Gillian McKeith
Pregnancy is a very exciting time but it also sees your body going through some major changes. Now you are eating for two you need to pay extra attention to your diet if you want to stay healthy and give your baby the best start in life.
Female First spoke to top nutritionist Gillian McKeith to get some top healthy pregnancy tips....
"It's very important to eat healthy in the early stages of pregnancy because your baby is growing rapidly at this time," says Gillian, "You want to make sure you are eating a wide variety of food to ensure your are getting all the nutrients you and your baby need."
Morning Sickness
"Obviously what you eat depends on how sick you feel.Don't worry too much if you don't feel like you can eat because the baby will take everything it needs from you regardless. So it's you that is going to suffer not the baby."
"The whole reason you get morning sickness is because your body is not adapting to the high levels of hormones. Peppermint and chamomile teas are great for settling the stomach but nettle tea will also help the liver and raise iron levels. Rye crackers and oat cakes are also good for morning sickness."
"Do not eat lots of ginger despite what they say. Ginger is widely used for it's anti-nausea affects so it's great if you are car sick or anything like that but it can be dangerous in early pregnancy," warns Gillian.
"Ginger is helpful if it's candied in a little sweet or grated onto salad every now and then. But ginger capsules should not be taken during pregnancy because they can bring about a miscarriage. You would have to take quite a lot for this to happen but some people don't realise and take too much. Like I said it's fine to have a little bit grated into tea every other day but not all the time because it can cause too much movement in the body."
Super Smoothies and Juices
"You want to eat fresh fruit and vegetable daily because these are the best sources of vitamins and antioxidants," advises Gillian.
"If you really can't manage to eat but you can drink ok then fresh pressed juices are great. Smoothies are very easy to make and are a great way of getting vitamins into the body easily and quickly. "
Protein for Healthy Growth
"You also want to eat lots of protein while you're pregnant so try and eat things like tofu, beans and lots of plant based foods which are great for protein and are alternatives to animal products.
"Also chicken and turkey are great too, as is fish but don't overdo it on the tuna because of the high mercury content."
"You can also eat pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds to get protein."
Calcium and Magnesium
"You also need to eat lots of green leafy vegetable because you need calcium and magnesium in the body. Chickpeas are also a great source of calcium and so are dried figs and almonds."
"Avocado sushi is a fab way to get goodness into yourself. Get a sheet of nori and mash up some avocado and vegetables and wrap it up. It's a great alternative to a sandwich."
Essential Iron
"The biggest thing in pregnancy is that your need for iron increases because you blood volume is growing so much."
"Most people think that means they need to eat loads of red meat but that's not strictly true. A lot of red meats are full of rubbish and saturated fat anyway."
"Things like millet, chickpeas, lentils, chicken, raisins and prune juice are also high in iron. A great way to raise your iron levels is drinking nettle tea. It's a great choice for vegetarians and vegans."
"You also want to increase your absorption of iron too so you need to eat things that are high in vitamin C so things like blueberries, raspberries and strawberries- any fruit contains vitamin C."
Folic Acid
"You also need to make sure you have enough folic acid. It's not just about popping pills either. Asparagus, peas, brown rice, brussel sprouts and broccoli are great natural sources of folic acid."
Avoid White Bread
"You also want to stay away from white bread, white pasta and white sugar because they are empty nutrification. So you want to eat things like brown rice, pot barley and Quinoa instead. If you do like pasta then swap over to things like buckwheat noodles as an alternative."
"I'm not saying don't eat bread. Just try to avoid white bread. Darker coloured German style breads are great such as rye bread."
Snacking is Good- at last!
"The key is to eat regularly and keep drinking lots of fluids. You want to be having 6 meals a day- breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack"
"You need to make sure you've got snacks with you when you're out and about to get rid of any hunger pangs. Things like oat cakes and nut butter or rye bread with some hummous. You can even make a lettuce sandwich as an alternative to bread. Just stuff leaves with all different things and it can be delicious."
Don't Be Scared of Getting Fat
"You can't worry about gaining weight. You will gain weight because you're pregnant but you will gain it in the right places if you eat the right things. If you have a widespread diet then you just can't go wrong."
If you want more top tips from Gillian McKeith then check out her fab new book "Food Bible: The Complete A to Z Guide to a Healthy Life" which is a step by step guide on what to eat at every stage in your life.
Click here to buy the book now!
Caz Moss- Female First