KEY POINTS:
Your baby is solely dependent upon you to supply all of the nutrients required for growth, energy and development.
A nutrient deficiency obviously also has an effect on your own health. It can also compromise your ability to maintain the pregnancy and nourish your growing baby.
Every aspect of your reproductive health, including the uterus, placenta and breast milk, is directly affected by what you eat. By eating well, you diminish these concerns.
Friends and colleagues often remark that women have been successfully delivering babies for thousands of years without folate supplements or dietary advice. This is true, but if you look back throughout history, pregnant women were nurtured, protected and even restricted to bed, with pregnancy regarded as a very special phase of life.
Today, women work in more high-profile jobs and choose to have children at a later age. We have more demanding and stressful lifestyles, access to an unlimited range of processed foods and, unless you are eating only organic foods, the fruit and vegetables available now are not as nutritionally rich as our ancestors' choices were.
For all these reasons we need to place more focus on diet during pregnancy.
Your growing baby essentially eats the food you eat. Food is broken down, absorbed and distributed as energy and nutrients via the bloodstream. The placenta draws nourishment directly from your bloodstream and in turn nourishes the foetus. It will absorb everything that enters your body. This is why alcohol is a particular worry. The foetus absorbs alcohol from your bloodstream, but in a much more concentrated form. Compare your body mass to that of your unborn child and you can understand the concern.
Dieting and skipping meals can also be dangerous. As blood sugar levels drop from lack of food, not only do you deny yourself energy, you also deprive your baby of the fuel it needs to grow and develop.
A foetus never stops growing and needs a constant supply of energy. In fact, the best and most common advice given about planning a pregnancy diet is to eat small, regular meals, and you can prevent most of the complaints of pregnancy by doing so.
Try to eat every two to three hours, five to six times a day, and make breakfast the most important meal of your day. No one, pregnant or otherwise, should skip breakfast. It refuels your body after a fast and keeps blood sugar levels in check from the word go. If you find it difficult to eat in the morning, have a single slice of toast or a healthy smoothie until you can stomach something more substantial.
Studies carried out at Harvard School of Public Health have proven how much a newborn's health is a result of its mother's diet during pregnancy. Of the women in the study who had nutritionally balanced diets, 95 per cent gave birth to babies in excellent health. Only 8 per cent of women with poor nutritional diets gave birth to babies in good to excellent health.
Looking after yourself goes hand in hand with producing a healthy baby.
Your body works harder during pregnancy than at any other time in your life. Your major organs function faster and more efficiently to cope with the increased blood supply required in pregnancy.
Your heart works 40 per cent harder, pumping extra blood around your body. Your lungs keep this blood enriched with oxygen and your kidneys clean and filter it. A well-nourished diet ensures excellent health and organ strength and constantly replenishes essential nutrients. This is important because kidneys cannot distinguish between waste and nutrients.
Water-soluble nutrients (vitamins C and B-group) are excreted and lost at a much higher rate when pregnant as the body flushes fluids out more quickly.
The benefits of being healthy
- Inadequate nutrition in the first trimester can impair your baby's development.
- Inadequate nutrition in the third trimester can hinder your baby's growth.
- Inadequate nutrition throughout the entire pregnancy can compromise immune function, leaving you vulnerable to infections.
Well-nourished mothers, though, are more likely to produce babies of a correct birth weight and their babies are generally more mentally alert and have a stronger resistance to disease.
Many people claim they don't have time to be healthy, and with fad diets and conflicting information it can seem daunting and time-consuming to eat. It may seem a whole lot easier to take advantage of time-saving meal options, but this usually means highly processed choices.
The challenges of pregnancy - nausea, fatigue and food aversions - can make planning a wholesome meal totally undesirable. But you need to make sure that every meal you eat during your pregnancy will be the best choice for you and your baby, in fact the whole family.
A healthy diet has many rewards. You will feel great and add longevity to your life, all the while knowing you are doing the best for your baby. Fresh food also tastes so much better than processed foods, and if you follow a highly nutritious diet you can happily enjoy the occasional (and naughty) treat.
A healthy diet can:
Reduce a mother's risk of developing anaemia, pre-eclampsia, hypertension and long-term diseases, including diabetes and osteoporosis.
Contribute to a more comfortable pregnancy by avoiding or minimising symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, constipation, leg cramps, reflux and heartburn.
Help prepare for labour and delivery. Energy stores help you endure labour, while a healthy uterus can "push" more effectively and well-nourished women are less likely to deliver early.
Stabilise your emotional state - a balanced diet helps moderate mood swings and anxiety.
Aids a quicker recovery - a healthy body seems to bounce back faster, with an easier return to pre-pregnancy body weight.
Ensure nutritional breast milk for a happy, healthy baby.
Provide you with more energy to enjoy your newborn - a quick recovery leaves you less fatigued and less likely to suffer postnatal depression.
A well-nourished woman is also more likely to experience a more comfortable pregnancy.
There are discomforts or symptoms common to being pregnant - namely morning sickness, fatigue, digestive problems, constipation and stretch marks. And there are the more serious conditions of hypertension, anaemia, gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia. The good news is that all of these conditions can be relieved, and even avoided, by good diet.
Food is medicine. It's a natural remedy that encourages your body to cure and heal itself while building up resistance to infection and disease. Food remedies have been curing illness and ailments for centuries.
I practise this philosophy in my life and I can't remember the last time I took any form of prescriptive medicine and I rarely get sick. Eating fabulous food keeps me healthy.
A nourishing diet is the best form of preventative medicine. This is especially relevant when pregnant as it is generally not recommended to take medication while expecting. So it is easy to conclude that a well-balanced diet is your best bet for a healthy and happy pregnancy.
PREGNANCY SUPERFOODS
Almonds: Rich in protein, zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin E and antioxidants. Food for the brain, heart, nervous system, digestion and blood pressure.
Avocado: Rich in omega 3 and essential amino acids; contains vitamins B6, C, K and folate. Use as a spread instead of butter.
Banana: Convenient snack, which is rich in iodine, iron, zinc, potassium, folate and vitamins A, B and E. Known to treat diarrhoea.
Blueberries: One of the best antioxidant food sources you can eat; very rich in vitamin C, with half a punnet supplying the recommended daily requirement. Good source of fibre, vitamins B6 and E, potassium and bioflavonoids that assist absorption of other fruits. Great for eyesight, healthy kidneys, strong blood capillaries and diarrhoea. Eat half a cup every day.
Carrots: They treat heartburn, constipation and flatulence and are good for circulation, immunity, skin, hair and nails. One of the few vegetables that is more nutritious when cooked. Raw carrots inhibit activity of listeria by reducing the risk of food poisoning.
Chickpeas and lentils: The wonder food - highly nutritious, great for digestion, hypertension and diabetes. Low in fat, high in protein and fibre, a low GI carbohydrate that contains iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, B vitamins and essential fatty acids.
Dairy products: Low fat milk and yoghurt are best sources. Most absorbable source of calcium and contains all essential amino acids. Great source of protein and vitamin B12. Milk is close to being a complete food. Yoghurt aids digestion. Both are rich in magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins A, B group and D. Hard cheeses are recommended during pregnancy. Soft cheeses (cottage, cream cheese) have less calcium.
Dark green vegetables: Broccoli, spinach and rocket are an excellent source of folate, calcium and vitamin C. Low-fat, fibre-rich, useful sources of beta-carotene, iron, magnesium, potassium.
Eggs: Nature's own vitamin capsule - close to being a complete food. Higher in protein than chicken. Great source of iodine, omega 3, zinc and vitamin D, as well as folate, iron, calcium, selenium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamin A.
Fennel: Well-known for its healing powers. Aids nausea, vomiting, bloating, stomach cramps and digestion and prevents flatulence. Seeds are the richest source of the plant.
Flaxseed oil: Extremely rich in omega 3 and other essential fatty acids. Contains protein, fibre, calcium, vitamins B1, B3 and B6, magnesium, selenium and potassium. Aids constipation. Do not cook flaxseed oil as it can turn rancid. Use in salad dressings, over steamed vegetables, or sprinkle flaxseeds on yoghurt or cereal. Must be stored in the refrigerator.
Garlic: Antibacterial and healing properties. Strengthens immune system, good for blood circulation, warding off colds and flu and general good health.
Ginger: Remedy for nausea and digestion. Boosts circulation and metabolism and provides energy. Contains calcium, vitamin B5, magnesium, zinc and potassium.
Fresh herbs:: Nutritionally packed with protein, fibre, antioxidants, folate, iron, beta carotene, calcium, vitamins A, B2, C and K, magnesium, phosphorus and potass ium. The healthiest way to flavour foods, especi ally parsley, basil, mint and rosemary.
Lean meat: Beef, lamb and chicken. Most absorbable source of iron, containing all essential amino acids. Great source of protein, zinc and vitamin B12.
Oats: The wonder grain. Highly nutritious, a great alternative to wheat and a wise breakfast option. Low GI complex carbohydrate, high in fibre, protein and essential fatty acids. Good source of calcium, magnesium, potassium and folate. Vital to a healthy nervous system and useful for treating diabetes and mild depression.
Pear: A fabulous food for pregnancy. Calms the digestive system, cleanses, heals and is a good aid for constipation. Low GI.
Seafood: Salmon, mussels, canned sardines and tuna are an import-ant food sourceduring pregnancy. Has the lowest level of saturated fat of all animal proteins. Excellent source of zinc, iodine, omega 3 and vitamin B12. Also contains iron, calcium, B-group vitamins, potassium and phosphorus. Shellfish is the best food source of zinc.
Sesame seeds: Very rich source of calcium, protein, vitamin E and fibre. Good for the liver, kidneys, circulation and fatigue.
Sunflower seeds: Rich in omega 3 and dietary fibre, with traces of folate, iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and selenium.
All content on these pages is from Feeding the Bump by Lisa Neal, Allen & Unwin, $35.
