Specialty Diet Pregnancy Nutritionist Brisbane

What a mother consumes in the months prior to and during pregnancy affects their child’s health and development forever. If you have any specific dietary needs, balancing your nutrition is critical for your baby to grow and develop optimally and for you to have the healthiest pregnancy possible.   

One way you can optimise your baby’s health and development is to consume a healthy balanced diet, and this is more important than ever if you have specific dietary needs.

Pregnancy may be a very exciting time for you, but it may also feel stressful and overwhelming. You’re undoubtedly feeling vulnerable and totally responsible for the new life inside you, not wanting to muck anything up in any manner, and wanting to do all you can to ensure your baby grows and develops as healthily as possible.

Do you follow a vegan, vegetarian, or low carbohydrate diet? Do you have any allergies or dietary restrictions such as gluten free, dairy free, or low FODMAP foods? Whatever the circumstances, it’s critical to understand how these dietary restrictions influence your nutritional balance and so you can ensure that both you and your baby are getting all you require.

Do I need to eat more now that I’m expecting?

In short, NO. The old ‘eating for two’ idea is incorrect. Whilst pregnant women generally need to consume more vitamins and minerals, the total energy that you require during pregnancy should not change much from what you were eating prior to becoming pregnant. That means that you will need to increase the nutrition quality of the foods you are eating in order to get all the nutrients that you and your baby need.

How much energy do pregnant women need each day?

Energy requirements for pregnant women vary significantly between women, depending on their level of activity, stage of pregnancy, body composition and pre-pregnancy BMI.

In general if you are at a healthy BMI before becoming pregnant, you need between 9200 kJ (2,200 calories) and 12130 kJ (2,900 calories) a day when expecting.

You do not require any extra calories during the first trimester. During the second and third trimesters, women only need an extra 1250kJ (300 calories) per day – which is no more than a banana and a small tub of yoghurt.

What key nutrients do I need?

Your body is going through a lot of changes and has increased demands when you are growing a baby. Good nutrition during pregnancy is essential. More of certain nutrients are required for your own health as well as for optimal growth and development of your bub. Important nutrients during pregnancy include protein, folate, iron, iodine, Vitamin D, and Vitamin B6.

Protein

Protein is used to grow a baby’s tissue, vital organs and brain. It also helps a mother’s breast and uterine tissue to grow healthily during pregnancy and it plays a role in your increasing blood supply. It is recommended that pregnant women consume 75 to 100 grams of protein per day (approximately 2-3 servings of meat or non-meat alternatives such as legumes or nuts (1 serve = approximately 85 g or the size of your palm) Sources may include fully cooked fish or seafood, chicken, lean beef, lamb pork, nuts, tofu.

Folate

Folate is a B-group vitamin which is especially important for women of childbearing age. It’s important for normal growth and development especially in unborn babies where it helps the nervous system develop. Getting enough folate is critical in the months prior to pregnancy and during the first three months of pregnancy.

Folate occurs naturally in green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli and asparagus), fruits (such as strawberries, oranges and bananas), and legumes (such as chickpeas beans and lentils).

Folic acid is a form of folate that is added to foods such as cereal and cereal-based products and some fruit juices (but check the food label as not all cereals and fruit juices are fortified with this vitamin). Lucky for us Aussies, it is now mandatory for all wheat flour used for bread making in Australia to contain folic acid, so unless you make your own or buy organic, eating bread is a great way to boost your folate intake.

Please note however, that most women do not get enough folate from their diet, so as well as eating foods rich in folate, a daily supplement contacting 500mcg (0.5mg) folic acid is recommended to ensure you are getting enough. Some women require more than this amount so check with your dietitian or doctor if you are unsure.

Iron

Iron is needed to make red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body. During pregnancy you need more iron because the developing foetus draws iron from the mother to last it through the first five or six months after birth. Not getting enough iron during pregnancy can increase the risk of pre-term deliveries and low-birth weight infants.

The recommended daily intake (RD) of iron during pregnancy is 27 mg a day (9mg a day more than for nonpregnant women). Iron losses are reduced during pregnancy, because the woman is no longer menstruating, however, this is not enough to offset the need of the developing foetus. It is therefore important for pregnant women to eat iron-rich foods every day.

Animal sources of iron are readily absorbed by the body. Iron from plant sources is not absorbed as easily, but absorption is helped when these foods are eaten together with foods that contain vitamin C (such as oranges). This is important for women who follow a vegetarian diet.

Iodine

Iodine is another nutrient that is important for your baby’s brain development. It is needed for the production of thyroid hormone, which is important for growth and development. If you don’t have enough iodine during pregnancy, it increases your baby’s risk of mental impairment and congenital hypothyroidism. Marine foods and iodised salt can be valuable contributors – but increasing your salt intake is not recommended.

Fortunately, similarly to folate, Australian bread-making flours, including those used to make gluten-free bread, are now fortified with iodine (the exceptions are organic and some yeast-free breads). Other foods that are good sources of iodine include: seafood, seaweed, eggs, meat, dairy products, commercially sold bread (except organic and unleavened bread). As well as including foods rich in iodine in your diet, taking a pregnancy multivitamin that contains 150mcg of iodine per day is recommended for women planning a pregnancy, throughout pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for your baby’s growth and development and your own health during pregnancy. Vitamin D helps to develop your baby’s bones and teeth and low levels can cause muscle weakness and pain in pregnant women.

Fortunately, we get most of our Vitamin D from the sun. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun produces vitamin D in the skin and is the best source of vitamin D.

We can also absorb a small amount from foods like oily fish, egg yolks, margarine and some brands or milk.

You may be vitamin D deficient if you:

• Have darker skin

• Cover most of your body with clothing

• Spend most of your time indoors

If you fit into one of these categories, it is important to discuss this with your GP, who can order a vitamin D test on your blood and suggest a supplement while you are pregnant and breastfeeding.

Calcium

Calcium helps your body regulate fluids, and it helps to build your baby’s bones. Amazingly, your calcium requirements don’t increase during pregnancy although the baby has a high requirement for calcium during the third trimester of pregnancy (as it starts to develop and strengthen its bones), a mother’s body absorbs calcium much better during pregnancy which means that there is no need for extra intake.

The RDI for non-pregnant women (1000mg per day for women ages 19-50 years, and 1300mg a day for adolescents or those aged over 51) remains unchanged during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

To ensure you are meeting your RDI for dairy in general, foods such as milk, cheese, and yoghurt and calcium-fortified soy milk are excellent dietary sources of calcium.

Vitamin B6

Increased blood volume during pregnancy is the major reason vitamin B6 requirements are higher. Deficiency has been linked with pre-eclampsia or hypertension in pregnancy, excessive vomiting, and it may also impact on infant brain development.

However, vitamin B6 is readily available in fortified breakfast cereals, vegetables, fruits and meats, so a balanced diet should easily ensure an adequate intake.

Helping you with your special diet for pregnancy

At Kat Ridout Nutrition, we aim to provide guidance on how women can still get all the nutrients needed during their pregnancy no matter what speciality diet they may follow.

Katrina Ridout is an Accredited Practising Dietitian based in Brisbane who has over a decade of experience in prenatal nutrition, and can help you maintain a healthy diet before and during your pregnancy, as well as after your baby is born.

Brisbane’s leading pregnancy nutritionist

Katrina Ridout offers a range of nutritionist services in Brisbane, and virtually. Find out more about Kat’s range of services today.

To book an appointment with Kat Ridout, please call 1300 640 104 or get in touch on our website.