Researchers in countries as far apart as Argentina and Denmark, are realising how important diet is during pregnancy and the positive effects good diets can have on the health and intelligence of children many years after birth. So let’s have a closer look at pregnancy diets and what moms should eat when they are expecting.
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1. Energy, protein and fats
Because studies are showing that low birth weight babies grow up to be adults who are more prone to developing heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes than those who weigh 3-4 kg at birth, it is important that the maternal diet should provide sufficient energy and protein to ensure that the developing baby grows properly and gains sufficient weight.
How much energy is sufficient? And how much should moms eat to give their babies the best chance in life and not gain weight themselves?
Generally the best dietary advice for a pregnant woman is to continue with her normal diet, provided that this is a balanced one consisting of sufficient protein (about 50-60 g per day), carbohydrates (400 g or more per day) and fats (about 80 g per day) to keep her own body weight constant.
In the second half of pregnancy, adding 1 000 to 1 500 kJ to the daily amount of energy consumed can be beneficial To achieve this higher energy intake, it is better to increase the amount of carbohydrate and not the amount of fat in the diet.
Carbohydrate-rich foods include bread, rice, cereals, potatoes, pasta, fruits and vegetables. Minimally processed or unrefined carbohydrates are always excellent choices, for example, whole-wheat bread, unpolished rice, unsifted maize meal, and high-bran cereals.
2. Factors that prevent mothers from eating a balanced diet
Lifestyle
However, if you are eating on the run, continually on a low-energy diet to preserve your figure, eating “junk food” or have poor dietary habits, then you need to change these habits before you fall pregnant to ensure that you don’t have an underweight baby.
Remember the child you carry is more important than trying to look like a fashion model. Poor dietary habits are particularly prevalent in teenagers who fall pregnant and these young moms should talk to a dietician or community health nurse about their food intake - both during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Morning sickness
A complication of pregnancy that often prevents adequate food intake is morning sickness. Aversions to food because of nausea are perfectly normal and understandable. Luckily most women find that their nausea disappears as pregnancy progresses.
For those who can’t face food and start losing weight during pregnancy, it is advisable to take a liquid food supplement. These supplements are pleasant tasting, especially when chilled and can be sipped in the form of a milkshake when you feel that you just can’t face solid food. Most of these food supplements contain a good balance of protein, vitamins and minerals.
Other solutions are to eat six or more small meals a day, each containing some protein and carbohydrate, such as a slice of wholewheat bread with grated cheese and a slice of tomato; a glass of flavoured milk; an apple with a handful of raisins; custard with a sliced banana; orange juice and a wholewheat biscuit; a scrambled egg on brown bread toast; thinly sliced chicken with lettuce; nuts and an apple. Be creative; choose low-fat healthy foods that you know will tempt your appetite.
Here are a few tips that work wonders when you wake up feeling nauseous:
Don’t jump up out of bed immediately. Lie quietly for a while and ask your husband bring you a slice of fresh lemon or orange or a dry, bland biscuit to nibble
Suck an ice cube till the nausea passes
Sip some cool water
These tips also work when you get that queasy feeling during the day.
3. Eating for two
The old-fashioned idea that you must eat for two the moment you fall pregnant, is not true. As mentioned above, you need to eat sufficient food to ensure that your baby grows. Iin the second half of pregnancy you should increase your energy intake by 1 000 to 1 500 kJ, but you don’t need to stuff yourself at every meal.
Women who use the “eating for two” phrase as an excuse to go overboard and eat to their hearts’ content are not doing themselves any good. Excess weight gained during pregnancy is difficult to lose afterwards and obesity can cause problems, such as hypertension and complicated or premature births, which can result in infant deaths.
Ideally women should gain between three and four kilograms during the first 20 weeks, and about 0,5 kg per week until the end of the pregnancy. This is approximately 12,5 kg in total.
4. Slimming diets during pregnancy
The fashion of restricting weight gain to less than seven kilograms during pregnancy is also not a good idea because babies born to these mothers are often underweight. And we have seen from the studies mentioned last week that low birth weight can predispose children to developing so-called degenerative diseases (heart attack, diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure) and also lower their intelligence. Luckily this trend is on its way out and nowadays mothers are encouraged not to starve themselves when expecting a baby.
What it boils down to is that the best diet for a pregnant mom is a moderate, balanced one without excessive intakes of any food or food group. Play it cool and eat sensibly to get the best results for yourself and your baby. – (Dr I V van Heerden)
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