Healthy eating ...

Healthy diet

A good diet before and during pregnancy can reduce the chances of foetal abnormality and help to ensure that your baby grows well. You don't need a super diet, just the normal sort of healthy eating that benefits everybody - food rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre, and not too high in sugar or fat. Fibre is essential for the absorption of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from food and for the process of digestion. It also helps to prevent pregnancy discomforts such as constipation and haemorrhoids.

Ideally, fat should provide less than 30% of your total daily calories. Many products, including some 'health foods', contain well over this amount; and most of the fat in processed foods, sandwiches and snacks is saturated or hydrogenated. Unsaturated fats, found in things like fresh nuts, oily fish and sunflower or olive oils are better for you as they contain essential fatty acids. An embryo carries on growing in the absence of some of them because your body supplies the next best available, but development may not be as good as it could be.

How much fat? If the percentage of fat isn't openly declared on the packaging of a product you can work it out. One gram of fat = 9 calories. Multiply the number of fat grams by 9, divide the answer by the total number of calories and multiply by 100. If the result is more than 30% the product is high in fat.

Improving your diet

The average woman needs about 2,000 calories a day when not pregnant. Your body reduces its metabolic rate and becomes more energy efficient during pregnancy so you only need about 200 extra calories per day. That's the equivalent of two slices of wholemeal toast with butter or margarine, or a banana and a glass of fruit juice, or a jacket potato with a little cheese.

Choose whole, fresh foods as far as possible, and restrict alcohol and fatty or sugary snacks (which provide calories but few nutrients) to rare treats. If you need individual dietary advice ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist or contact the Eating for Pregnancy Helpline (see Directory).

Easy ways to boost your diet

Breakfast: Drink a glass of orange juice; eat half a grapefruit; add a sliced banana to your breakfast cereal; change from white toast to wholemeal.

Lunch: Have a salad or some vegetable soup; take sticks of cucumber, celery or carrot in your packed lunch; add tomato, lettuce or bean sprouts to sandwiches.

Dinner: Add a vegetable such as broccoli to a casserole or pasta sauce; eat fresh fruit instead of a pudding; order extra vegetables instead of chips.

Snacks: Try grapes, cherry tomatoes, celery or carrot sticks. Dried apricots and raisins make a healthy, sweet tasting snack.

Tips:

• Nibbling pieces of raw fruit or vegetables, bite-sized sandwiches or plain dry biscuits can help reduce nausea in early pregnancy.
• Pasta and potatoes give you more energy and satisfy you for longer than chocolate. This gives you a short boost and then you're hungry again.
• Instead of having a snack with your toddler or when you get home from work, eat your evening meal earlier. It can help stop you nibbling.

What to eat

It's impossible to say exactly what you should eat during pregnancy. Women have individual nutritional requirements and different diets can be equally healthy.

The easiest way to ensure you eat healthily is to choose a variety of whole, fresh foods. Whole foods contain nutrients that are often removed when food is processed. The Department of Health recommends a varied diet containing at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. In addition, aim to have five portions of complex carbohydrates each day, with five from the protein and fat or dairy produce groups together. The more variety you choose the better.

Store food only briefly and keep the cooking simple because fresh food tends to lose nutrients in storage and cooking. Try to eat some fresh, raw food such as fruit, salad vegetables and nuts (in moderation) every day. Products high in fat and sugar such as cakes and sweets may take away your appetite for more nutritious food.