Eating for two means your nutrition is doubly important as it influences not only your health but also the healthy development of your baby. A healthy diet ensures your baby is getting the necessary nutrition and it provides you with the resources to meet the physical demands of pregnancy. Following are the essential nutrients and vitamins you will need during this time, a list you may want to print out to discuss further with your health care provider. Also provided is general nutritional advice from the Canada Food Guide – a healthy reminder for prenatal nutrition and beyond.
Essential Nutrients And Vitamins1
Calcium. Necessary for strong bones and teeth. Good sources of calcium include milk and milk products; fortified soy milk; seaweeds, such as kelp; sesame seeds and almonds; green leafy vegetables, such as dandelion leaves, kale and collard greens.
Essential fatty acids. Necessary for strong organs and tissue growth. Found in fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna; seeds and nuts, such as flaxseed, pumpkin and sunflower seeds; oils, such as canola, hemp or soya oil.
Folic acid (folate). Necessary for healthy blood cells and essential for your baby’s healthy development. Folic acid is found in many fortified breakfast cereals and whole grain breads; fruit, such as bananas, oranges, grapefruit, cantaloupe; dark green vegetables, such as brussel sprouts, peas and asparagus; dried beans; liver.
Iron. Necessary for healthy blood cells and oxygen supply. Foods containing iron include enriched whole grains, dark green vegetables, dried fruit and beans, red meat and liver, nuts and seeds.
Vitamin A. Necessary for your baby’s overall growth and development, and it also helps postpartum tissue repair. Also necessary for healthy vision and a healthy immune system. Vitamin A-rich foods include fruit, such as mango or grapefruit; orange or green vegetables, such as sweet potato and spinach; meat, such as liver; eggs; and cheese.
Vitamin C. Necessary for building healthy tissue and skin, bone growth and repair, and a healthy immune system. Found in citrus fruits, green vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, fortified cereals and juice.
Zinc. Necessary for building healthy cells and tissue. Foods that contain zinc include milk products, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, fortified cereals, meat products.
Tip: You may want to speak to your health care provider about recommended vitamin supplements, although they will not replace the need for a healthy, well-balanced diet.
Canada Food Guide Recommendations2
The Canada Food Guide recommends eating a variety of foods from all four food groups:
1) Vegetables and fruit. Green vegetables like spinach or broccoli and orange vegetables such as carrots or squash are particularly good for you and should make up part of your daily diet. Steam, bake or stir-fry vegetables to avoid adding unnecessary fats.
2) Grain products. Examples include brown rice, quinoa, whole grain breads and whole wheat pasta. Half of your daily intake of grain products should be made up of whole grain products.
3) Milk and alternatives. Skim, 1% or 2% milk, or a fortified soy beverage. Whichever you choose, have at least two cups daily.
4) Meat and alternatives. Lean meat like skinless chicken or meat alternatives such as lentils or tofu are good options. Try to incorporate at least two servings per week of fish, for example, salmon, sardines, trout. (Note: avoid fish with high levels of mercury.) Use cooking methods that require minimal added fat, such as baking, poaching or roasting.
Foods To Avoid3
We all know to avoid alcohol and caffeine during pregnancy but there are additional foods that should be eliminated from your diet during this time. Raw meat like beef carpaccio or deli meats like prosciutto may be a risk. They can contain bacteria – for example, listeria – that could harm your baby so they are best avoided altogether. Fish can be a healthy part of your diet but steer clear of:
- raw fish, such as sushi
- undercooked fish, such as ceviche
- fish containing high levels of mercury, such as shark or swordfish
- smoked and cured seafood and deli fish, such as lox
- raw or undercooked shellfish, such as oysters, clams and mussels Canned, chunk light tuna is generally okay in moderation.
Unpasteurized milk and cheeses and foods that contain raw or undercooked eggs, such as mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, custards or caesar salad dressing should be avoided. Raw vegetables are safe – and good for you – as long as they have been thoroughly washed before consuming.