The old idea that an expectant mother needs to eat for two may not have been correct in relation to the quantity of food in her diet, but it has proved to be a wise rule in terms of food quality in pregnancy. A good diet is essential for your baby’s growth and development and research findings indicate that the quality of your baby’s nutrition before birth may also lay the foundation for good health in adult life.

This does not mean that you should worry constantly about your diet. If you already eat a variety of nourishing foods on a regular basis, only a few additional changes may be necessary to meet the nutritional needs of pregnancy. This is stressed in the Department of Health’s 1991 COMA report from the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy. The four food groups: Sugary foods: Your calorie needs: Fibre: Fats: Protein: Minerals and vitamins: Folic acid: Calcium.

The Four Food Groups - 1, 2, 3, 4

Food is divided into four main categories, according to its nutritional nature and origin, and role in providing essential nutrients. Each food group is important for different reasons.

The easiest way to make sure that you are having a balanced diet is to eat a variety of foods, and include selections from the four main food groups, ideally on a daily basis. If this is not possible, plan meals to provide the necessary variety over a few days. This should ensure that your diet is well balanced, and that you are receiving enough energy, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Group 1: Starchy foods

Also called complex carbohydrates, this is the group around which most meals should be based. Not only are starchy foods filling without providing too many calories, they also provide additional nutrients and are cheap. Includes: bread, rice, oatmeal, corn, wheat, pasta, millet, rye, breakfast cereals, and starchy vegetables such as potatoes and yams (sweet potatoes). Bread and breakfast cereals are fortified with minerals and vitamins.
Provides: protein, fibre, energy, vitamins and minerals. Servings needed: four or more daily. Try to include some foods containing extra fibre (wholemeal bread, jacket potatoes and breakfast cereal mixtures such as wheat or oat flakes with dried fruit).

Group 2: Dairy Products

Includes: milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais.
Provides: calcium, protein, vitamins A and D (in whole milk products), zinc, iodine and magnesium. Also see healthy teeth. Servings needed: four or more daily.

Group 3: Meat, fish and alternatives

Includes: meat, fish, eggs, nuts, beans and vegetarian products. Provides: protein, vitamin A, B vitamins, fibre (in nuts and beans), iron and zinc. Servings needed: three or more daily.

Group 4: Fruits and vegetables

Includes: fruit and vegetables (fresh, frozen and dried in preference to processed).
Provides: vitamins A and C, folic acid, potassium, iron and fibre. Servings needed: four or more daily. Select one serving from dark yellow or green leafy vegetables for vitamin A, and one serving from citrus fruits, tomatoes or other fruits rich in vitamin C. Try to eat some well washed raw fruit and vegetables daily.

Sugary foods In addition to these four groups you can include small amounts of sugary foods and drinks for variety. However, these items contain few other nutrients. They tend to cause weight gain and tooth decay.

Your calorie needs

Calories are the measure used to express the energy value of food. The number of calories that a person needs daily depends on his or her basal metabolic rate (BMR) and level of physical activity. The BMR, which can be measured in the process of medical investigation, is the rate at which the body uses energy when at rest. According to the 1991 COMA report, the daily average requirement for a female aged between 15 and 18 years is 2110 calories. Between the ages of 19 and 49 years, it is 1940 calories.

On average, a pregnant woman needs an extra 200 calories per day in the final three months only. However, women who were underweight at the start of pregnancy will need to eat more. Mothers who breastfeed their babies for only the first three months need an extra 480 calories. Those who breastfeed for six months or longer need an extra 550 calories.

Although you need extra energy during pregnancy, to meet your baby’s requirements and enable your body to store fat to facilitate breastfeeding later, you are not likely to need additional energy foods. This is because your increased needs are compensated for by a reduction in your level of physical activity, and by a reduction in your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

To make up the extra 200 calories daily needed in the last three months, you can have nourishing snacks between meals. Eat a sandwich, fruit, yoghurt or pizza, rather than sugary snacks such as biscuits or doughnuts. The latter are high in fat and sugar but low in nutrients, and may lead to excessive weight gain.

Fibre

Fibre or ‘roughage’ is present in grains, fruit and vegetables. It is important in speeding digestion and helping to prevent constipation and hemorrhoids. Too much fibre can cause digestive upsets, and may interfere with absorption of essential minerals such as iron and calcium. If your daily diet includes fruit, vegetables and whole grains, you are unlikely to need extra fibre. Bran should not be added to food unless recommended by your doctor.

Fats

Fats are a concentrated source of energy which means that they are high in calories. The body stores fat as an energy reserve and draws upon it when extra fuel is needed. Fat also helps in the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K and makes food more palatable. A diet too low in fat may be low in these vitamins and in calories.

Fats are classified as saturated fat (solid fat found on meat and in cream, butter, lard and many types of margarine) and unsaturated fats (found in vegetable oils and some margarine). Saturated fat may be harmful to health, so choose a vegetable fat such as sunflower, corn, olive or soya oil, for cooking. Spread butter thinly and use single rather than double cream. Or substitute yoghurt, but remember that fruit-flavoured varieties usually contain added sugar.

Meat products such as beef burgers, sausages and meat pies tend to have a high saturated fat content so try not to eat these too often. Trim excess fat from meat before cooking. Chicken and turkey are low in fat so long as the skin is removed.

Protein

Protein is needed for body-building, repair and growth. The daily EAR for women is about 36 grams of protein. Pregnant women need an extra 6 grams, and breastfeeding mothers need an extra 11 grams daily. Three or four ounces of meat provides 27 grams of protein; one third of a pint of milk or one egg 6 grams; three ounces of fish, 19 grams; four ounces of beans 6-9 grams. So large amounts of protein foods are not necessary to meet our daily requirements. Excessive amounts may be harmful.

Minerals and vitamins

Minerals and vitamins are essential for health. However, they are needed only in the small amounts found in most foods. If you are having a well-balanced diet you should be getting sufficient of both. Don't take supplements unless these are recommended by your doctor. The body can store some vitamins such as vitamins A, D and B12. Taken in excess, some vitamins (such as A, C, D and B6) can be toxic. The Department of Health advises expectant mothers not to eat liver or liver products. This is because liver has been found to contain high levels of vitamin A which, in large amounts may be associated with birth defects.

Folic Acid

The B vitamin, 44folic acid (folate), is very important throughout pregnancy, but especially in the first 12 weeks when the baby's organs and body systems are being formed. Good food sources of folic acid include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, peas, potatoes, spinach, oranges, grapefruit, bananas, bread, brown rice, milk, yeast extract (e.g. Marmite), Bovril, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, eggs, nuts, fish. (Look out for labels saying that bread and cereals are 'fortified with folic acid'.)

Calcium

Calcium is essential during pregnancy for feotal bone and tooth formation. 99 per cent of the calcium in our bodies is in bones and teeth. The remaining one per cent is in blood plasma and soft tissues.