Food To Avoid When Pregnant, Pregnancy Nutrition

1. Eat a little more…

… but don't eat for two! The most important thing is to eat better so that your body and your baby will get all the nutrients you need.

In practice:

• To meet your additional needs, there is no point in simply eating more at mealtimes: you will only risk bad digestion!
• Allow yourself one or two balanced extra snacks per day. For example: 1 natural yoghurt + 1 apple or 100 g white cheese + some fresh fruit cubes…

2. Eat a varied diet

This is the key to balanced nutrition. By eating a little of everything (except for food prohibited during pregnancy) you will benefit from each of them and you will be assured of having plenty of essential nutrients.

In practice:

• Adopt the rule of having "5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day": fresh orange juice at breakfast, a portion of green vegetables and a piece of fruit at lunch, an apple as a snack and a varied salad at dinner.
• If there are certain things you don't like - such as fish for example - you can simply replace it with another source of protein such as meat or eggs.

3. Don't get obsessed with balance!

During these nine months, you will be gaining weight: this is inevitable and essential for your health and that of your baby. This is therefore not the time to go on a diet, but rather to limit your weight gain. Your weight gain will be medically monitored and your doctor will tell you whether it is appropriate or not.

In practice:

• To ensure that you do not gain any unwanted kilogrammes, avoid fatty and very sugary foods where possible, as they have many calories but not many essential nutrients and are therefore of little nutritional value for you or your baby: pastries, sweets…
• Limit erratic snacking! With three balanced meals and one or two snacks per day, you will avoid nipping out to the pastry shop.
• To avoid break-down, eat starches (cereals, legumes, potatoes) which will fill you up for a considerable time.

4. Don't skip meals

Your body needs three proper meals a day. Try to stick to this rule if you are not too hungry. Breakfast is the most important, otherwise your energy levels will drop at mid-morning!

In practice:

• Can you really not get anything down in the mornings? Drink a large glass of fruit juice and think about taking your breakfast to the office: an apple, some biscuits or a piece of bread, some dried fruit ... Eat it about about 10 am, when your body has had time to wake up a little.
• You don't really have time for breakfast? You can opt for a sandwich, provided that it contains protein (chicken, ham, etc.), vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, etc.), dairy products (gruyère cheese, etc.) and bread (preferably whole-grain). Finish with a piece of fruit.

5. Eliminate!

Hydration is essential during pregnancy to meet your own needs, but also for your future baby. When combined with fibre consumption (which is found in fruit and vegetables, cereals, whole starches such as pasta and rice, etc.), drinking a lot of fluids will combat constipation.

In practice:

• Pregnant women are advised to drink at least 1.5 litres of fluid per day. Opt for water rather than any other source of liquid, especially carbonated beverages and sugary drinks. Also cut down on stimulating beverages of the coffee or tea type. Put some lemon into your water, for example, to give it more taste without adding a single calorie!
• Fibre on the menu? Think about prunes, whole-grain cereals, whole-grain bread, almonds, dried apricots, etc. as well as all cooked green vegetables (easier to digest than raw).

If, despite everything, you want to go on a diet, consult a dietician. He will discuss your current dietary habits with you and suggest various ways to improve them. You will thus acquire good dietary habits that will last all your life!

During the course of your nine months of pregnancy, you should be eating an average of 80 000 additional calories!

Opinion

A balanced menu!

 Breakfast:

• 1 cup of tea or coffee

• 1 yoghurt

• 2 slices of lightly buttered bread with jam.

 Lunch:

• Salad made of spinach shoots with parmesan shavings

• Halibut in tin-foil with chopped vegetables and wild rice

• 2 small cream cheeses mixed with 1 sliced kiwi fruit

Snack :

• 1 cup of herbal tea

• 1 crunchy apple

• 1 cereal bar

 Dinner :

• Depending on the season , 1 bowl of gazpacho or vegetable soup

• A salad made up of leek , a soft- boiled egg , penne-type pasta , fennel and cherry tomatoes

• 1 natural white cheese

• 1 banana with ground cinnamon