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Healthy eating is a vital part of your overall health. The guidelines for healthy eating are the same when you are pregnant as they are through the rest of your life. These healthy eating guidelines are the same for all members of your family and include eating:

• Lots of different healthy foods—not just the same foods every day
• More bread, rice, pasta, oats and cereals (especially wholemeal and wholegrain)
• More fruits and vegetables
• Less fat (less chips, snack foods, fried food and fatty take-aways)
• Less sugar (less cakes, biscuits, soft drinks and lollies)
• Less salt, by choosing reduced-salt processed food (by reading labels), using less salt in cooking and at the table.
• It's also important to drink plenty of water every day. You should drink 6 - 8 glasses of water a day.

If your diet hasn't been as healthy as it could be, pregnancy is a great time to make some changes. Begin by making a few small changes that you can stick to. Once these changes are part of your everyday lifestyle, think about some more changes you can make.

Here are some simple, practical ideas that will help you start thinking about ways to make your eating healthier:

• Have a piece of fruit for a snack instead of chocolate or biscuits
• Carry a small bottle of water with you so you can avoid buying soft drinks while you're out
• Replace a couple of meat-based meals each week with a dish based on beans or lentils
• Have a look in your book shop or library for vegetarian recipe ideas
• Include fresh fish or canned fish (such as tuna or salmon) regularly in your diet
• Experiment with different grains such as barley, faro, couscous and brown rice to add more variety to your diet
• Cut up raw salad vegies such as carrots, celery and mushrooms - store them in snap lock plastic bags in the fridge for snacking on throughout the day
• Choose reduced or low fat dairy products instead of the full cream type
• Try snacking on air-popped popcorn instead of chips and other fatty snacks.

• Calcium is needed for your baby’s bones and teeth. Calcium-rich foods include dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt. If you drink soy milk, ensure it is calcium enriched. You will also find calcium in almonds, bony fish such sardines and salmon.
• Iron is important for healthy blood (so you don’t get anaemia). Good sources of iron include red meat, fish, chicken, eggs and wholegrain foods. A vitamin C source such as tomato or orange juice with every meal will help the iron to be absorbed.
• Fibre and plenty of fluid is needed to prevent constipation. There is fibre in fruit and vegetables (especially if you do not peel them), wholemeal and wholegrain bread, rice, pasta and cereal (like porridge, Weetbix and VitaBrits).
• Protein is needed to help the baby grow. Meat, fish, chicken, eggs, milk, cheeses, nuts, tofu, dried beans and peas are all good sources of protein.
• Folic acid or folate is needed to help prevent spina bifida in your baby and is also important for your blood. Folate is in many green vegetables, chickpeas, soybeans, oranges, bananas, strawberries, cereals, nuts and Vegemite.

Labels: pregnancy