While you’re pregnant, your baby relies on you to provide everything it needs to grow and develop. In addition, the added strain on your own body and its reserves of nutrients, vitamins & minerals, makes it doubly important for you to follow a healthy, varied and balanced diet.
 

To ensure you get all the nutrients you need to help you and your baby stay healthy, make sure your diet includes food from each of the 5 food groups every day:

Cereal grains play an important role in meeting the body’s requirements for nutrients. These foods provide  large amounts of energy, as well as protein and dietary fibre. They are also an excellent source of B-group vitamins and provide a variety of minerals.

Eat at least 4 – 6 cereal foods a day, preferably choosing high fibre or wholegrain varieties such as multigrain and wholemeal bread, brown rice and high fibre breakfast cereals. These can also help to keep the digestive system healthy.

Aim for 5 – 6 servings from the vegetables and legumes group. Enjoy a variety of yellow, green and red vegetables, both as salads and cooked, remembering that frozen and canned vegetables all count towards your daily target.

During pregnancy, try to eat 4 servings of fruit each day. Fruit along with vegetables and legumes play a special role in the diet, providing many essential nutrients.

Foods from this group are all excellent sources of protein, essential for growth and development. They also play a major role in providing iron, zinc, vitamin B12 (only from meat, poultry and fish) and omega-3 fats (largely from fish and seafood).

Try and have 1½ servings from this group each day. Make sure you choose lean meat and trim away any visible fat before cooking.

Milk, cheese and yoghurt are all important sources of calcium, essential for strong bones and teeth. They also provide protein, vitamin A, phosphorus and vitamin B2. Choose low fat options where possible.

The recommended amount of dairy for adults is 2 servings from this group each day, with a single serving being equal to a 250ml glass (1 cup) of milk, 2 slices (40g) of cheese or a small carton (200g) of yoghurt.

Outside of the 5 core food groups, those foods that are high in fat (particularly saturated fat) and/or added sugar and salt should be eaten only in moderation.