Healthy Eating During Pregnancy Specific nutrient requirements Nutritional requirements during pregnancy

Healthy Eating
During Pregnancy
G O O D H E A LT H & N U T R I T I O N
Nutritional requirements during pregnancy
Specific nutrient requirements
Bringing a new life into this world is an exciting experience,
and one which requires a close look at good nutrition for
both the mother and her growing baby. Pregnancy places
greater nutritional demands on your body. You need more
energy, protein and nutrients, particularly iron and folate.
Research has shown that the food a mother eats during
pregnancy can affect the development of her baby, and
may also affect the baby’s health later in life.
Calcium
Throughout pregnancy and especially during the third
trimester, your baby needs enough calcium to build healthy
bones. Fortunately, during pregnancy you absorb calcium
more efficiently from your diet, so your growing baby’s
needs are met. Recommendations for calcium during
pregnancy and breastfeeding are therefore the same
as for non-pregnant women (1000mg per day).
What do I eat?
It is important that you eat a varied diet during pregnancy
based on a range of foods from the five food groups. The
Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommendations below
aim to ensure that a mother and baby’s energy and nutrient
requirements are met.
Food group
Serves Sample serves
per
day
Bread, cereals, rice,
4-6
pasta, noodles (choose
whole grain varieties
where possible)
2 slices bread, 1 medium roll
1 cup cooked pasta or rice
11/3 cup cereal
Vegetables, legumes
5-6
½ cup cooked vegetables
1 small potato
1 cup salad vegetables
½ cup cooked legumes
Fruit
4
1 medium piece fruit
(e.g. apple, banana)
1 cup canned fruit
1½ tablespoons dried fruit
½ cup fruit juice
Milk, cheese, 3-4
yogurt
1 cup (250mL) milk
1 tub (200g) yogurt
2 slices (40g) cheese
Meat, fish, poultry, 1
eggs, nuts, legumes
100g cooked meat
120g cooked fish
2 small eggs
1/3 cup nuts
½ cup cooked legumes
The calcium needed by both the mother and baby during
pregnancy can be provided by 3 to 4 serves of dairy foods
each day. One serve is equal to:
„„a glass of milk (250mL)
„„a tub of yogurt (200g)
„„2 slices of cheese (40g)
Iron
You need much more iron during pregnancy, particularly
during the second and third trimesters when the amount
of blood in your body increases, and to meet the needs
of your placenta and the growing baby. To avoid iron
deficiency during pregnancy it is therefore important
to eat plenty of iron rich foods. Red meat is one of the
richest sources of iron. Chicken and pork contain moderate
levels. Smaller amounts of iron can also be found in
legumes, green leafy vegetables and iron fortified cereals.
Meat provides the most readily absorbed form of iron
but eating foods that are rich in vitamin C (e.g. tomatoes
and oranges) will help your body absorb iron from plant
sources.
Folate and folic acid
Folate is a B vitamin found naturally in green leafy
vegetables, fruit (e.g. citrus, berries and bananas) and
legumes. When this vitamin is added to food or used in
dietary supplements, it is known as folic acid. Not having
enough folate during early pregnancy has been linked to
neural tube defects such as spina bifida. To reduce the risk
of neural tube defects in babies, the National Health and
Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommend that, as
well as eating a healthy diet rich in folate, women should
take an extra 400 micrograms of folic acid a day for at
least one month before conception, and for the first three
months of pregnancy. This can be done by taking a folic
acid supplement.
Protein
More protein is needed during pregnancy to support your
baby’s growth and changes in your own body such as
increased breast tissue. In general, a healthy balanced diet
will provide enough protein to meet your needs during
pregnancy.
Healthy Eating
During Pregnancy
Nutrition issues for pregnant women
Listeriosis
Listeriosis is an illness caused by a bacteria type called
Listeria. Listeriosis usually results from eating food
contaminated with Listeria bacteria. It can be a serious
illness for pregnant women, possibly causing miscarriage,
premature birth or, in rare cases, stillbirth. The following
guidelines from Food Standards Australia New Zealand
(FSANZ) can help reduce your risk of listeriosis:
„„Eat freshly cooked or freshly prepared foods;
„„Avoid foods that are past their ‘best before’
or ‘use by’ date;
„„Cook foods thoroughly (heating food kills Listeria);
„„Reheat foods to steaming hot (eat refrigerated left-overs
within a day);
„„Avoid ready-to-eat food from salad bars, sandwich bars,
delicatessens and smorgasbords;
„„Only buy ready-to-eat hot food if it is steaming hot; and
„„If eating out, order hot meals.
Some foods are more easily contaminated by Listeria than
others. Avoid the higher risk foods during pregnancy:
„„Cold meats (ready-to-eat delicatessen meat);
„„Raw or smoked seafood, ready-to-eat peeled prawns;
„„Cold cooked chicken;
„„Pâté;
„„Pre-prepared or pre-packaged salads (fruit and vegetable)
such as from salad bars;
„„Soft, semi-soft and surface ripened cheeses
(e.g. brie, camembert, ricotta, feta and blue cheese);
„„Soft serve ice cream; and
„„Unpasteurised dairy foods (N.B. almost all dairy foods
produced in Australia must be pasteurised).
If you are pregnant, make sure you have at least 3 serves
of dairy foods a day so that you get enough calcium and
other essential nutrients found in dairy. The following dairy
foods are safe to consume:
Fish
Fish is a valuable source of nutrients, especially omega-3
oils. While the Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults
recommend eating fish for good health, some fish can
contain high amounts of mercury, which could be harmful
for the developing baby if a lot is eaten. FSANZ recommends
that pregnant women should only eat:
„„One serve (150g) per fortnight of shark (flake) or billfish
(swordfish/broadbill and marlin) with no other fish to
be eaten during that fortnight; or
„„No more than one serve per week of orange roughy
(deep sea perch) and catfish, with no other fish to be
consumed during that week.
Further information on mercury in fish can be found on the
FSANZ website (www.foodstandards.gov.au).
Alcohol and caffeine
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can harm your unborn
baby and cause foetal alcohol syndrome. Unfortunately,
there is very little research data about how much alcohol
is safe to drink during pregnancy. The National Health and
Medical Research Centre therefore recommended that
alcohol be completely avoided during pregnancy.
Similarly, studies have not clearly indicated a safe level
of caffeine consumption during pregnancy. NSW Health
recommends that pregnant women limit themselves to
200mg of caffeine daily. That is 2 cups of ground coffee
or 2½ cups instant coffee, 4 cups medium-strength tea,
4 cups cocoa/hot chocolate or 6 cups of cola.
Have a healthy pregnancy!
Choosing a safe and healthy diet during pregnancy helps
you and your baby. A varied diet with plenty of fruit and
vegetables and 3 serves of dairy foods every day can help
provide many of the essential nutrients needed at this
special time of life.
„„Pasteurised dairy products such as milk and yogurt;
„„Hard cheeses such as cheddar or tasty cheese - store it
in the fridge;
„„Processed cheese, cheese spreads, plain cream cheese,
plain cottage cheese (only purchase cheeses packaged
by the manufacturer, and store them in the fridge); and
„„Packaged frozen ice cream.
Further information on Listeria and food can be found on
the FSANZ website (www.foodstandards.gov.au).
The information provided in this document is to be used as general health and nutrition education information only. All material is published with due care and attention, and in good faith.
No responsibility can be accepted for omissions, typographical or printing errors, or situation changes that have taken place after publication. For further information on any of our resources, visit
www.dairyaustralia.com.au/nutrition or call our consumer line on 1800 817 736. This brochure may be photocopied for non-profit or non-commercial applications. Dairy Australia ABN 60 105 227 987
Level 5, IBM Tower, 60 City Road, Southbank Victoria 3006 Australia ©Dairy Australia December 2008. DA0440