1. Healthy Diet in Pregnancy1

2. Why is a healthy diet important during pregnancy?
Help baby develop and grow
Help keep mum healthy and well
Important to eat a variety everyday to get
the right nutrients
No need to eat for two! 2

3. 3

4. Other messages
Regular eating – this keeps blood sugar at a steady level and avoids cravings for quick fixes such as high fat/sugar snacks. Eating at regular intervals during pregnancy can also help to alleviate nausea during the early weeks.
Keeping a food diary and menu planning. Both of these tools can help clients to monitor what they are eating – and support them in eating healthily. Meal planning – on a weekly basis can help clients to think more creatively about eating healthy meals

5. Other messages
Diets – dieting are rarely successful in the long term and usually result in the person putting the weight lost back on again. This is because they are not adapting sustainable eating habits. We all know we can only go without the foods we like for so long. It is much better to adopt a healthy attitude to what we eat, eat a balance of foods and eat high fat/sugar foods in moderation.
In pregnancy, the aim is to minimise weight gain and to foster positive eating habits. It is not for clients to lose weight – although some clients do lost some weight if they have long bouts of sickness.

6. Other messages Meals rather than snacks
In order to build good eating habits, it is important to eat healthy meals during the day, with healthy snacks in between. Lots of snacks are not good for us as they are eaten and forgotten quickly, digested more quickly and can leave us still feeling hungry so we are likely to eat more. A balanced meal will take longer to be digested and keep our energy levels at the right place for longer.

7. Fruit and Vegetables Provide vitamins and minerals
Provide fibre which helps digestive system work better
Eat vegetables lightly cooked or raw to get the most benefit
Remember to wash them well
Frozen, tinned and dried fruit and vegetables all count
Aim for more than 5 portions a day
Potatoes are NOT a fruit/vegetable
If you have some fruit/veg at every meal, it becomes easy to slot in 5 a day
Remember that some clients may currently eat none at all

8. 5 a day
What is a portion?
For adults, a measure of a portion is 80g. For children, a portion is approximately the size of their clenched fist.
Only one glass of fruit juice per day counts in your 5 a day.
Try not to have too much dried fruit as this has more concentrated sugar in

9. Starchy Foods Also known as carbohydrates
Important source of vitamins and fibre
These foods should be the main part of every meal because they provide the energy for the activity that we do.
Try and eat wholemeal varieties wherever possible as these contain more fibre to keep the digestive system moving.

10. Starchy Foods
Did you know that all of the following are types of carbohydrates?
Bread Rice Crackers Crisps
Cereal Pasta Naan Bread Lentils
Potatoes Popadum Cornmeal Bagels
Yams Couscous Pizza Beans
Oats Tortilla Squash

11. Meat, Fish and Alternatives
Meat, fish, and alternatives provide us with protein and vitamins and minerals and contribute to a healthy diet. This includes meat (not liver), fish, poultry, eggs, beans, pulses and nuts
Some of these should be eaten every day – and guidance suggests 2 portions of fish a week. For some of your clients it may be a big jump from no fish to at least 2 portions a week.
When choosing meat, try to choose lean cuts or cut the fat and skin off meat before cooking.

12. Meat, Fish and Alternatives
All of these are classed are meat, fish or alternatives?
Meat (not liver)
Fish – including tinned fish
Chicken and other poultry and eggs
Beans and Pulses – beans, lentils, chickpeas, broad beans
Nuts and seeds – poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds,
You will shortly look at types of meat, fish and nuts to avoid during pregnancy.

13. Milk and Dairy Foods Contain calcium and other nutrients
Choose low-fat varieties wherever possible; semi-skimmed/skimmed milk, low-fat yoghurt
Some dairy products can also be high in salt or sugar which should be avoided – for example, ready prepared milkshakes
Cheeses that need to be to avoided during pregnancy will be covered later.

14. Fats and Sugary Food Only eat a small amount of these foods
Sugar contains ‘empty calories’
These foods contribute to weight gain and obesity
Fat is very high in calories, however, some fat is
required in the diet for energy including fat soluble vitamins and EFAs

15. Avoid having too much Fatty foods Foods high in sugar Caffeine
Oily fish
Tinned tuna
Alcohol

16. Healthy Snacks Sandwiches, pitta breads Salad vegetables
Low-fat yoghurt or fromage frais
Hummus and bread or vegetable sticks
Apricots/figs/prunes
Vegetable and bean soups
Unsweetened breakfast cereals or porridge and milk
Milky drinks or unsweetened fruit juices
Fresh fruit
Baked beans on toast or baked potato

17. Activity 1 Putting the eatwell plate into practice
Activity 1 Putting the eatwell plate into practice. Consider some examples of common family meals and how these would meet the template of the eat well plate. Plan a week’s worth of meals for your client. Make sure you include snacks and some less healthy options in moderation.

18. Alcohol
During pregnancy, the government advises that you should avoid drinking alcohol.
If you do choose to drink
Don’t have more than 1 or 2 units once or twice a week, and
Don’t drink so that you feel drunk
Alcohol can affect the development of the baby if taken above these guidelines.

19. Caffeine High levels of caffeine during pregnancy can result in;
Babies having a low birth weight
Miscarriage
Caffeine is naturally found in lots of foods such as coffee, tea and chocolate and is added to some soft drinks and energy drinks
Some cold and flu remedies also contain caffeine – talk to a health professional before taking these
Don’t have more than 200mg a day (2 mugs of instant coffee, 5 cans of coke, 2 mugs of tea)

20. Foods to Avoid altogether
Mould ripened and blue veined cheeses and cheese made from unpasteurised milk
Liver and foods made from liver
All pates including vegetarian
Unpasteurised milk
Fish liver oils and vitamin supplements containing Vitamin A
Raw shellfish
Raw eggs
Shark, marlin and swordfish
Peanuts and foods containing peanut products (if you have a history of allergies)

21. Foods you don’t need to avoid
Shellfish as part of a hot meal
Live or bio yoghurt
Probiotic drinks
Fromage frais/crème fraiche/soured cream
Spicy food
Mayonnaise/ice cream/salad dressing (as long as they have
not been made using raw eggs)
Honey
Many types of cheese (list in appendix)

22. Safe Food Preparation Always wash your hands
Prepare raw and ready to eat food separately
Wash utensils used to prepare raw food before using again
Keep cloths, tea towels and hand towels clean and change them frequently

23. Cooking Food Thaw meat and poultry fully before cooking
Check food is piping hot all the way through
Don’t reheat food more than once

24. Chilling Food
Put food that needs to be chilled in the fridge straight away
Cool cooked food as quickly as possible and then put in the fridge
Store raw meat and poultry in a sealed container at the bottom of the fridge
Don’t overload the fridge

25. Eating in Pregnancy Quiz