Healthy eating

Get your five-a-day

Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day (and you can eat many more if you like) helps you reap the benefits from lots of vitamins and minerals plus fibre (to keep things regular – you know what we mean!).

Enjoy a wide variety and have them fresh, frozen, or canned in fruit juice (try to avoid canned fruit in sweetened syrup). Fruit and vegetables are great snacks, too.

Want to know what counts as a ‘portion’? Click here

Starchy carbohydrate foods

These foods are a good source of energy, vitamins and fibre, and help to satisfy the appetite without containing too many calories. Lots of foods come into this category, including potatoes (ideally with their skins left on), rice, pasta, noodles, bread, chapattis, breakfast cereals and much more.

For extra filling power and fibre, opt for wholemeal pasta, wholegrain rice and wholemeal bread.

For health it’s advised that about 50% of our daily intake comes from this group of foods. While the foods are generally low in calories, what’s added to them can often pack in the calories while not adding many more nutrients, so watch out for creamy sauces, butters and mayonnaise that may send the calories soaring!

Protein

Protein is vital for growth, maintenance and repair in the body, and eating some every day is essential. Foods rich in protein include meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, chickpeas, dhal, dairy products and nuts. Some vegetarian options, like Quorn, soya and tofu products, are good sources of protein, too.

To reduce the fat content, choose lean meat and remove all visible fat, remove the skin from poultry and opt for lower-fat cooking methods – for example, grill or air-fry instead of fry, and use light oil sprays instead of oil or butter.

For health it’s recommended that we eat two portions of fish per week, one of which should be oily fish (eg, salmon, mackerel or sardines).

Health note: Avoid liver if you’re trying for a baby or are pregnant as this contains high levels of vitamin A, which can be harmful to a baby. Ensure meats are well cooked through. There are some types of fish it’s advised to avoid or limit in pregnancy. Find out more here...

Iron

Iron is important during pregnancy, but many women can be at risk of becoming deficient, so it’s a good idea to build up your iron stores when trying for a baby and include plenty of iron-rich foods if you’re pregnant.

As well as being a source of protein, lean red meat, poultry and fish are great sources of iron.

Iron is also found in some plant foods, such as dark green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts and wholegrains, though it’s more difficult for our body to extract the iron from these foods than from animal sources. Serving these plant sources with a vitamin C-rich food can help with iron absorption – for instance, you could pair the iron-rich spinach in your salad with some crunchy red bell peppers (a great source of vitamin C).

Drinking tea or coffee with meals can reduce the amount of iron you absorb from your food, so it’s advised to avoid having these drinks with your meals.

Iodine

Iodine is less frequently talked about, but it’s an essential nutrient, particularly during pregnancy. Iodine is needed to produce thyroid hormones, which support healthy growth and metabolism. It’s vital for mums-to-be to have a good iodine intake, because the growing baby gets all their iodine from mum, and this continues if they go on to be exclusively breastfed. Iodine is essential for the development of a baby’s brain, cognition, and motor abilities.

You should be able to get all the iodine you need by eating a varied and balanced diet. The main dietary sources of iodine are fish and seafood, and dairy products such as milk and yogurt. Small amounts are also in nuts and some fruits and vegetables. While a healthy intake of iodine is important, too much can be harmful. Seaweed is a particularly rich source of iodine and could easily provide excessive amounts, so it’s recommended not to eat seaweed any more than once a week, particularly during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Those following diets with limited intake of fish and/or dairy (such as vegan diets) will need to be particularly mindful of their iodine intake and it’s recommended that they discuss this with their GP or midwife. Read more about vegetarian and vegan diets here.

Calcium

Milk, cheese, yogurt and fromage frais are all dairy foods rich in calcium and other key nutrients that are important for both you and your baby.

If you’re trying to manage your weight, choose low-fat options where possible. Reducing the fat content doesn’t reduce the calcium content. For example, skimmed milk is actually higher in calcium than full-fat milk.

Non-dairy foods that are a good source of calcium include soya yogurt with added calcium, tofu (made with calcium sulphate), sardines, curly kale, rocket and watercress.

Health note: It’s advisable to avoid some soft and mould-ripened cheese during pregnancy. Read more about food safety in pregnancy here...

Omega 3

Omega 3 is an essential nutrient, meaning we have to get it from our diets as we can’t make it ourselves. It plays a number of important roles in health, and in pregnancy it’s vital for the development of the baby’s eyes and brain.

Research has also suggested that omega 3 may have additional benefits, including reducing the risk of preterm birth and low birthweight. Deficiency is also associated with an increased risk of postnatal depression.

The best source of omega 3 is oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. There are some guidelines around fish intake during pregnancy that are important to be aware of, though be reassured that a portion of oily fish a week is safe for you and your baby.

Plant-based sources include walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds and rapeseed oil.

If you’re considering supplementing omega 3, make sure that any supplements are safe during pregnancy.

Choline

Choline is a relatively new nutrient, and we don’t yet have a daily recommendation in the UK - many of us haven’t even heard of it. While more research is needed, what we do know about choline is that it plays an important role during pregnancy, including in the development of the baby’s brain and nervous system, and supporting the function of the placenta. A lack of choline has also been linked to neural tube defects (similarly to folic acid).

While there isn’t a recommended intake in the UK, European guidelines have suggested 480mg may be required during pregnancy.

To put this into context, a hard-boiled egg contains around 150mg of choline, a small chicken breast has around 70mg, one large baked potato around 60mg, and half a cup of broccoli around 30mg. Choline is mainly found in animal foods, with lower amounts found in some plant-based foods.

Those who are vegetarian/vegan, or who may otherwise struggle to get enough choline in their diet, may want to consider taking a supplement. If you’re thinking about this, it’s important to discuss it with a qualified healthcare professional before doing so, particularly if you’re already taking other supplements (choline isn’t currently included in most pregnancy supplements).

Fluids

Staying hydrated is important for good health, particularly during pregnancy. The recommendation for the general population is to drink around six to eight glasses of fluid per day; though the amount we need to drink varies between individuals.

There are currently no UK guidelines on how much you should aim to drink during pregnancy. However, as the body requires extra water to produce the fluid which surrounds the baby and also to support the increase in blood volume, it has been suggested to drink a little more during pregnancy. If you suffer from morning sickness during pregnancy, it’s also important to make sure you’re drinking enough to make up for the loss of fluid it can cause.

It’s important to respond to thirst, as this is an indicator you’re already a little dehydrated. To monitor how hydrated you are, you can keep an eye on the colour of your urine – a pale straw colour lets you know you’re adequately hydrated, whereas if it’s a darker colour you may need to drink a bit more.

Water is the best option to choose to keep you hydrated, though all non-alcoholic drinks count towards fluid intake, including hot drinks, milk, fruit juices and squashes. Just remember to keep track of your caffeine intake while you’re pregnant so you don’t have too much, and limit the amount of fruit juice and sugar-sweetened drinks you choose, to protect your teeth and help you manage your weight.

Some herbal teas can be potentially dangerous in large amounts during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. The NHS advises that, in general, no more than one to two cups of herbal tea a day during pregnancy should be fine. If you’re unsure which herbal teas are safe to drink during pregnancy, please discuss this with your midwife or GP. Bear in mind that green tea is a source of caffeine, and intake should be considered in the same way as regular tea. The NHS advises that the herbal remedy liquorice root should be avoided.

High-fat and high-sugar foods

The foods we all know and many of us love. Chocolate, crisps, biscuits, pastries – you don’t need to cut these out altogether, but reducing/limiting the amount you eat is beneficial for your health overall and for managing weight. You could try reducing by a portion at a time (eg, two bags of crisps and a chocolate bar a day to one bag of crisps and one chocolate bar) or halving the amount you have, until you’re having no more than one or two portions a day.

Try these swaps to help reduce calorie intake and support your health:

When your due date is approaching

If you’ve got the time, it can be helpful to make up large portions of freezable healthy meals so you can freeze portions ready for those early days with a new baby when you might not have much time to prepare healthy and nutritious meals.

Try these delicious healthy recipes and snacks...

*For the safety of you and your baby, please discuss the latest dietary recommendations and the suitability of any activity programme with your midwife or doctor.