Safe Food: What to eat and drink in pregnancy. Rosie Dodds

sardines – especially good for zinc!

      

cashew nuts, lentils and chick-peas

      

wholemeal bread

      

other fish – smoked mackerel and prawns

      

hard cheese, milk and eggs

      

baked potatoes

      

sunflower seeds and peanuts

       Iron: for healthy blood

      Iron is needed to make haemoglobin, a pigment that is found in our red blood cells. Haemoglobin carries oxygen around our bodies. If our red blood cells are not healthy, the transport of oxygen around our bodies may not be good enough. We may begin to feel tired, breathless, dizzy and miserable. These are some of the signs of anaemia.

      Doctors and midwives used to give all pregnant women supplements of iron routinely. We now know that unnecessary iron supplements may interfere with the absorption of other minerals, such as zinc. They may also cause constipation. It is usually better to prevent anaemia by eating more iron-rich foods. Iron supplements are, however, necessary to treat anaemia; your doctor or midwife will advise you as to whether you need an iron supplement.

       Foods rich in iron (best first)

      

lean beef, lamb and kidney

      

dark chicken or turkey meat

      

fortified breakfast cereals

      

sardines

      

wholemeal bread

      

red lentils, chick-peas, baked beans, kidney beans

      

leafy vegetables – broccoli, peas, curly kale, spring greens, spring onions, spinach

      

cashew nuts, sunflower seeds

      

dried fruits – apricots, prunes and figs

      

baked potatoes

      

eggs

       Tips on getting plenty of iron from your food

      

Eat some food rich in vitamin C with every meal – fresh fruit or vegetables. This will help your body absorb iron, especially from non-meat iron foods. Vegetables such as peas, broccoli and spinach contain vitamin C as well as iron – provided they are not over-cooked. Spring onions are also full of vitamin C and iron – a convenient no-cook snack!

      

Eat a variety of leafy green vegetables. (Spinach contains plenty of iron but this iron is not well absorbed by our bodies – so try other vegetables as well.)

      

Eat meat or fish with non-meat iron foods. This will help you absorb as much iron as possible from the non-meat food – for example, minced beef eaten with leafy green vegetables.

      

Drink tea and coffee between meals – rather than with your food. Both drinks contain chemicals that can reduce the amount of iron that your body can absorb from food. If you drink tea, have a cup an hour before your meal – or two hours afterwards.

      

Certain foods reduce the amount of iron that our bodies can absorb from a meal. One example is rhubarb!

       What about salt?

      Most of us eat more salt than we need. Processed foods – such as ham, cheese, bread, baked beans and biscuits – all contain lots of salt. Savoury spreads (like yeast extract and beef extract), crisps, olives and salted nuts are obviously salty foods. In the long term, too much salt in your diet may contribute to high blood pressure and related health problems later in your life.

      During pregnancy, however, the situation is more complicated. Restricting your salt intake at this time has not been shown to reduce the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy. But this does not mean that you should add extra salt to your food. Use salt to flavour your food, as you would normally.

      When you have had your baby, you can try reducing the amount of salt you use in cooking and on your food. This will help when your baby starts taking solid food, since babies should not have any salt at all added to their food.

      There is no proof that cutting your salt intake during pregnancy will reduce swollen ankles. Similarly, there is no proof that leg cramps during pregnancy are caused by a lack of salt or of any other minerals.

       Understanding food labels

       What are calories?

      A calorie (cal or kcal, for short) is a measure of how much energy a particular food gives us. Calories are sometimes called ‘kilocalories’. They mean the same thing. A ‘kilojoule’ (kJ) is another measure of food energy. One calorie is equal to about 4 kilojoules.

       What is the ‘RDA’?

      RDA stands for ‘recommended daily amount’. The recommended daily amount of a certain nutrient is the amount that most of us need to keep healthy. RDAs vary from person to person. For example, children’s nutritional needs are different from those of older people, and pregnant women’s nutritional needs are different from those of men, or women who are not pregnant. Very active people need more energy than people who don’t exercise much. The RDAs given on food labels usually refer to adult men.

      Food labels usually list the RDAs of vitamins and minerals. The percentage figure given after each nutrient tells us how much of our RDA would be met by a portion of that particular food. For example, ‘Folic acid 34mg (17%)’ means that the food would give us 34mg of folic acid – or 17% of the daily requirement. This sounds very good – but remember that the RDA used is that of an adult man, rather than a pregnant woman whose need is much greater.

      Next time you pick up