What should I eat to help ensure a healthy baby?

What you choose to indulge in during pregnancy has an impact on the health of your baby. PHOTO/FILE

What you need to know:

  • What you choose to indulge in during pregnancy has an impact on the health of your baby. Pregnant women are thus advised to pay attention to their dietery habits and to make wise choices when deciding on a meal plan or giving into cravings. Your health is just as important and food high in nutritive value will serve you better than sweets and fatty foods

Good nutrition is essential during pregnancy as it benefits both the mother and the developing baby.

The eating habits of a pregnant woman not only affect her body, but also determine the basic nutritional health that her child is born with.

Making sound nutritional decisions before and during pregnancy will ensure your baby has a healthy start in life.

Dear Doc,

Does ‘eating for two’ mean that a woman should eat twice as much as she did before she was pregnant?

Andy

Dear Andy,

Eating for two does not imply doubling your food portions. Consuming too many calories can lead to excessive weight gain, and this can in turn lead to pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes.

Pregnant women do require more food, but this is only approximately, an additional 300 calories per day. Eat well balanced meals that contain all the nutrients in their right proportions.

They should also be high in protein, low in sugar or empty calories, and low in fat. Other nutrients needed by the baby include iron for blood supply, calcium for healthy growth, and folic acid to prevent birth defects.

What a pregnant woman eats and the amount is very important, but she should remember that she is eating for a baby, not another grown adult.

Dear Doc,

I am two months pregnant and nausea is causing me great discomfort. What could be the cause and what can I do to ease the problem?

Santa

Dear Santa,

Nausea is a common problem for pregnant women. It is commonly referred to as morning sickness because it is usually at its worst in the morning.

However, it can be felt at any time of the day, especially when one has not eaten. Sometimes nausea is accompanied by episodes of vomiting.

Nausea is usually common in the early stages of pregnancy as the body tries to adjust to increased hormones.

In most women, the bouts of nausea subside or disappear by the end of the first trimester. In some women, however, it may persist for longer.

If nausea is a problem in the morning hours, eat dry foods such a dry cereal or biscuits. Choose snacks that are high in protein and fiber as they help stave off hunger.

Avoid large meals and instead distribute your meals into smaller portions throughout the day. Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.

Eating fast and swallowing large chunks of food can make you feel nauseous. It might also help to avoid fried, greasy, spicy, or strong-smelling foods.

When taking fluids, sip slowly and do not swallow large quantities at a go. If the nausea and vomiting are severe, seek treatment to prevent dehydration and nutrient deficiencies.

Dear Doc,

Is it normal to have food cravings when pregnant?

New mum

Dear New mum,

Many women have food cravings at some point during pregnancy. Cravings are normal when a woman is expecting and generally, there is nothing wrong if you give in to them.

However, you should be careful not to overdo it. While cravings for sweet foods are the most common, there are women who crave for salty, fatty, or spicy food.

But, if you are craving things like soil, you could be suffering from a condition known as pica. Pica is linked to nutrient deficiencies, such as that of the mineral iron.

If you have pica, make sure you talk to a doctor to check for any underlying problem as eating soil and other non-food substances can put your health and that of your baby at a risk.

Keep in mind that most cravings are not harmful and can be easily managed by paying a little attention to what you are eating and indulging yourself occasionally. However, that does not mean eating a whole box of chocolate bars.

Dear Doc,

Why do pregnant women need sufficient folic acid and what are best sources of the nutrient?

Gacheri

Dear Gacheri,

Folic acid, also known as folate, is a very essential B vitamin, particularly for pregnant women.

It is involved in the manufacture of red blood cells in the body and also prevents neural tube defects in unborn babies.

Adequate intake of folic acid before and during pregnancy can help prevent birth defects in the baby’s spinal cord and brain.

Birth defects usually occur during the early stages of pregnancy, so it is important to have a good supply of folic acid in your body during these critical stages when the baby’s spinal cord and brain by are developing.

Deficiencies in folic acid are associated with conditions known as spina bifida (partial development of spinal cord) and anencephaly (where major parts of a baby’s brain do not develop completely).

These conditions can cause permanent disability to the baby or, in extreme cases, death. Folic acid can also protect against premature birth, poor growth inside the womb, miscarriage, and low birth weight.

Folic acid supplements are recommended for women trying to get pregnant as well as during pregnancy. Consult a doctor on the amount you require.

Foods rich in folic acid include dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, lentils, pulses like beans, and fortified breakfast cereals.

These questions have been answered and compiled by Dr Torooti Mwirigi and the panel of DN2 Health Professionals. Have a question about your health? Please send it to [email protected].

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What foods are safe for pregnant women?

It is every woman’s wish to have a healthy baby, as well as to remain healthy so that she can take care of her child. Consequently, any woman, and especially first-time mothers, will go the extra mile in seeking information regarding nutrition during pregnancy.

Understanding the foods that are safe to eat can be useful in making healthy choices for a mother and her unborn baby. During pregnancy, a woman needs extra minerals and vitamins, and diet alone might not be sufficient.

Women are thus advised to take supplements to meet this demand. However, supplements should be taken with advice from a doctor or nutritionist.

Sea food is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and proteins, but exercise caution during pregnancy as some fish, such as shellfish contain significant amounts of mercury, which is harmful.

Mercury can hinder the development of the nervous system of the unborn child. The amount of mercury in a fish is determined by its age and size; the bigger or the older the fish, the higher the mercury level.

However, fish like Tilapia, salmon and catfish are considered safe during pregnancy. Uncooked or contaminated sea food can be harmful since it might harbour viruses and bacteria.

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient, especially in reinforcing the body’s immunity. However, excessive amounts of this vitamin can be dangerous to health as it can cause teratogenic (deformity causing) toxicities, meaning that they can cause foetal abnormality.

Consequently, foods that have high vitamin A content like liver should be avoided or taken in moderation.

Pregnant women are also vulnerable to food poisoning even though unborn babies are rarely affected.

Pregnant women must ensure that they eat meat that is properly cooked. Processed/canned meat and unpasteurised milk contain the bacterium listeria, which causes listeriosis and can lead to miscarriage.

In addition, listeria can penetrate the placenta and infect the foetus through blood poisoning. It is advisable to reheat these foods thoroughly before eating them. Raw eggs are also not safe as they contain salmonella bacteria.

Fruits and vegetables come in handy for pregnant women as they provide vitamins that help the body fight germs. However, before eating raw food, ensure that it is washed, and remove all damaged parts to get rid of any bacteria.

All fruits and vegetables should be washed carefully to eliminate toxoplasma, which can enter the placenta and pass infections that can cause eye diseases or affect the foetus’ nervous system.

Avoid coffee during the first trimester of pregnancy. This is because caffeine increases the chances of low birth weight, premature delivery or even miscarriage.

However, you can continue enjoying your coffee in the subsequent trimesters, although in moderation. Coffee is a diuretic (helps in eliminating fluids from the body) and can, therefore, accelerate loss of calcium water, which is critical during pregnancy.

Alcohol is harmful during pregnancy as it can harm the foetus. Although the exact amount that is harmful is not clear, taking alcohol during pregnancy can affect the development of the foetal brain, besides increasing risks of miscarriage or stillbirth.

Excessive alcohol in pregnancy can cause foetal alcohol syndrome, a condition where the baby might have low birth weight, facial deformities, heart problems and be mentally retarded.