Are you expecting a baby? Are you planning a pregnancy? Right from the start and even a little before, it is essential that pregnant women adopt a balanced, diversified and alcohol-free diet. This change in a woman's life generally brings a number of questions... How can weight gain be controlled? What does "balanced diet" mean, especially during pregnancy? Are there any food supplements to take? What foods should be favoured or avoided? This article will clarify your questions and, above all, enable you to make better informed food choices...
It all starts long before...
The 1000 days concept, launched by UNICEF, refers to the importance of this balanced diet and also of an adequate dietary intake of folate, or vitamin B9. This vitamin has a fundamental role, especially up to 8 weeks of pregnancy, in cell growth and division. This nutrient is found in foods such as dried brewer's yeast, pulses, green vegetables (especially leafy vegetables), mushrooms and bread; and in smaller amounts in carrots, tomatoes, celery, meat, cheese, milk, eggs, potatoes.... In most cases, vitamin supplementation (called folic acid at this time) is necessary and is initiated by the treating physician, gynaecologist or midwife.
During pregnancy and in general...
During pregnancy, it is recommended not to restrict or overeat. The recommended weight gain is on average 12kg. To achieve this, it is essential to adopt a healthy and varied diet to cover your nutritional needs and those of your baby. This means eating 2 to 3 portions of fruit a day, 1 portion of vegetables at lunchtime and in the evening, and pulses at least twice a week in addition to wholemeal starchy foods, preferably at every meal. All these foods will ensure a good transit, which tends to slow down more when baby is growing in utero! Fish, including 1 fatty fish per week, vegetable oils and dairy products are also of great nutritional interest... Don't forget that you can drink as much water as you like, which is not the case with sweet, fatty and/or salty products!
To finish with some precautions...
In order toavoid the risk of infection as much as possible, it is advisable to follow a few recommendations very scrupulously, all for a good cause, as you will have understood! Only 9 months, what does that represent in a lifetime?
If you are not immune to toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection, you should avoid contact with cats and be careful when gardening. Meat should be eaten well cooked. In general, adopt good habits: clean fruit and vegetables carefully, cook food thoroughly, and be careful about washing kitchen utensils. And don't forget to wash your hands regularly!
To avoid salmonellosisan infectious disease caused by bacteria in some contaminated animal foods, eat well-cooked eggs in addition to meat.
To avoid listeriosisIn order to avoid the disease, which is also bacterial and food-borne, you must refrain from eating soft or raw milk cheeses, smoked fish, raw shellfish and cold cuts. You can still eat hard cheeses such as Comté, Cheddar, Edam, Emmental, Gouda, GruyÚre, Parmesan, Pecorino, Manchego... and all other cheeses as long as they are made from pasteurised milk. Finally, it is essential to respect the expiry dates throughout pregnancy...
And to finish this article, I would like to give you a precious and essential piece of advice: "Don't eat twice as much, but twice as well!
Dietician - Nutritionist specialising in paediatrics
Source:
- Report of the First 1000 Days Commission, Ministry of Solidarity and Health, September 2020
- Guide "Ma maternité" de l'Assurance Maladie, 2019 available at www.ameli.fr
- ANSES, for recommendations on food safety, available at www.anses.fr