Pregnancy and healthy food

Advice from the nutrition centre is:

You always need the following every day during your pregnancy:

• 250 grams vegetables
• 2 portions fruit
• 4-7 brown/wholewheat bread sandwiches
• 4-5 serving spoons of whole grain cereals or 4-5 potatoes
• Weekly 2 portions of fish (1x fat and 1x lean), 2-3 eggs, 2-3 serving spoons of legumes and a maximum of 500 grams of meat
• 25 grams raw nuts
• 3- 4 portions dairy
• 40 grams cheese
• 40 grams spreading and cooking fats
• 1.5-2 litres of liquid

Take folic acid and vitamin D

During your pregnancy you need these supplements in addition to your healthy and varied diet:

Folic acid

Take 400 micrograms of folic acid per day from the moment you plan to become pregnant until you are 10 weeks pregnant. Folic acid reduces the risk of spina bifida, the risk of premature birth and low birth weight. It may also reduce the risk of a cleft lip in your baby.

Vitamin D

Take 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day throughout the pregnancy. A vitamin D supplement helps build bone in the baby and appears to lower your baby’s risks of gestational diabetes, low birth weight for gestational age, and asthma-like symptoms.

Eat enough products with calcium, iodine and iron

During your pregnancy it is extra important to get enough calcium, iodine and iron. If you eat according to the recommended Wheel of Five you will mostly consume enough nutrients.

Calcium

Calcium is important during pregnancy for the bone formation of unborn babies. And getting enough calcium during pregnancy lowers the risk of pregnancy hypertension and preeclampsia, or your baby being born prematurely.

Dairy is the most important source of calcium. In addition to this, there is calcium in drinks such as water, tea and coffee and whole-wheat bread and whole-grain cereal products. You get enough calcium if you take 3-4 servings (about half a litre) of dairy every day, for example. That is 3-4 glasses or dishes of 150 ml, or 2 large mugs. Healthy choices are, for example, skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, yoghurt or cottage cheese and 40 grams of cheese. That’s cheese for about 2 separate slices of bread.

Is that not possible? Then take a supplement with 1000 milligrams of calcium every day from 20 weeks of pregnancy. Do not take any supplement with more than 1000 milligram calcium.

Iodine

Iodine is important for the growth and brain development of unborn babies throughout pregnancy. The main source of iodine is bread. In addition, iodine is found in dairy products (such as milk or yoghurt), eggs and fish. You get enough iodine if, for example, you consume 5 sandwiches and 3-4 servings (about half a litre) of dairy every day and eat fish 2 times a week.

Is that not possible? Then take a supplement with a maximum of 200 micrograms of iodine every day for the rest of your pregnancy. Do not take any supplement with more than 200 micrograms of iodine.

Iron

If you get enough iron, you reduce the risk of anaemia during your pregnancy. Iron from animal products (such as meat and fish) is best absorbed by your body. Iron is also found in vegetable products, such as bread and whole grain products, legumes, nuts and in various vegetables such as spinach and radishes.

Take vitamin C-rich products, such as vegetables and fruit, with every meal. Your body will absorb iron more easily. If you have anaemia, due to an iron deficiency, you will be given an iron supplement.

Eat fish twice a week

When you are pregnant it is important to eat enough fish, namely twice a week. Once you choose oily fish and once lean fish. Examples of oily fish are salmon and trout. Examples of lean fish are tilapia and plaice. Always cook fish properly. Eating fish twice a week lowers the risk of premature birth. The fatty acids in fish are important for brain development and vision in unborn babies.

Note: you should not eat certain fish. Fish such as tuna, mackerel, sardines and eel are best avoided because they contain elevated levels of harmful substances. If you can’t manage to eat fish twice a week, take one omega-3 (fish) fatty acid supplement every day throughout your pregnancy. Choose a supplement with 250 -450 mg DHA.

Avoid during your pregnancy

You may continue to eat most things during your pregnancy. There are a number of products that you should avoid or that you should not take too much of while you are pregnant. Due to the risk of contamination with bacteria (including listeria) and the parasite Toxoplasma gondi, only take the following products after cooking it properly:

• Raw meat or cold cuts made from raw meat
• Raw and smoked fish
• Raw egg
• Raw sprouts
• Soft cheese made from raw milk
• Raw milk directly from the farm

Due to potentially harmful substances, do not take these products:

• Some types of fish, such as mackerel, eel, sardine, tuna, crab or shrimp. Look up which types of fish you can eat.
• Liver
• Alcohol
• Herbal pills
• Calabash Lime (Pimba)
• Breastfeeding tea with fennel or aniseed, fennel tea, aniseed tea or cinnamon tea

With some products, we recommend taking no more than a certain amount:

• Limit the intake of liver sausage or liver pate. A sandwich with a thin layer of liver sausage or pate once a week won’t hurt.
• Maximum 2 cups of coffee per day, maximum 200 mg caffeine per day.
• Maximum 8 drops per day. If you have high blood pressure, do not take liquorice and no liquorice tea or star mix.
• Soya products. Take a maximum of 4 glasses or dishes (of 150 ml) of soy drink/yoghurt per day. In addition, eat other soy products such as tofu, tempeh or soybeans no more than twice a week.

Search easily, by product, what you are allowed to eat

Download the app ZwangerHap. In addition to looking up which products you can and cannot eat, you can also follow how the baby is growing in the tummy in the app.