✓Calcium can be found in figs, gooseberries, avocados, dates, grapes, guavas, kiwi fruit, lemons, mangoes, melons, oranges, pawpaws, pears, prickly pears, prunes, nuts and seeds.
✓Magnesium can be found in bananas, nuts and seeds.
✓Vitamin A can be found in red, orange and green veggies and highly coloured fruits like mangoes (note that mega doses of supplemented vitamin A are not advised, but dietary inclusion is safe and essential).
✓Zinc can be found in nuts, seeds, legumes, soya and grains.
A closer look at nutrients
Many people have a deeper interest in understanding the nutritional value of the food they eat. But resist the urge to over-analyse each mouthful, because if you mostly eat healthily and include plenty of fresh produce, chances are you will have a balanced – and healthy – diet. You may, however, find it helpful to know a little more about macro- and micronutrients, as well as some important minerals in pregnancy.
Macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates and fats. To stay well nourished, we need to eat these in the correct proportions. To help you achieve this, eat most of number 1 and least of number 8, whether pregnant or not:
1.Raw, whole fruit: Eat fruit that is seasonal and ripe; you can eat it freely, but preferably raw. Eat sweet and acidic fruits separately for optimal digestion.
2.Raw salads: Start or replace each main meal with a mixed salad to help reduce your consumption of unhealthy food and to give you a vitamin and mineral boost.
3.Vegetables: Lightly cooked or steamed ensures the best retention of nutrients.
4.Pulses, legumes and beans: Peas, lentils, chickpeas and most bean varieties supply quality protein, but check that produce has not been genetically modified.
5.Grains: These should be as unrefined as possible so that there is a slow and sustained release of food sugars (foods with a low glycaemic index), rather than unhealthy spikes, and preferably choose grains without chemical additives. You have an array of choices, including barley, millet, rye, wheat, sorghum, maize, rice and many more.
6.Meat, poultry, fish and eggs: Reduce the quantity of these in your diet, choose free-range produce without hormones and avoid processed meats containing additives.
7.Dairy products: Reduce the amount of dairy products in your diet and when you do consume them, choose those that are free of hormones, artificial sweeteners, colourants and preservatives. Milk, cheese, yoghurt, buttermilk, cream and related foods are all dairy products.
8.Fats and oils: Restrict but don’t avoid these completely – make sure you select good quality, virgin, cold-pressed oils.
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals our bodies need traces of to develop and function healthily. A deficiency can cause serious health problems. They are found in food in small but sufficient quantities.
Some important vitamins:
•Vitamin A: For the metabolism of essential fatty acids and a healthy digestive tract, lungs and mucous membranes (avoid large doses, which may be associated with birth defects). See Essential nutrients in pregnancy for a list of foods that contain vitamin A.
•Vitamin B2: For energy metabolism, and for growth and development of body tissues in Mom and Baby. Food sources include legumes, nuts, green vegetables, whole grains, dairy and eggs.
•Vitamin B6: For the growth of new body tissues in Mom and Baby, and to help treat nausea. Food sources include whole grains, nuts, dairy and eggs and lean meat.
•Vitamin B12: For division of blood cells and to help prevent anaemia. Food sources include organic fruit and vegetables (not washed with chemicals), lean meat and poultry, dairy and eggs.
•Folic acid: For healthy neural tube development in Baby. See Essential nutrients in pregnancy for a list of foods that contain folic acid.
Some important minerals:
•Iron: For strong body tissues, optimal oxygenation and to counter infections. See Essential nutrients in pregnancy for a list of foods that contain iron.
•Calcium: For healthy muscles, skin, bones and teeth, and the prevention of eclampsia and cardiovascular disease. See Essential nutrients in pregnancy for a list of foods that contain calcium.
•Magnesium: Works with calcium and prevents spasms. See Essential nutrients in pregnancy for a list of foods that contain magnesium.
•Zinc: For healthy formation of DNA and body tissues, and healthy immune system development. See Essential nutrients in pregnancy for a list of foods that contain zinc.
•Iodine: Essential for the production of thyroid hormones in Mom and Baby, and important for normal development and metabolic processes; may also help prevent pre-eclampsia. Lodine is found in seafood and other seaweed and iodised salt.
| Three points to ponder1.Research shows that one possible reason for pregnancy nausea is to prevent moms-to-be from eating harmful substances, so protecting her developing baby in the most crucial stage, the first trimester.2.Sweet treats and sugary soda drinks interfere with blood sugar levels and provide no positive nutrition, so rather avoid them – eat some dates instead!3.Your body is at least 70% water, explaining why it’s essential for you and your developing baby to keep up your liquid intake during pregnancy. |
PREGNANCY CRAVINGS
When you’re pregnant, it’s important to interpret your cravings healthily. Feel like something sweet? Have a banana or a date. Craving something savoury? Eat an avocado or some olives.
Eating smaller meals more often also helps to control cravings. If you’re emotional and in need of a little extra nurturing (which, let’s face it, is very likely in pregnancy), don’t turn to comfort foods but rather chat to your partner or a good friend, and explain that you simply need a little extra TLC.
Don’t worry about strange food combinations (as long as they are healthy) or an aversion to foods you may have enjoyed previously, like meat – this is common and may even safeguard you and Baby. If you have an inexplicable need to constantly suck or chew ice, it’s probably because you feel much hotter in pregnancy and is nothing to worry about.
Cravings you should worry about
The craving to lick, taste or eat abnormal substances like soil, ash, chalk and paint is called pica and is a sign that you have a deficiency of an important nutrient. Talk to your doctor about this because it can be dangerous.
CHAPTER 4
Exercise when expecting
Although an excessive exercise programme may delay conception, overall fitness can be beneficial for optimal fertility. Once you are pregnant, it’s just as important to exercise regularly, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be fun and tailored to you, the individual.
EXERCISE BASICS
If you have never exercised before, simply start doing 10 minutes of whatever activity most takes your fancy, five days a week. If you enjoy whatever it is you are doing, increase the duration a little each day or indulge yourself again later in the day. You will soon start reaping the benefits of your efforts and that will be sufficient motivation to continue. Exercise in pregnancy will help you:
✓Feel and look good, improving your self-esteem.
✓Ensure maximum fitness and stamina for labour and birth.
✓Improve your mood, balance emotions and lessen cravings.
✓Have fewer aches and pains because posture and muscle and ligament tone are improved.
✓Experience fewer symptoms of digestive discomfort like constipation.