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Without dieting in order to lose weight while you’re pregnant, there are ways you can amend your eating habits to become healthier.

Healthcare professionals know that eating a diet rich in whole grains, fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and low in salt and fat, helps reduce blood pressure and excess weight. To control your cholesterol and protect your heart, eat high-fibre foods, which have been proved to reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Try to snack on fruit and vegetables throughout the day without counting kilojoules – have as many as you like. Use small amounts of olive oil in your cooking, and eat oily fish and nuts to get the omega-3 fatty acids you need to reduce cholesterol and hypertension, but remember that due to mercury concerns, the advice is to stick to two tins of tuna and one or two servings of lean white fish such as hake or kingklip a week while you’re pregnant.

These menu suggestions (with no portion weighing or kilojoule counting) will help you get started on your road to better health.

BREAKFAST

• Bowl of cooked oats with sliced banana or apple and cinnamon

• Whole grain toast with a teaspoon of margarine and mashed avocado and lemon juice

• Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, mushrooms, tomatoes and green peppers on whole grain toast

LUNCH

• Salad with chicken or turkey breast and rye toast

• Tuna salad in wholegrain pita bread

• Burger with salad (not chips) if eating at the canteen

• Beef or pork strip stir-fry with brown rice/couscous/quinoa, or even leftover pasta for a quick lunchtime treat

DINNER

• Baked hake with rice and roasted butternut, brinjals, marrow and peppers

• Lean mince spaghetti bolognese made with plenty of tomato sauce, and gem squash and peas

• Grilled chicken breast on a bed of quinoa or couscous and spinach, mangetout and broccoli

• Stir-fried cabbage, peppers, mushrooms, onions, green beans, cauliflower or any other veg. Add chickpeas or baked beans, and eat as a one-pot meal for a meat-free day

SNACKS

• Fruit salad and yoghurt

• Smoothie made from yoghurt, low-fat milk, and two to three of the following: bananas, strawberries, cherries, kiwi fruit, apricots, or other soft fruit – add a handful of nuts and seeds to the blender if you need a protein and omega-3 boost

• Provita with cottage cheese and tomato

• Carrot and cucumber sticks withhummus