Healthy Eating in Pregnancy
It’s good to eat a variety of foods. You can use the Eatwell Guide below to help you make healthy choices whenever you’re:
- deciding what to eat
- at home cooking
- out shopping for food.
Click on the Eatwell Guide below:
To find out more about what good nutrition means for pregnancy, you can view online or download this practical guide to eating well during pregnancy. It includes meal, snack and drink ideas, what foods to avoid during pregnancy, more information about the Eatwell guide and lots more.
The British Nutrition Foundation website has a section that covers the nutrition journey all the way from trying for a baby to preparing for the birth. It includes nutrients of importance, common concerns such as nausea and heartburn, nutrition for special groups like teenagers and vegetarians and vegans, as well as looking at why maintaining a healthy weight is a good idea in pregnancy. There is also a section on physical activity.
This NHS guide on having a healthy diet during pregnancy provides further information and may answer some of your questions. The video below from Tommy’s, gives you an idea of how to eat healthily during your pregnancy.
There is more useful information about healthy eating, and Healthy Start Scheme from Start4Life.
Some considerations as you prepare for your baby to arrive:
What support will you have at home to help prepare food/meals for you in the days following you giving birth?
Do you have some of the foods you normally eat either in cupboards/fridge/freezer that will make food preparation easier?
If you are still cooking/making meals, is it possible to make a little extra to save in freezer if you have one?
Family and friends may not be sure of how they can help you after you have had your baby – you may want to discuss with them in advance what would be helpful. Perhaps they may be able to drop off food that they have prepared for you?
If you do have a partner/family/friend who can do shopping for food it can be useful to put together a typical shopping list for yourself so that it can be given to them/shared with them (perhaps in person if they live in your household, or maybe via sending a picture of it on your phone, or reading the list out over the phone to them).
