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If you are considering having a baby, it is beneficial to prepare for pregnancy by changing your eating and drinking patterns, ideally for up to 4 months before conception. Men can also benefit from improvements in their diet and lifestyle to enable them to produce adequate numbers of good quality sperm. If a couple are having difficulties conceiving, then it is equally important to consider the overall health profile, diet and lifestyles of both partners.

If you are already pregnant, however, then you are probably conscious of wanting eat well for yourself and your baby. A mother’s diet can have a profound effect on the developing baby’s health in the womb, as well as her own health.

Foods to eat during pregnancy

Aim to eat a healthy and varied diet which includes fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, pulses, eggs (but not raw) and fish. Keeping well hydrated by drinking plenty of water every day can also be beneficial to help avoid constipation and to help flush away unnecessary toxins from the body.

A nutritional therapist can give you more detailed recommendations and advice based on your specific individual needs. Everyone is different with different health concerns, nutrient deficiencies and needs. However, the guidelines below are a good starting point for anyone who is pregnant or trying to become pregnant:

1. Get your fruit and vegetable intake up to at least five portions, if not more, per day. Eat them as snacks, add them to cereal, put them in soups, drink fresh diluted fruit juice, try veggie sticks and humus, as well as increasing the number of vegetables that you eat with your evening meal.
2. Eat complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, wholemeal bread and oats. Most of us eat far too many refined “white” foods which are lacking in essential nutrients and often full of saturated fat and sugar (white rice, white bread, biscuits and pastries). Any move towards some of the “brown” foods will increase your intake of important nutrients such as the energy-boosting B vitamins.
3. Eat oily foods including oily fish such as sardines, salmon and fresh tuna, seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseeds and sesame seeds) and their oils. The essential fatty acids are crucial for the development of the brain, eyes and nervous system, and are especially more important in the last 3 months of pregnancy when intellectual development is at its critical stage. They can also help to prevent low birth-weight and decrease the risk of a premature birth. Taking a linseed oil supplement can be a good way of supplementing your diet in essential fatty acids.
4. Try including beans, lentils and chickpeas on a regular basis. These are a great source of lean protein (needed for growth) and can be used in soups and casseroles straight from a can, if you haven’t got the time to cook them from scratch. These foods also provide a good source of fibre to help with constipation which can often be a problem during pregnancy.
5. During the last trimester of pregnancy, demands for iron are greatly increased as your baby gets bigger, so focus on foods that will provide a good source of iron. Whilst animal sources such as red meat are very well absorbed sources of iron, they are also sources of saturated fat. Consider plant sources of iron as well and make sure that you get enough vitamin C in your diet as this helps with the absorption of iron. A good example is a boiled egg with a glass of orange juice. Other sources of iron include kidney beans, lentils, spinach, watercress, dried prunes and raisins
6. Eat organic where possible to reduce your exposure to unnecessary chemicals and pesticides, which may have a detrimental effect on your baby.
7. Drink 1-1.5 litres of water or herbal teas per day. Keep caffeine containing drinks to 2-3 cups per day (even exclude if possible) to help avoid blood sugar highs and lows which will affect your energy levels.

Foods to avoid

Any foods that are low in nutrients, such as refined, sugary foods are best kept out the diet as much as possible. Keep foods such as cakes, biscuits and pastries to a minimum. Not only do they contribute very little in the way of nutrition, but they also contribute to unnecessary weight gain which can be difficult to shift after the baby is born.

Other specific foods to avoid are:

1. Liver and cod liver oil, as this can provide too much vitamin A in the form of retinol
2. Meat pate’s; raw meat, fish or eggs; unpasteurised soft or blue cheeses and ready-to-eat salads in bags, because of the risk of food-borne illnesses such as listeria and salmonella.
3. Peanuts (in excess these can cause allergies in your baby)

Lifestyle changes

1. If you smoke, stop! Nicotine can cause an increase in foetal heart rate, decrease the blood flow to the placenta and affect the way in which nutrients are taken up by the placenta to feed the baby, thus increasing the risk of foetal growth problems in the womb.
2. Ideally avoid drinking alcohol during the whole of your pregnancy. This is particularly important in the first 3 months but even after that it can affect brain function and the nervous system of the developing baby, so is best avoided.

Supplements

Taking an essential fatty acid supplement and a general multi vitamin and mineral specifically designed for pregnancy can be important to make sure that any shortfalls in your diet are covered. A nutritional therapist would be able to assess your nutritional status and give specific individual advice.