need even more folate, so you should consult your doctor.

It is also important to eat foods that have added folic acid or are naturally rich in folate. Foods with folic acid added to them (fortified) include most breads, some breakfast cereals, and fruit juices. Check the nutrition information panel on the package to find out how much folate is present.

Foods naturally rich in folate include green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach and salad greens, chick peas, nuts, orange juice, some fruits and dried beans and peas.



Iron

Pregnancy increases your need for iron. Your baby draws enough iron from you to last it through the first five or six months after birth so it’s vital that you consume more iron while pregnant. The recommended daily intake (RDI) of iron during pregnancy is 27mg per day. Taking a supplement may help to meet this recommended intake but you should only take iron supplements under your doctor’s advice.


Good sources of iron include:
-lean beef and lamb
-poultry
-fish and shellfish
-breakfast cereals fortified with iron
-eggs
-cooked legumes such as chick peas, lentils, kidney and lima beans
-dried fruits
-green vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and spinach


Eating foods high in vitamin C will also help you to absorb iron if you consume them at the same time. Try drinking a glass of orange juice when eating green vegetables or legumes. You also need to watch out for tea, coffee and cola because caffine reduces the body's absorption of iron.



Calcium

Calcium is essential to keep bones healthy and strong. During the third trimester of pregnancy, your baby needs a large amount of calcium as they start to develop and strengthen their bones. If you’re not getting enough calcium in your diet, the calcium needed by your baby will be drawn from your own bones. To prevent this and the risk of osteoporosis later in life make sure you are getting enough calcium in your diet for both of you.

The recommended daily intake of calcium during pregnancy is 1000mg to 1300mg per day. Two serves of dairy foods, such as milk, hard cheese, yoghurt and calcium–fortified soy milk, should meet your daily requirements.



Iodine

Iodine is important for everyone, but particularly for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Mild to moderate iodine deficiency during pregnancy can result in the baby having learning difficulties and affect the development of motor skills and hearing.

In Australia, most breads, except organic varieties, are fortified with iodine which will help to address the iodine needs of most of the population. However, pregnant and breastfeeding women have higher requirements for iodine so some women may need to take a supplement. Talk to a doctor, midwife or accredited, practising dietitian for advice.

If you think you are not getting enough vitamins or nutrients please speak to your doctor.


Remember the golden rules of food safety:


Food poisoning

When you're pregnant, hormonal changes in your body lower your immune system which can make it harder to fight off illness and infections. Preventing foodborne illness and protecting yourself from other food risks during pregnancy is extremely important.
Remember the golden rules of food safety:
-Keep it cold
-Keep the fridge below 5oC 
-Put any food that needs to be kept cold in the fridge straight away 
-Don’t eat food that’s meant to be in the fridge if it’s been left out for two hours or more 
-Defrost and marinate food in the fridge, especially meats 
Shop with a cooler bag, picnic with an esky



Keep it clean
-Wash and dry hands thoroughly before starting to prepare or eat any food, even a snack 
-Keep benches, kitchen equipment and tableware clean 
-Separate raw and cooked food and use different cutting boards and knives for each 
-Don’t let raw meat juices drip onto other foods 
-Avoid eating food made by someone sick with something like diarrhoea 



Keep it hot
-Cook foods until they’re steaming hot 
-Reheat foods until they’re steaming hot 
-Make sure there’s no pink left in cooked meats such as mince or sausages 
-Look for clear juices before eating freshly cooked chicken or pork 
-Heat to boiling all marinades containing raw meat juices before serving  



Check the label
-Don’t eat food past the use-by date 
-Note the best before date 
-Follow storage and cooking instructions 
-Ask for information about unpackaged foods