A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Pregnancy

A healthy diet is very important If you are trying to conceive and more so if you are pregnant. Eating healthily will help your baby develop and grow and also help keep you fit and well. You don't need a special diet but you do need to eat a variety of different foods every day in order to get the right balance of nutrients both you and the baby need.

Being pregnant doesn't mean that you have to eat for two. It`s the quality and variety that's important and you don't have to give up all your favorite foods but restrict those that are most fattening and are full of empty calories like refined sugar.

If you are trying to conceive or are less than 12 weeks pregnant, you should be taking folic acid as this can help prevent birth defects such as Spina Bifida Ask your doctor for advice on folic acid.

Essential Foods Groups
Fruit & vegetables - It doesn't matter whether they are fresh, frozen or canned, salads or dried fruit, all are good for essential vitamins (get more information on vitamins and what they do), trace elements and fibre to help digestion and prevents constipation.

Eat them lightly cooked in a little water or raw to avoid cooking essential nutrients out of them - if you overcook vegetables, you are probably better off drinking the water they were cooked in!

Because of herbicides and pesticides sprayed on commercially grown fruit and vegetables, thoroughly wash them all, including ready prepared salads, to remove any chemical residues and soil. Top and peel carrots before eating them as some residues can be contained in the skin of these vegetables.

Citrus fruit, tomatoes, broccoli, blackcurrents and potatoes are good sources of vitamin C.

Meat, Fish and Other Sources of Protein - Protein is essential for our well being and alternatives sources include eggs, beans, pulses and nuts.

Cook all meat, particularly poultry, thoroughly so there are no traces of blood. Wash all surfaces and utensils with hot soapy water after preparing meat so such things as salmonella are not transferred to other food. Additionally, never put poultry in the refrigerator on a shelf above food eaten raw. Blood could drip on it. Make sure all pre-cooked poultry and meals are thoroughly cooked before eating them.

Eggs should also be thoroughly cooked until the whites and yolks are solid to prevent the risk of salmonella and e.coli food poisoning. Avoid foods containing raw eggs like homemade mayonnaise, cheese cake or mousse.

Milk & Dairy Foods - Yoghurt, milk, Fromage frais, cheese and butter are another very important part of any diet but particularly so when you are pregnant as they contain calcium and other nutrients needed for your baby`s development. Choose low fat varieties. Drink only pasturised or UHT milk. Don`t eat or drink any goats or sheep`s products. Avoid all types of pate and mould-ripened soft cheese, like Brie, Stilton, or Danish blue because they can carry listeria, a very serious situation for pregnant women.

Carbohydrates - Bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta, rice, oats, noodles, maize and cornmeal are an important part of any diet and should go with meat or vegetables to form part of the meal. They don't contain as many calories as you may think but they are an important source of vitamins and fibre. The emphasis should be on wholegrain bread, rice and pasta whenever possible.

Fats and Sugar - Olive oils and oily fish like sardines, salmon and mackerel contain omega 3 oils, essential. Research indicates they can prevent serious complications during pregnancy as well as improve the health of the unborn child.

Because it is important that you do not put on excess weight during pregnancy, eat foods containing saturated or hydrogenated fat or sugar like cakes, crisps, pastries, etc only in small amounts if you cannot give them up completely. If you have kept your weight down, you will be glad once you have had the baby because you will get your figure back much more quickly.