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Pregnancy Nutrition
The important thing in maintaining a well-balanced pregnancy nutrition is not to eat too --much of any one type of food. Pregnant women need a variety of nutrition in order to get adequate supplies of essential protein, minerals and vitamins. Try to keep the same kind of balance of these in your diet as before you were pregnant - about 10 500 kilojoules daily should be sufficient for your energy needs. if you eat too many refined carbohydrates, found for example in cakes, sweets, and soft drinks, your kilojoule intake will become excessive and the body's metabolism simply won't be able to burn them up fast enough.
You can make sure of getting all the necessary nutrients by planning your daily meals from the following five basic groups. Try to eat as many fresh and untreated foods as possible, as the processing and heat treatments used to produce 'convenience' foods considerably reduce their nutritional value.
Dairy products
Milk is the best pregnancy nutrition, as it is high in protein and calcium. Skimmed milk is less nutritious as it has lost essential fatty acids, which are important as vitamins. However, there is one skimmed milk product now being recommended to pregnant women. 'Shape' or its Victorian equivalent 'REV' is a specially modified skimmed milk which contains vitamins and extra calcium but not the fat found in whole milk. So if you are worried about your weight, drink this milk or drink less whole milk rather than substituting skimmed milk. Cheese is fairly rich in protein and calcium and contains vitamins A and D, but is also high in fat. Cottage cheese is a nutritious alternative. if you have a small appetite or don't like drinking milk, a good quality dairy ice-cream is rich in calcium, carbohydrate and fats, so a small portion would make an ideal dessert. Avoid the commercial varieties described as non-dairy produce, as they contain dubious fats rather than milk, plus chemicals and additives. Cream is high in calcium and protein - and fat. For those who dislike milk, natural yoghurt makes a good pregnancy nutritional substitute, as it is high in calcium.
Suggested daily intake:
600 to 900 mL Note: Teenage pregnancy 900 mL
30 g hard cheese = 200 mL milk
200 g yoghurt = 2 50 mL milk,
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs and legumes
Offal (liver, kidneys and heart) is an excellent source of protein, iron and B vitamins. It is especially good for you if you are anaemic and essential if, for any reason, you are not taking iron tablets. Red meats (beef, lamb and pure beef hamburgers) also contain a lot of protein and iron. Poultry (chicken and turkey) has a high protein content, and roasting is a good way to cook the meat without losing the goodness, White fish (cod, gernfish, ling, flake, etc.) are similar in nutritional value to poultry. Tinned fish (pilchards, sardines, tuna and herring) are rich in calcium, iron, vitamin A and protein, but they tend to be oily so their calorie content is higher. Eggs too, are a good source of protein, calcium, fat and vitamins A and D. Legumes (beans, peas and pulses - dried beans and peas - such as lentils, chick peas, etc) are an ideal source of protein and dietary fibre.
Suggested daily intake:
2 to 3 servings. Include 1 of these foods at 2 or 3 of your meals each day. I average serving is: 7 5 g to 100 g meat, fish, poultry, cheese, or, I or 2 eggs, or 1/2 cup cooked legumes.
Bread and cereals
All bread contains calcium, carbohydrate, iron and protein. However processed bread contains 'empty kilojoules' which means that you are getting more stodge and fewer nutrients than you will in wholemeal bread - which is also a good source of roughage. Whole cereals contain similar nutrients to wholemeal bread. Pasta and rice products contain carbohydrates, calcium
and iron, and are not as fattening as is generally assumed - it's the rich sauces served with the pasta and the creamy milk in the rice puddings that do the damage. Again brown rice and pasta are better for you than white.
Suggested daily intake:
4 servings or more. I serving is: I slice bread, or 1/2 cup cooked rice, spaghetti, macaroni, noodles rolled oats, or 3/4 cup breakfast cereal, or 2 crispbread.
Vegetables and fruit
Dried beans and peas are a cheap source of protein. Green vegetables and potatoes are high in vitamin C and a major source of dietary fibre. Vegetables are best eaten raw or steamed to avoid nutrient losses during cooking, and potatoes are most nourishing cooked and eaten in their jackets. Spinach haricot beans and lentils are high in calcium and iron. Carrots are a valuable source of vitamin A. Blackcurrants, oranges, lemons and grapefruit are rich in vitamin C. Try to eat some of the pith of citrus fruits, too, as this is exceptionally high in vitamin content. 'Fleshy' fruits such as bananas and mangoes are less plentiful in vitamins but contain carbohydrate. Dried fruits such as currants, sultanas and dates contain concentrated sugar and are a valuable source of, energy.
Suggested daily intake:
4 servings or more. Include I vitamin C fruit or vegetable daily: citrus fruit, berry fruit, raw tomato, raw capsicum, fresh pineapple, mango, rockmelon, pawpaw, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and juices from these fruits and vegetables.
Include green vegetables daily. include yellow vegetables and fruits regularly: carrot, pumpkin, apricot, rockmelon, pawpaw.
Butter, margarine and other fats and oils
Butter and table margarine are rich sources of vitamins A and D. All these foods are very high in kilojoules.
Suggested daily intake:
Use in moderation.
VEGETARIAN DIETS
A vegetarian diet during pregnancy is acceptable as long as an adequate supply of protein, iron and energy is included. Protein foods such as eggs, cheese, legumes, nuts, seeds and fish should be a constant feature of your diet. Extra bread and cereal can also help. Total vegetarians will require a vitamin B 12 supplement.
If milk, cheese and yoghurt are excluded from the diet, a calcium supplement should be taken. All vegetarians are strongly urged to take iron supplements.
WHAT YOU NEED
It is particularly important when you are pregnant to include in your diet adequate amounts of all the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. These are listed here together with their chief functions and main food sources. 1)
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