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Healthy eating for mums-to-be…
[mis à jour le 4 May 2009 à 11h13]
Vitamins, iron, iodine, magnesium, folate… During pregnancy, a woman’s nutritional requirements increase. But that doesn’t mean that you need to eat twice as much.
What you need to do is eat better! Pregnant women should eat a varied, balanced and adequate diet. They need iron to avoid the risk of anaemia: this can be found in beef –but make sure it’s well cooked– and also in oily fish such as mackerel, salmon and tuna, which also provide omega 3 fatty acids.
Avoid drinking coffee and tea because they prevent the absorption of iron. But eat fruit and vegetables each day as they promote iron absorption and provide vitamins C and B9. And vitamin B9 is a great asset to health, being vital in the prevention of serious congenital malformations due to the neural tube failing to close. So before becoming pregnant, and during the first trimester, eat plenty of leafy vegetables, such as green salad, chard, watercress, spinach, dandelion, etc.
Also eat foods that are rich in iodine. Iodine is essential to foetal brain development and can be found in milk, yoghurt and eggs in particular. And make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day.
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