A problem shared
Is my pregnant daughter gaining too much weight?
Q
MY DAUGHTER is seven months pregnant with my first grandchild. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m worried about her weight gain. I’ve read that putting on lots of weight during pregnancy can affect the baby. My daughter gets cross when I touch on the subject and assures me she’s healthy and following the NHS advice.
Recently, she was told her blood sugars are creeping up and need monitoring. I’m worried that all the pasta, bread and potatoes she has been advised to eat is only making things worse. What should she be eating?
A
Talking to anyone about their weight, let alone a pregnant woman, can be a very sensitive matter. So i think you would do better to focus on her health, particularly now that she is showing early signs of developing gestational diabetes; that is when a woman develops raised blood sugars during pregnancy. it affects about 5 per cent of women and is, to a great extent, connected to what she is eating.
We know that a nutritious and balanced diet is vital for the health of both mother and baby, even helping to reduce the risk of
a premature delivery or having a baby which is small for its dates.
We also know that a poor diet leads to ‘early life programming’, affecting the child’s health.
So what should she be eating? What i find surprising is that the nHS still recommends pregnant women to follow a low-fat diet. This means basing their meals on the Eatwell guide, including plenty of starchy carbohydrates that are broken down into sugar.
according to standard nHS advice: ‘Starchy foods should make up just over a third of the food you eat.’ The guide recommends you ‘include bread,
Do you get the winter blues? Is your body telling you to hide under the covers, conserve energy and hibernate until spring? one in 15 people suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder, known as SAD. Daylight suppresses the production of the hormone melatonin (which helps you sleep) in order to keep you awake during the day. But in winter, for some people the light is not strong enough to suppress the urge to curl up in bed. It helps to get out into daylight. A light box is also useful, delivering enough rays to help some reprogramme their brain to remain cheerful and alert though the darker days.
potatoes, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, maize, millet, oats, yams and cornmeal. if you are having chips, go for oven chips lower in fat and salt’.
Yet numerous studies have shown that eating a Mediterranean diet in pregnancy can reduce the mother’s chance of putting on excess weight. This includes plenty of vegetables, fruit, fish, poultry, some meat, along with olive oil, dairy, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and wholegrains such as brown rice.
There was, for example, the Esteem trial, where 1,252 women with obesity or diabetes were given either a Mediterranean diet or usual care. Those on the Med-style diet put on less weight (1.25kg, or 2lb 12oz) and were 35 per cent less likely to develop gestational diabetes.
given that the Mediterranean diet has the best evidence base in studies, why are we still recommending a low-fat diet at this crucial time in a mother and baby’s life? Sadly, many women don’t have access to the skills or foods to improve what they eat.
as for your daughter, she may decide that improving her diet is an important part of preparation for motherhood. The Mediterranean-style diet has the potential to improve both mum and baby’s future health.