KEY POINTS:
When Hollywood star Jessica Alba turned up at the ALMA Awards a couple of weeks ago, you'd never have guessed she was a new mum. In the two months since she gave birth, the actress has lost 11kg of baby weight on a low-fat, low-carb diet. Then there's Nicole Kidman who, even during the third trimester of her pregnancy, merely looked like she had a bad case of bloat.
With role models like these, the Ministry of Health's ultra-sensible guideline that Kiwi mums should allow nine to 12 months for post-pregnancy weight loss has a hollow ring. It's hardly surprising that women are striving to regain their flat stomachs much faster than that - some even choosing to diet during pregnancy.
Registered dietitian Nikki Hart says it's a trend she has noticed. "There does appear to be a drive by women in developed countries to 'get their bodies back' sooner than in previous decades," she says. "Urban women are more concerned about how they'll be perceived if they don't return to their pre-pregnancy weight and this may affect how they manage their food while pregnant."
Hart believes there's more to this than just keeping up with the stars. "A factor I've recognised is the economic reliance of many couples on the mother's income. I'm often told that women feel the need to have some kind of control over their very busy lives, juggling work with motherhood, they have to get their weight under control either by dieting or exercising, even though they're exhausted."
There are many reasons why dieting while pregnant is a bad idea, the main one being that, in undernourished mothers, any nutrients go to sustain the mother not the baby growing inside her. "So that baby will have a tendency to be low birthweight and will be at increased risk of stillbirth or neonatal death and increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension in adult life," explains Hart.
To support healthy foetal growth pregnant women need more nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, iron, zinc, selenium, iodine, more vitamins and, most importantly, folic acid, which should be taken prior to conception to prevent neural tube defects. The tricky thing is they don't need a great deal more food for energy - only 340 calories extra in the second trimester and 425 for the third.
So, rather than eating for two, pregnant and breastfeeding women should concentrate on consuming a nutrient-rich diet. Out goes anything containing empty calories, especially sugar and processed high-salt foods. Instead meals should be all about a wide variety of well-washed fresh fruit and veges, lean meat, fish, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, lentils, beans, pasta, flaxseed oil and dairy. Combined with the recommended 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day this should keep weight gain gradual and in the healthy zone (between 11.5 and 16kg if your pre-pregnancy weight was normal, more for thin women, less if you were overweight to start with).
For Hollywood stars it's all made easier by the nutritionists and dietitians they have. They can afford to pay for individualised eating plans. The rest of us have to work things out for ourselves.
"There are many excellent resources and maternity books out there with good nutrition sections so women can get the necessary information," says Hart. "However I've always thought it would be great if every pregnant woman could have at least one free session with a dietitian or nutritionist to just ensure mother and baby are eating and growing well."
- Detours, HoS
