Nutrition is important at every stage of life, but it's especially important for a baby's development in the womb. The baby's growth and development are directly influenced by the mother's nutrition.
Naturally, most expectant mothers instinctively wonder about and worry about their nutrition in order to satisfy the demands of their developing child.
Diets deficient in essential nutrients are known to cause major birth difficulties, including premature birth or miscarriage. In addition to being essential for the developing infant, proper nutrition during pregnancy can benefit moms by enhancing their health and well-being even after giving birth.
Maretha Vermaak, a nutritionist with Rediscover Dairy, offers knowledgeable advice to help mothers embarking on this new path. The nutrition expert recognises that modifying your diet can be challenging, so it is better to focus on small changes that have a significant impact on your diet, especially when it comes to nutrients that are essential for healthy growth and development.
According to her, maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy and ensuring that your baby has a birth weight of at least 2.5kg are both made possible by proper nutrition.
“Pregnancy is not the time to be experimenting with diet fads or taking ‘nutrition advice’ from non-experts. For your baby to be born healthy, growth and development need to happen on quite a strict schedule during each of the trimesters, and therefore these timeframes are called ‘critical periods’.”
She stresses further that growth or development may be hampered if specific nutrients are scarce at these crucial times. Even before becoming pregnant, eating a nutritious diet will benefit both you and your unborn child.
No, you don’t need to “eat for two”. Although this saying is sometimes taken to mean that you should eat twice as much while pregnant, your actual energy requirements barely change. Instead, keep an eye on your weight gain and adjust your calorie consumption accordingly.
Moreover, the best approach is to focus on your nutrient intake, understanding the role of nutrients in a healthy pregnancy, and making sure that the nutritional quality of your food is good.”
Here are six “star” nutrients to focus on:
Protein: To support the growth of your developing baby's body, your need for protein during pregnancy rises by 50%. However, the majority of people consume more protein than is advised (0.8g/kg/day), thus it is unlikely that you will need to increase your protein intake.
Pick proteins from both plants and animals, and go for minimally processed foods. Good protein options include milk and other dairy products like yoghurt, cheese, and maas; fatty fish like sardines, pilchards, or cooked shellfish, meat and poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds, and eggs.
Folate: This B vitamin is essential for DNA synthesis and cell division. Insufficient folate for your growing child can lead to neural tube defects. According to the National Library of Medicine, neural tube defects are birth defects of the brain, spine or spinal cord.
Foods rich in folate include dark-green leafy vegetables, fruits and grains, as well as nuts, legumes, seafood, eggs, dairy products, meat and poultry.
Iron: Pregnant women require additional iron because red blood cells, which need iron to function, multiply during pregnancy, increasing the volume of blood in the body.
Severe iron deficiency (anaemia) during pregnancy increases the risk of premature birth.
Good sources of iron are red meat and eggs. Eating vegetables and fruit high in vitamin C together with iron-rich foods will improve the absorption of iron.
Zinc: Zinc is an essential mineral for cell division and immunity, but it is also essential for your baby's growth and brain development. Foods derived from both plants and animals, such as legumes, nuts and seeds, as well as dairy products, meat and seafood are excellent sources of zinc.
Omega-3 fatty acids: Brain and eye development rely on adequate levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Protein-rich foods such as fatty fish, nuts and seeds are good sources of omega-3 fats, too.
Calcium: Pregnancy boosts your body’s ability to absorb and store calcium. Consuming about 1 200 mg of calcium a day during pregnancy is important not only for forming your baby’s bones and teeth but also for maintaining your bone health.
Milk and dairy products such as maas, yoghurt and cheese are great sources of calcium that are easily absorbed by the body. Three to four servings of dairy a day are recommended to help you reach your required calcium intake. Fish usually eaten with their bones, such as tinned sardines, can also be a valuable source of calcium.