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Diet during pregnancy

If you’ve always wanted to eat more healthily, but never quite got round to it, you’ve got plenty of good reasons to do it now.  Here are just some of them:

A healthy diet helps grow a healthy baby and what you eat now can even affect your child’s long-term health.

Eating well keeps you healthy.  Your body is doing something amazing, so help it out with the right kind of fuel.

Eating well can help minimise mood swings, fatigue and morning sickness and even reduce the risk of more serious problems such as anaemia and pre-eclampsia.

Diet is linked to long-term health so, by taking care of yourself now, you’re laying down the foundations for a longer, healthier life.

Eating healthily now means dieting less later.

Five good reasons to be a healthy eater.  Here’s how to do it…

Dump the junk – fried foods, sweets, fizzy drinks all provide masses of calories with few nutrients.

Eat a wide range of foods from the four main food groups: carbohydrates (bread, pasta, wholegrain cereals), fruit and vegetables, protein (meat, fish, eggs, beans and lentils) and dairy foods.

Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

Start the day with a good breakfast such as fruit juice and wholegrain toast or wholegrain  cereal.  Try to steer clear of cereals with a high sugar content.

Caffeine is not recommended in pregnancy as it stimulates you and your baby.  Try fruit teas instead.   Raspberry leaf tea is believed to tone the uterus but should not be drunk until after 36 weeks.  Herbal teas are best avoided.

Aim to drink two litres of water a day – your baby needs water to grow.

Cut down on alcohol – no more than 2 units once or twice a week.
Check out our FAQ section for details of what not to eat when pregnant