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www.ingredients4health.co.uk Faye Baxter Pregnancy and Pre-Conceptual Care We know that your health, nutritional status and mental well being have a bearing not only on your baby’s health in infancy but are also the basic building blocks for your child’s health as they grow to adulthood. Pre-conceptual Care If you are planning a pregnancy, it is important for prospective mothers and fathers to consider and re-evaluate their diet. Both parties need to consider diet, as food and nutrition will help fertility and for the prospective mother, provide a healthy environment for the foetus to grow. So consider how “balanced” and healthy your current diet is, is it a suitable diet for pregnancy? Increase your vegetables, especially dark green variety, unrefined grains, pulses, seeds and oily fish, reduce or eliminate sugar, alcohol, and refined carbohydrates. Stop smoking. Consider supplements, exercise and a healthy weight. Consider your weight, research shows that both under and over weight issues can have detrimental effects. The mother’s diet both before conception and during the first few weeks, when many women are unaware that they are pregnant, is important for the growth and proper development of the embryo; as from conception for the first few weeks, it develops more rapidly than at any other time. To help prevent neural tube defects such as Spina Bifida and Anencephaly, sufficient amounts of the B vitamins are needed, in particular folate or folic acid (this is the man made version). We need folate as it helps make healthy new cells. Birth defects of the brain and spine happen in the very early stages of pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. By the time she finds out she is pregnant, it might be too late to prevent those birth defects. Government guidelines recommend between 400- 800mcg folic acid daily. Review your diet and increase folate rich foods such as green vegetables, yeast extract, nuts, pulses, wheat germ, unrefined cereals and take a supplement. Review diet and consider whether you are eating sufficient calcium and iron rich foods. Research shows that women with a low store of iron may become anemic. Rich sources of iron are curry powder, ginger, meat, seeds, pulses, and dark green vegetables such as kale. Vitamin C helps absorb iron, once again eat more www.ingredients4health.co.uk Faye Baxter dark green vegetables! Vegans/ vegetarians need to check whether they have sufficient vitamin b12 as this also helps absorb iron. You may not have a lack of iron but are unable to absorb it due to other nutrient deficiencies. Research also shows that the growing foetus will deplete maternal bone if calcium runs short during pregnancy. Include seeds, sardines, cheese, dark green vegetables, seaweed, yogurt, milk plus a supplement. Calcium is important for bone health and cardiovascular health. Magnesium is another mineral which helps maintain good bone health and heart health, seeds, nuts raw cocoa powder are all rich in magnesium and helpful for the health of mother and growing foetus. Enjoy a 30 minutes walk every day, this will give you a regular and much needed gentle amount of exercise and help maintain a positive mental outlook. Pregnancy Your high nutrient and healthy diet needs to be maintained throughout your pregnancy. Recent research shows that what you eat, not only affects the health of the growing foetus but also your future baby’s developing taste buds, palette and food preferences. If you continue to consume large amounts of sugary products, you will help develop a baby’s taste preferences for sweet products! If you consume plenty of vegetables and healthy foods you are helping educate the developing taste buds of your baby for healthy foods and the building blocks for good health. Make sure your diet is including adequate supplies of vitamin B1, B2, folate, Vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, Calcium and magnesium. Many of us have inadequate supplies of vitamin D, as we obtain vitamin D primarily via the sun between the months April to October. As we live much more indoors now we can be deficient in vitamin D. It is good to check your levels with your doctor as vitamin D helps form bone health, cardiovascular health and is linked to mood. Maintain a balanced proportion of food groups. Take a look at the BANT Wellbeing Guidelines Unrefined carbohydrates Unrefined carbohydrates unrefined grains/starchy vegetables green leafy vegetables, fruit, Primary Protein – oily fish, pulses, meat, chicken. For vegans, vegetarians include a wide range of pulses, such as lentils, chickpeas, aduki beans etc and the fermented forms of soya such as tempeh and miso 2 www.ingredients4health.co.uk Faye Baxter Secondary protein dairy produce Oils --- Good quality oils, essential fatty acids, seeds, nuts. Increase fibre intake to reduce the possibility of constipation. Essential fatty acids such as GLA, EPA and DHA found in good quality plant and fish oils are essential for the developing baby. Research has linked a diet rich in EFAs with full term pregnancies and a healthy birth weight. These EFAs also play a role in the developing brain, eye and nervous system of the foetus. Fish oil has the highest strength. In the last three months of pregnancy, the brain increases in weight by four or five times. If you are vegan or vegetarian good quality flaxseed oil capsules can help but fish is richer fish oil. These are some general nutritional and dietary guidelines to help you put together general good, well rounded and healthy diet, which research has shown have been linked to an increased chance of healthy birth weight, increased brain development and a reduction of some birth defects. In addition, the positive aspects of a healthy diet also cross over to the mother, having been linked to a reduction in morning sickness, fatigue, pre-eclampsia, mood swings, constipation and post-natal recovery. If you would like more personal individual nutritional and dietary advice for specific conditions contact me on 01604 812800/07929556908 or email [email protected] 3