| Foods For A Healthy Pregnancy |
| Weighting for your new arrival |
| It takes more than 85,000 calories over the course of nine months to build a healthy baby. That’s on top of your own calorie needs. It seems like a lot but regrettably it doesn’t give us leeway ‘to eat for two’. Tucking into that super-sized Danish or sausage roll at elevens isn’t the best strategy during pregnancy, especially if it’s coupled with that innate instinct of ‘not over-doing it’ vis-à-vis activity. Indulging in extra calories our bodies just don’t need may seem justified at the time – hey I can’t fit into anything anyway – but at the end of the day, many of us are left holding the baby and an extra 5 pounds or more following pregnancy, which we often never lose. |
| This is worrying, considering that our iron needs are even greater during pregnancy when our blood volume increases by 50% and accounts for 3 to 4 pounds of our total weight gain. Iron is essential for the formation of red blood cells which carry oxygen to all parts of the body. If we don’t get enough iron we have a greater risk of developing iron deficiency anaemia which is characterised by intense tiredness. The most readily available iron is found in meat. The redder the meat, the higher the absorbable iron content. Fish or chicken are also good sources of iron. The haem iron from these sources is absorbed up to seven times more easily than the non-haem iron in green vegetables, cereals and fruits. Vitamin C rich foods such as citrus fruits and juices increases iron absorption, whereas the tannin in tea inhibits absorption. The best way to ensure a sufficient intake is to eat red meat 3 to 4 times a week and supplement that with plenty of green vegetables, wholemeal bread and breakfast cereals, boiled or cooked eggs and pulses. |
| The amount of calcium we need in the second half of pregnancy is 1200 mg per day, one third more than that required by non pregnant women. An adequate intake of bone building calcium helps ensure that the mothers bone mass is preserved while the baby’s skeleton is developing. Try to get your calcium from foods first. During pregnancy eat five servings of dairy daily. A serving is a glass of milk, a pot of yogurt or a matchbox size of cheese. If you can’t increase your dairy intake sufficiently, try sea minerals such as Aquamin or talk to your doctor about a supplement. Almost one in four Irish women have inadequate intakes of calcium according to the NSIFCS, so many women will find higher calcium requirements very challenging in practice. |
| During pregnancy folate helps develop the neural tube, which becomes your baby’s spine. The neural tube starts to form soon after conception. Women who are trying to conceive are encouraged to take a 400 mcg of folic acid to supplement their diet; in case they conceive but are unaware they are pregnant in the early weeks. The supplement should then be continued until the 12week of pregnancy when the neural tube is fully formed. Unfortunately, less that 5% of Irish women achieve the recommended folate intake of 600mcg (200 mcg from the diet and 400 mcg from a supplement) and neural-tube birth defects such as spina bifida occur which could have been prevented. Dark green leafy vegetables (like spinach or kale), citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fortified breads and cereals are all folate-rich foods. |
