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It is essential that you eat lots of fruit and vegetables, these are rich in vitamins and minerals you will need, fibre also to help with your digestion and to help prevent constipation. Vegetables should be cooked lightly in a small amount of water as water retains all the goodness out of the vegetables. Frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables are also a good source to help you reach your recommended daily allowance.
Starchy foods are an important part of your diet; these include rice, bread, pasta and cereals. These food sources also contain a good amount of vitamins and fibre. Eating wholegrain cereals and bread can help with the digestive system also.
You should also try and eat everyday any lean meat, fish, eggs, cheese, beans and lentils, they all contain a good source of nutrients that your body requires.
A good source of calcium is important, so such sources as milk, cheese and yoghurts are essential as your growing baby requires this in its development.
Some foods such as sugary foods are not essential for you or your growing baby so should be omitted from your diet, they have no nutrients in them and contain an increased amount of calories.
Try and cut down on fatty foods as well, they contain too many calories and you are at a risk of heart disease. Try to avoid frying foods, trimming the fat from meat and cut down on pastry. Choosing low fat foods will help control your fat intake.
The intake of Vitamins and minerals is an important part of your diet even more so now you are pregnant………..
Green vegetables, lean meat, fruit and nuts contain a good source of iron, this helps as lack of can cause you to get anaemia and you may get very tired.
Citrus fruit, tomatoes, broccoli, blackcurrants and potatoes contain an increasing amount of Vitamin C; this helps your body to absorb the iron more efficiently.
Dairy products naturally give you more Calcium to help with bone and teeth growth, other such products to help with the growth is fish, bread and green vegetables.
Vitamin D also helps keep your bones keep in good shape, the best source of vitamin D is the sunlight, try and get some sun but DO USE a high factor skin cream, a simpler form of vitamin D is oily fish such as sardines.
From day one of your pregnancy through to week 12 you will need extra folic acid, this helps prevent spina bifida and other such related conditions. Folic acid is present in green vegetables (not over cooked as this destroys the folic acid. In order to maintain a high intake of Folic acid it will be necessary for you take a supplement, this should help you maintain a dose of 400 micrograms daily. Folic acid can be obtained at pharmacy’s, supermarkets and through a prescription from your GP.
Although food has a lot of the minerals and vitamins that our body needs, during pregnancy there are some foods that you should take care of.
Any cooked meats must not have a trace of blood or look pink; you must wash all surfaces and your utensils before and after preparing your meat. Doing this before can reduce the risks of Toxoplasma (this can cause toxoplasmosis – which can harm your baby).
Washing fruit and vegetables thoroughly will remove all traces of soil which can also be containing toxoplasma.
If you are going to eat eggs it is essential that they are cooked thoroughly, they must be hard boiled, this will prevent salmonella poisoning.
AVOID SOME FOODS………….
Avoid foods such as soft cheese and pate, these can cause listeria. Listeria is not common but if contracted can harm your unborn baby or even cause miscarriage.
Avoid milk that has not been pasteurised (or UHT), the two latter have had harmful germs destroyed.
Avoid Liver, liver has a high content of vitamin C, which can give you more than you are required to have and this in turn can harm your baby.
Avoid eating peanuts (large amounts); this is especially important in the last three months of your pregnancy as your baby can develop an allergy to nuts, which is potentially serious.
All of the information pertaining to required food and hygiene is common sense……..
MAKE SURE YOU…………….
Wash your hands before handling any food,
Wash all fruit and vegetables, including any that have been pre packed.
Cook all your meat and any poultry thoroughly,
Wash hands after handling raw meat and always store your raw meat is stored in a different place to any prepared foods,
Always wash your gloves if you are handling any soil or if you have been gardening.
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