Good Nutrition for Mums-to-be

Good nutrition is always important. Even before you're pregnant you can take a few simple steps to help ensure healthy eating and the best health for you and your baby.  No one food can provide all the nutrients we need and nutritionists recommend we need at least 20-30 different foods each day to provide the wide range of nutrient needed for good health.

During pregnancy, you'll need to provide nutrition for the growing baby, as well as look after your own health. You'll need extra energy, more protein, and more calcium, iron and folate. Folate is an essential B vitamin for the production of blood and is particularly important prior to, and in the early stages of pregnancy.

> Keeping up energy levels
> Protein intake
> Getting more nutrients
   - Calcium
   - Iron
   - Folate
   - Vitamin B12
   - Other nutrients
> Avoiding listeria

During your pregnancy, you will need to eat a little more food to accommodate increased energy requirements. This increase is due to the energy needs of your growing baby and the changes in your body.

The additional energy you require should be eaten in the form of nutrient rich foods that provide extra vitamins and minerals, since the requirement for some of these nutrients also increases during pregnancy.

Good examples of energy foods that are also rich in essential nutrients include:

• fresh fruit;
• a glass of So Good Soymilk or dairy milk;
• wholegrain foods, such as wholemeal toast, brown rice, wholemeal pasta
• wholegrain breakfast cereals such as Weet-Bix.

Protein is required throughout your life to build and maintain body cells. During pregnancy you will require additional protein because you are making new body tissues. Protein provides for the growth and development of your baby, your placenta, uterus, breast tissue and blood supply.

During pregnancy you will require approximately an extra 6 grams of protein each day³. The average daily protein requirement for women is around 45 grams³, so your daily needs during pregnancy (51 grams) are only increased by about 13%. Most women don't need to concentrate on increasing protein intake, as most people consume much more protein than they require.

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In a pregnant woman's diet, calcium is very important. Apart from your own needs, the baby requires calcium for -

• the formation of bones and teeth
• the normal clotting of blood
• the functioning of nerves and muscles

Your daily calcium requirements will rise from 800mg to 1,100mg³ per day. The additional calcium you require can be met by:

• Drinking an extra glass of milk - Sanitarium So Good soymilk (250ml)
• Eating a wedge of cheese (30g);
• Eating one carton of yoghurt (200g);

If you wish to gain the extra calcium you need with minimal extra fat, you can choose reduced-fat milk and dairy varieties. Sanitarium So Good Lite soymilk is a low-fat milk alternative, which provides 300mg of calcium in each 250ml glass.

For more information on calcium, contact Sanitarium Nutrition Service to receive a copy of the "Osteoporosis: What can you do to prevent it?" factsheet.

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Iron is essential for healthy blood. It forms a major part of a protein in the blood called haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around your body. Anaemia (which causes feelings of tiredness and weakness) results from a lack of iron and depletion of the body's iron stores.

During pregnancy, your blood capacity must expand, so that extra nutrients can be supplied to your baby via the placenta. These extra blood cells require iron, and your baby also requires iron for building new tissues.

During pregnancy, your iron needs will jump from 12-16mg to 22-36mg each day³. So, it is very important to eat foods rich in iron. You'll find iron in -

• wholegrain breads and breakfast cereals, particularly with added iron
• nuts and seeds
• legumes (such as kidney beans and baked beans)
• meat alternatives with added iron
• green leafy vegetables
• wheatgerm
• lean red meat, poultry and fish

To increase iron absorption, eat foods rich in vitamin C (such as tomatoes and oranges) at the same time. For example, if you drink a glass of orange juice at breakfast time with your wholegrain cereal and wholemeal toast you will improve the absorption of the valuable iron content.

Although your body is adaptable and able to absorb more iron during pregnancy, it may be difficult to meet the recommended additional iron requirements. You should talk to your doctor or dietitian about making sure you are getting enough iron from food.

For more information on iron, contact Sanitarium's Nutrition Service to receive a copy of the "Are You Getting Enough Iron?" factsheet.

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Folate (folic acid) is needed for the production of extra blood during pregnancy. Folate has also been shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects and spina bifida in newborn babies by approximately 70%^7. Folate needs are increased in the month prior to conception and for the first three months of pregnancy. Just before and during pregnancy, your folate needs are doubled from 200Еg to 400Еg each day³. If you are considering pregnancy you should contact your doctor or dietitian about choosing folate-rich foods and taking a folate supplement before conception.

The additional folate you require can be met by eating foods with added folate, such as Sanitarium Weet-Bix, (100Еg per 2 biscuits), and other foods that naturally contain folate - 

• wholemeal bread
• nuts
• cooked dried beans and lentil
• avocado
• rock melon
• strawberries
• broccoli
• oranges.

Folate is often reduced during cooking and storage, so freshly prepared salads and lightly cooked green vegetables are preferred to well cooked vegetables (e.g. boiled vegetables).

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In addition to iron and folate, you will also need vitamin B12 for the formation of healthy blood and a healthy nervous system. Your need for vitamin B12 during pregnancy is increased from 2.0Еg to 3.0Еg each day because the demand for extra blood has increased⁷.

Vitamin B12 is only naturally found in animal foods - meat, fish, chicken, eggs and dairy products. Plant foods are not a reliable source of vitamin B12. It is sometimes claimed that certain plant foods, such as spirulina and mushrooms ,are rich in vitamin B12. However, the vitamin B12 in these foods in an inactive form of the vitamin that is not useful to the human body⁸.

There are a range of plant-based foods available that contain added vitamin B12 -

• Sanitarium So Good soymilk
• Marmite yeast spread
• soy-based meat alternatives, such as Sanitarium Soy Healthy products, that provide a good source of vitamin B12.

Your additional vitamin B12 needs can be met by -

• drinking an extra glass of Sanitarium So Good, soymilk (300ml) or dairy milk;
• yoghurt
• eating an extra 1/2 serving (50g) of lean beef or white fish
• an extra egg and wedge of cheese (40g) each day

Strict vegetarians who consume little or no animal products (such as dairy products, eggs, fish, chicken or meat) or B12 fortified soy milks, will need to take a B12 supplement during pregnancy and while breast-feeding. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about your need for a vitamin B12 supplement.

Your need for most other vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin C, magnesium and zinc, is also increased during pregnancy. By eating a healthy diet containing generous amounts of wholegrain breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables, you will find that these additional requirements will usually take care of themselves.

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Listeria is a common bacteria that can cause food-related illness. It can grow well in certain types of foods which have not be carefully handled or cooked. In pregnant women this illness can cause miscarriage and stillbirth.

Don't be alarmed; you can reduce the risk by:

• washing your hands and using clean knives and cutting surfaces when preparing food;
• storing cooked foods above raw foods in the refrigerator;
• cooking food until piping hot especially when using microwave ovens;
• eating freshly cooked foods;
• thoroughly washing raw fruit and vegetables;
• reheating cooked food which has been stored in the fridge so that it is piping hot;
• not eating the following foods:
• chilled, pre-cooked seafood products, unless reheated thoroughly and eaten hot;
• pate, pre-cooked chicken, ham, and other chilled pre-cooked meat products;
• uncooked seafoods;
• shop bought salads and coleslaws;
• raw (unpasteurised) milk and milk products⁹;
• soft cheeses such as brie, camembert and ricotta¹⁰.

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