Essential Nutrition During Pregnancy

What you eat when you're pregnant is even more important than you might think. Research shows that it not only affects your baby at birth, but also appears to have a long-term effect throughout your child's life-even into old age.

Protein

Protein is probably the most essential food for your baby; the amino acids that make up protein are literally the building blocks of the body. The cells and tissues that make up muscles, bones, connective tissues, and many of your organ walls are formed from protein.

The type and quality of protein in food varies (see column, left). Meat, fish, and poultry are the best sources, but they can be expensive. Plant foods eaten together can be a cheaper way of supplying your body with enough protein. Whole-wheat bread or noodles with beans or cheese, or cornmeal or noodles with sesame seeds, nuts, and milk will keep your protein intake high. You need at least three servings of protein foods daily.

Carbohydrates And Calories

Carbohydrate foods should make up the bulk of your daily calorie intake, but make sure you eat the best, complex, carbohydrates and avoid empty calories.

Simple carbohydrates are sugars in various forms. The most common types and sources are sucrose (cane sugar), glucose (honey), fructose (fruit), and maltose, lactose, and galactose (milk). These carbohydrates are absorbed quickly from the stomach and are a source of "instant energy," which can be useful when you're in dire need. Glucose candy may also be helpful when you feel nauseous.

Complex carbohydrates are the starches contained in grains, potatoes, lentils, beans, and peas. The body has to break them down into simple carbohydrates before it can use them, so they provide a steady supply of energy over a period of time. Complex unrefined carbohydrates (whole oats and brown rice) are also good sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Vitamins

Vegetables and fruits are good sources of many vitamins and minerals. Some are rich in vitamin C; others contain vitamins A, B, E, minerals, and folic acid-all of which you need in your diet. Vitamins are quickly destroyed by exposure to light, air, and heat, and many can't be stored by the body, so you need to top off your supplies every day. Leafy green vegetables, yellow and red vegetables, and fruit supply vitamins A, E, B6, iron, zinc, and magnesium. Choose broccoli, spinach, watercress, carrots, tomatoes, bananas, apricots, and cherries.

Some vegetables, such as watercress, are rich in many vitamins and are an excellent choice for you and your baby. Others provide a selection of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber.

Although we can get some B vitamins from vegetables and fruit, the bulk of our vitamin B intake comes from meat, fish, dairy products, grains, and nuts. Some of the B vitamins are only found in animal foods, so vegetarians must make sure they're getting enough in their diet. If you don't eat dairy products, you'll need to take vitamin B12 supplements-ask your doctor for a prescription.

Most women are advised to take prenatal vitamins, which are specially formulated for pregnant women, along with an iron supplement. Some mega-vitamin supplements contain excessive amounts of vitamin A and could be harmful to your baby.

Folic acid This is essential for making red blood cells and plays an important part in the growth of your baby, especially during the first 12 weeks. Folic acid is vital to the development of the nervous system, and research shows that folic acid supplements taken up to three months before conception and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy significantly reduce the incidence of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. If you haven't started taking folic acid before conception, start as soon as you know you're pregnant. Folic acid is available in tablet form, and it's also in green leafy vegetables, cereals, and bread.

Minerals

A varied, healthy diet should provide you with enough minerals and trace elements-essential chemicals that help the body function properly but cannot be made by it. High levels of iron and calcium, in particular, are needed for your baby's development

Iron The body needs iron to make hemoglobin (the oxygen­carrying part of the red blood cells). When you're pregnant, your iron intake must be not only adequate (see column, right) but also continuous. You need to keep up supplies of extra iron to support the large increase in the amount of blood in your body during pregnancy because your baby's need for iron is constant.

Iron can block the body's absorption of zinc, which is essential for the development of your baby's brain and nervous system, so you need to eat zinc-rich food, such as fish and wheat germ, separately from iron-rich food.

Calcium A baby's bones begin to form between four and six weeks, so you'll need plenty of calcium both before you conceive and while you're pregnant. Dairy products, leafy green vegetables, tofu, broccoli, and any fish containing bones (such as sardines) are rich in calcium. If you don't eat dairy products, you may need supplements. Vitamin D is needed for calcium absorption, so try to eat eggs or cheese every day.