Dietary advice during pregnancy

When pregnant, a mother will need to increase daily intakes of almost all nutrients. This is because she has to supply the building blocks of life for her child. It is especially important to ensure appropriate caloric intake. An topic every women fears. It takes an estimated 75,000 calories to make a baby. This equates to an increase of 300-400 calories extra per day. The average mother then would need to take in between 2,400 and 2,600 calories per day, with an increase again in the last trimester.

It is also important to remember that the food choices you make as a mother to be will directly impact the health and development of your unborn child. Also, the decisions you make now can play a huge role in your health later. During the development of the baby, certain nutrients will need to be present. If the mother is not getting them in her diet for baby to use, the baby will take them from the mothers “stores”. A common issue many mothers experience after pregnancy is dental problems. This is caused by the loss of calcium from the teeth during pregnancy, as the development of the skeletal system is reliant upon adequate stores of calcium.

Nutrient dense whole foods are the best dietary options available to the expecting mother. These should be eaten in a raw state when possible to ensure full enzyme expression. Vegetable based proteins in copious amounts are also recommended. An expectant mother will need almost twice her normal non-pregnant daily requirements of protein. This means consuming between 75-90 grams of protein. To put this into context, an average chicken breast offers 31 grams of protein per 100 grams of meat (an average portion).

It is also important that the expectant mother considers the quality of the food she is consuming. Foods fried in oils will most certainly contain trans-fats (a common occurrence of heated oils is the transformation of the double bonds, creating “trans” fats), a toxin to not only the mother but also her baby. Processed foods contain hazardous chemical colouring agents, flavour additives, preservatives, and often, added sugars and high amounts of sodium. All of which are harmful to the baby. Choose organically grown foods, and use certified organic flavourings (be careful…these often have increased sugars and sodium as well!).

The most important rule when making dietary choices when pregnant is this: Eat often, eat whole, and eat clean.