PREGNANCY NUTRITION

Pregnancy guide

PREGNANCY NUTRITION

Healthy eating plays a very important role in a healthy pregnancy.
You need to eat foods from a variety of sources to make sure you get all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients you and your developing baby need.
Eating well will also help you feel better, give you more energy and help keep your weight in check.
It will also contribute to your baby’s health growth and development.

During your second and third trimesters of pregnancy, you need more calories each day to support the growth of your baby.
You can add them in as an additional snack or as part of your usual meals. For example, have a fruit and yogurt as a snack, or have an extra slice of toast at breakfast and an extra glass of milk at supper.

Pregnant women need fruits and vegetables every day.
Brightly coloured vegetables and fruit contain more of the kinds of vitamins you and your baby need.
You should eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day.
Make sure your fruits and vegetables are prepared with little or no added fat, sugar and salt, and choose vegetables and fruit more often than juice.

You need to include grain products as part of your daily diet.
This includes foods like bread, rice and pasta.
Try to choose grain products that are lower in fat, sugar and salt, and look for the ”whole grain” variety since at least half of your daily grain intake should be whole grain.

Milk and alternatives are important for your growing baby.
Opt for the low-fat variety, which will give you the high quality protein, calcium and vitamin D you need but with less of the fat and calories.
Have skim, 1% or 2% milk every day and go for a variety of yogurt and cheese.
Drink fortified soy beverages if you do not drink milk.

Eating meat and alternatives each day will help you and your baby stay health.
Choose lean meats and meat alternatives (dried peas, beans, tofu and lentils) made with little or no added fat or salt.
Fish is also important and should be eaten each week. But choosing which fish to eat, and how much, can be complicated.

It depends on how much you weighed before you got pregnant.
The following recommendations are based on your Body Mass Index (BMI) before you became pregnant. BMI is a number based on a comparison of your weight to your height. BMI = weight(kg)/height (m2).

Yes. Avoid the following foods which may be contaminated by bacteria:

• raw fish, especially shellfish such oysters and clams
• undercooked meat, poultry and seafood
• all foods made with raw or lightly cooked eggs
• unpasteurized milk products and foods made from them
• unpasteurized juices
• raw sprouts

There a lots of healthy foods you can eat on the run.
Try pre-washed vegetables, raisin boxes, low-fat cottage cheese bowls, low-fat yogurt in a cup, mixed vegetable juice or fruit juice, trail mix and cheese.
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water!

For further information
For further information