Pregnancy column: The right nutrition for expectant mothers
Birte Glang – actress, mom and inventor of a workout app for pregnant women and mothers – shares her knowledge and experiences around the topic of nutrition during pregnancy. Which vitamins and nutrients are now particularly important for you and your baby and which foods are completely taboo?
You are what you eat. And duringpregnancy, this saying is true not only for the expectant mother, but also for the unborn child. Knowing that can build up a lot of pressure. At the same time, this knowledge also gives you the opportunity not only to get through the pregnancy in the best possible way, but also to prepare you both perfectly for the birth and to set the course for the future of your child.
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Toggle“Food for two” is not necessary
Many would like to know the secret to a successful pregnancy, a fast, uncomplicated birth and a healthy child. What is certain is that you can help with the rightfitness program, adapted to the different phases of pregnancy and good nutrition. It worked for many of my customers and me and my mission is to support as many soon-to-be moms as possible on this path.
It should be made clear in advance that you do not eat for two. For some, perhaps a pity, but unfortunately true. Although the female body needs more minerals and vitamins than usual, energy consumption only increases by about 250 kilocalories per day in the second and third trimesters. For example, this is just a slice of bread with butter and cheese!
Food cravings in moderation
However, many pregnant women complain offood cravings. So does it mean you have to withstand them completely? For example, I had a special need for hot chocolate in the late evening. Not exactly the most calorie-conscious drink either. Widespread are the cravings for sour cucumbers.
So do these attacks have anything good or do they just want to test our willpower? Basically, food cravings are a sign of your body that it has some deficiency. In the case of cucumbers, it is usually due to the increased need for sodium and iron. Hot chocolate could be an indication of an increased need for calcium, B vitamins, iron, selenium and copper.
So the body consciously tells you: “Hey, I need a little more of it!” So you should pursue your food cravings in moderation or consider what you can provide your body as an alternative without exceeding the additional 250 kcal a day.
But it is not a drama to gain a few kilos during pregnancy or in general. No one is perfect! You can also get rid of the few kilos. The main thing is that you live mostly healthy and feel good. Therefore, one should not confuse the “healthy” food cravings shown above with those that can be triggered by poor nutrition, such as too many sugar substitutes!
Healthy snacking
Especially in the first months of pregnancy, I often felt tired or suddenly super hungry, even though I had eaten a good lunch only two hours before. What helps here are nutrient-rich snacks in addition to the three balanced main meals. When you’re on the go, you should always have a great snack in your pocket.
For me, the following snacks have proven themselves:
- Homemade granola bar: Simply bake muesli, some nuts and seeds together with coconut oil. Then you know exactly what’s in it and have the amount of sugar under control: best sweeten with honey or agave syrup.
- Nuts, seeds: fill you up and are rich in many good fibers, as well as omega-3 fatty acids
- Cheese cubes with olives: Olives are better than grapes because grapes contain a lot of fructose.
By the way, two handfuls of fruit a day are sufficient, as too much fructose can lead to a so-called fatty liver and should be avoided during pregnancy. Personally, I had to learn this first: After all, there is still the misconception that fruit and vegetables are always healthy and no matter in what quantities.
You can actually eat vegetables as much as you want. However, you should make sure to wash fruits, vegetables and salad thoroughly. I advise you against packaged salads in bags: Many germs and bacteria collect in them.
What other cheese can I eat?
“It’s best to leave cheese out completely” – that was one of the first well-intentioned pieces of advice, which then completely stopped me from eating cheese. Our team of experts then explained the topic to me in more detail: The culprit is a bacterium called “Listeria monocytogenes”, which poses an additional risk for the expectant mother and especially for the unborn baby.
While the infection is usually harmless in the mother, it can be fatal for the baby. However, the risk of becoming infected is extremely low: For every 80,000 pregnancies, there are only about three cases of pregnancy listeriosis – which can in principle also be treated well.
However, in order to protect yourself completely, you should consider the following tips during pregnancy:
- Avoid raw milk cheese and other raw milk products. Indicator: The packaging explicitly states that the cheese or product itself is made from raw milk.
- Avoid soft cheeses such as Camembert, cheese with surface smear (that really means so!) and mold cheese in general.
- Cut off the edge of other sliced cheeses before consumption.
- Be careful with fresh sheep’s cheese and herb quark: While packaged most are not raw milk products, the fresh variant has often been made by the market from the raw milk to be avoided.
On the other hand, you do not have to do without Parmesan: This is even very good, because it provides you with a lot of protein and calcium. However, I recommend that you grate the Parmesan itself, as it is difficult to see traces of mold in already grated cheese.
The taboo: Non-heated products
Now you may be wondering if these bacteria can’t also appear in other products. Unfortunately, the answer is yes. But here comes the restriction: As long as you heat products – that is, the food should have a core temperature of at least 70 degrees for two minutes – you can eat most things without any problems.
Here is a list of foods that pregnant women should avoid in any case, as they may contain listeria or nematode larvae:
- raw eggs
- Raw fresh (e.g. sushi)
- cold smoked fish
- Steak with the cooking state “medium”
- raw meat (e.g. tartare)
- sausage cold cuts wrapped in foil
- Raw sausage varieties (e.g. salami, tea sausage, cervelat sausage etc.)
More information abouthigh-risk sausages during pregnancycan be found behind the link.
Alternative frozen vegetables
During my time in Los Angeles, I got used to the large cooling compartments of the Americans. The doctors who were involved in the creation of my “Move It Mama” program confirmed it to me again: frozen vegetables can be a great substitute for fresh vegetables.
Freshly harvested and flash-frozen, it is a quick, nutritious meal, because vitamins and nutrients are preserved. The only requirement: You then prepare them gently and according to the package template.
Dietician Daniela Marquardt, also a mother of two children and head of the page “More fat makes you slim“, told me her secret six-minute low-carb recipe:
- Fry frozen vegetables in a pan.
- Add three eggs as fried eggs.
- Cover it and let it sizzle for a few minutes over a low flame.
The vegetable fried egg is already ready, which is not only fast, “but thanks to the eggs is also a small vital substance bomb,” says Daniela.
Egg is a perfect source of zinc, selenium, omega 3 and vitamin D. In addition, eggs have a high biological value. This means that the body can convert the protein particularly well into the body’s own protein. The usability is even better if you also eat potatoes, as the amino acids complement each other and thus the value even increases to 120 percent.
As a pregnant woman, you should therefore gladly include the tried and tested farmer’s breakfast in your diet again. I was a big fan of it – and still am.
How much protein is optimal?
During pregnancy, you have an increased protein requirement. Basically, theGerman Society for Nutritionrecommends 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per kilogram of body weight as a guideline. For pregnant women and sports enthusiasts, the need increases. The child needs a lot of protein to grow, so try to get to 1.2 grams / kg daily.
How? The best is a good mix of fish, low-fat meat, dairy and whole grains. By combining plant and animal protein sources, you increase their biological value and your body converts more protein into the body’s own protein.
Therefore, my tip for you as a pregnant woman: Homemade Chili Con Carne with good beef, combined with kidney beans and corn is a super protein energy source! Also with vegetarian mince or vegan with lentils an absolute recommendation. The combination of proteins and carbohydrates is also very balanced here.
If you are a fan of protein powders and shakes, then make sure that it is a multi-component protein, so not the simple whey protein powder from the discounter. If you combine such a protein product as a vegetarian with cashew or almond milk, you activate many different amino building blocks.
Vegan during pregnancy – is that possible?
As a vegan, the risk of deficiency is much higher anyway and increases during pregnancy. Experts advise switching to a vegetarian diet for the period of pregnancy.
If you don’t want that under any circumstances, then you should deal extremely well with the needs of your body during pregnancy. You should have your needs determined by a doctor and, if necessary, cover them with dietary supplements. But I think that’s clear to a convinced vegan anyway.
As a vegetarian, on the other hand, you can eat relatively well balanced. Only the iron requirement could be in danger, so that you should also support here according to medical advice by dietary supplements.
Important vitamins and minerals
Expectant mothers also have an increased need for omega-3 fatty acids, because these so-called good fatty acids are essential for the brain development of the child. In addition, they have anti-inflammatory effects and seem to have a good influence on the baby’s allergy risk.
They help you burn fat and let your blood flow better through the body. Since your body unfortunately cannot produce these fats itself, you have to help. For example, through the following products:
- Fatty organic sea fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel (preferably one to two servings a week).
- Attention: Tuna or swordfish prefer not to be on the menu, as they contain too many heavy metals.
- Vegetarian sources: walnuts, linseed accordingly also linseed oil, rapeseed oil, chia seeds.
- Attention: Pay attention to good quality here, because chia seeds can also be contaminated with pesticides!
- Vegan omega-3 oil made from algae.
Folic acid intake: the sooner the better
Taking folic acidin tablet form is one of the first things doctors point out when planning children, i.e. before you even get pregnant. In case of undersupply, there is a risk of the so-called neural tube defect or colloquially “open back” of the unborn child. This malformation, the incomplete closure of the neural tube, can occur in the first weeks of pregnancy.
Foods rich in folic acid include spinach, cabbage, peas, cucumbers and tomatoes. Citrus and soft fruits are particularly recommended for fruit. However, the quantities are so small that it is difficult to meet the demand. That’s why you should take a supplement with about 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. Don’t worry, with an unplanned pregnancy, you just start as soon as you know it! Otherwise, the motto actually applies to take folic acid already during child planning.
Iodine for the healthy development of your baby
From one must-have I also bring you directly to the next: Iodineis important for the mental and physical development as well as for the thyroid gland of the child. You need at least 100 to 150 micrograms per day.
In addition to mental or physical impairments in the unborn child, the risk of premature birth also increases. Again, it is advisable to eat fish such as pollock, cod, plaice or seafood once or twice a week. Alternatively, iodine products, which are often offered in combination with folic acid, also help here. In addition, you will often find iodine in bread and meat made with iodized salt, as well as in dairy products.
Attention: If you have an over- or underactive thyroid, please ask your doctor for advice!
Iron-containing foods
While folic acid and iodine are often supplemented together in tablet form, iron does not necessarily have to be supplemented as long as you are not a vegetarian or vegan. But you don’t have to worry here, because your doctor regularly draws blood to see if the iron level is okay.
To prevent this, I regularly ate red meat, such as beef or game. As a vegetarian or vegan, you will find iron in millet, hazelnuts and green vegetables, such as spinach. This has a lot of iron compared to other vegetables.
My tip: Combine the iron-rich plant foods with vitamin C so that the vegetable iron can be better absorbed. For example, soft fruit (frozen fruit in winter) with fresh orange juice or lemons as a smoothie.
Do I need probiotics?
There is a real hype about probiotics. The little things help to rebuild your intestinal flora faster and strengthen your body – especially if you had to take an antibiotic or there are intolerances to certain foods.
The positive effect is also suspected for a pregnant woman: If you can prevent intolerances with probiotics, it is likely that you will also strengthen your baby’s defenses.
Adequate hydration is essential
Finally, I would like to come briefly to the subject of drinks. As a pregnant woman, you need a lotof fluids! Because your body is working at full speed. For the exchange of amniotic fluid, two and a half liters of water are transported in the mother’s bloodstream every hour. Water as well as juice spritzers and herbal teas are best suited to prevent thirst from arising in the first place. This has always been a sign of an undersupply of fluid.
Coffee, on the other hand, should only be enjoyed to a limited extent. Personally, however, it always surprises me that currently up to three cups of coffee are considered okay. According to theEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA), pregnant women should only consume a maximum of 200 milligrams of caffeine per day – the equivalent of two small cups.
Please note that this also includes caffeinated drinks such as cola and also green and black tea, although tea actually contains less caffeine.
There is agreement that asa pregnant woman you should completely abstain from alcohol, as no threshold could be set here. So you don’t know from what amount it really harms the baby. It is clear that alcohol can cause very serious damage to your child. So please just do without it completely! No sip of alcohol can be worth this enormous risk.
Conclusion: Nutrition during pregnancy is not rocket science
In summary, a pleasant pregnancy is absolutely tradable without prejudices. Because an adaptedsports programand a good antenna for proper nutrition are the best conditions for an uncomplicated birth and a healthy child who develops great!
If you sensitize yourself to nutrient-rich food and observe the taboos listed above, you are well on your way to taking good care not only of yourself, but also of your child. In addition, you will feel much fitter yourself! By the way, it’s never too late to start. Even if you’re six months pregnant, start now, because every day counts!