Month three

Certain food ingredients are extra important to eat while you have a little human forming inside you. Here’s what you need to know

All the nutrients you need

When you’re pregnant, your body depletes many of your nutrients to give to the baby, so it’s important that you eat a well-balanced, healthy diet during this time. If you can, take a specially formulated pregnancy multivitamin as recommended by your doctor or clinic sister. No food is more important than any other, but the following nutrients punch above their weight and should form part of a healthy pregnancy diet.

FOLIC ACID

Folic acid is a B vitamin which helps the proper development of your baby’s brain and spinal cord very early in pregnancy. It also helps make red blood cells. Take a folic acid supplement from before you are even pregnant. If you are already pregnant, don’t worry: bread and cereal are fortified with folic acid in South Africa. Other foods with lots of folic acid include many green vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, broccoli, avo, peas, Brussels sprouts, lentils, beans, as well as liver, bananas and citrus fruits.

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS

These acids are called “essential” because your body doesn’t make them, so we need to get them from our diets. Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids build and maintain cells and are good for our eyes, brain and nerves.

Fish is full of omega-3s, but because of mercury poisoning concerns, eat no more than two to four portions of fish a week, choosing from the lowest-mercury-count fish we have on our markets: sardines, pilchards, anchovies, tinned tuna, salmon, hake and snoek. “Studies have shown a relationship between high fish consumption by pregnant women and improved child cognition, verbal intelligence quotient, fine motor co-ordination and prosocial behaviour,” says YP expert dietician Nicqui Grant. “So the benefits of fish outweigh the potential disadvantages for increased intakes of contaminants.” If you don’t eat fish, try walnuts and flaxseed oil – and a supplement. Most of us get plenty of omega-6s from vegetable oils, nuts and seeds in our diet. But Your Pregnancy expert gynaecologist Dr Bronwyn Moore warns: “Take an omega-3 supplement only until 36 weeks. Omegas and other oils prolong your blood clotting time and so they can increase bleeding, bruising and ooze from a tear, episiotomy or C-section.”

POTASSIUM

Potassium is an important mineral – an electrolyte – that helps the body build protein and muscle, use carbs, and grow well. Pregnant You is carrying a lot more fluid and your circulation is sluggish. Your kidneys retain water because they divert fluid and sodium to the foetus (hence the bloat), but there are some foods that help maintain healthy kidney function. As potassium can be lost in urine, load up on replacements such as meat, bananas, beetroot or potato skins.

MAGNESIUM

About 350mg per day of magnesium is good for building and repairing your body’s tissues, bones, cartilage and teeth, it helps regulate blood sugar levels, and it also relaxes muscles (which can guard against premature labour). It even aids against heartburn and anxiety (and can make you sleep better). Signs of a magnesium deficiency include high blood pressure (which can lead to preeclampsia!), weakness, memory loss, cramping and dental trouble. You can find this magic mineral in seeds, grains and pulses, nuts, green leafy veg, eggs and fish.

IRON

Anaemia (or being dizzy and lightheaded) is common in pregnancy. It’s often caused by an iron deficiency, so you can fill up on spinach, broccoli, beans, apricots and pumpkin, nuts, legumes and red meat. Have your iron with foods containing vitamin C as this helps the body absorb the iron.

LOW-GI CARBS

You’re so hungry. Plus, you’re nauseous and grumpy and you just want carbs. Now! Your body needs up to 1 900 extra kilojoules a day by the third trimester, but beware of pregnancy’s famously sluggish digestion – eat high-fibre, low-GI carbs, says registered dietician Shirley Norman: “Frequent carb snacks can help stave off nausea caused by low blood sugar. Your body needs the extra energy, but you can choose low-GI snacks such as a Provita with Marmite.”

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIGH FISH CONSUMPTION BY PREGNANT WOMEN AND IMPROVED CHILD COGNITION, VERBAL INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT, FINE MOTOR CO-ORDINATION AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOUR