Actually, a healthy diet during pregnancy is not that different from a healthy diet in general: lots of fruits and vegetables, fiber, and a good balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
However, there are a few things that pregnant women have to pay special attention to – and I will show them to you here in the article!
Alcohol during pregnancy is absolutely taboo!
That alcohol in pregnancy should be an absolute taboo is actually widely known. Alcohol during pregnancy causes a wide variety of deformities in your baby, some of them serious – and there is simply no "safe amount"!
In extreme cases, a so-called "fetal alcohol syndrome" develops with even characteristic facial features. According to experts, between 1 and 8 out of 1.000 children in Germany are born with this.
Believe me, once you have seen a child with fetal alcohol syndrome, you really do not want to! Everyone will see in your child’s eyes that you couldn’t keep your hands off the bottle during pregnancy. I really have zero tolerance with mothers who drink during pregnancy!
Of course, it’s a bit difficult if you haven’t planned your pregnancy – because alcohol is also harmful in early pregnancy. A fetal programming study even found a link between alcohol consumption by the mother in the first trimester with later drinking behavior of children in their early twenties!
I already gave up alcohol completely because of this when I stopped taking the pill and my fertile days were approaching – better safe than sorry!
Healthy nutrition during pregnancy – beware of raw products!
Raw foods like sashimi are unfortunately taboo during pregnancy
Alcohol, however, is not one of the only things you should avoid as a pregnant woman. Because of the risk of infections (z.B. Salmonella, listeriosis), certain raw products are also off limits for pregnant women.
These include such things as:
- Raw eggs (unfortunately also soft-boiled eggs)!)
- Raw milk and raw milk products (raw milk cheese)
- Raw fish and raw meat (adios sashimi, ciao raw ham)
Forbidden foods during pregnancy – and what is okay!
There are some foods that many women are unsure of whether they are forbidden or okay in pregnancy – here I list you a few particularly common "question marks"!
Prohibited
- Alcohol
- raw meat
- raw fish
- Raw milk(products)
- raw eggs
- salami
- cold smoked fish
- Brazil nuts (only in smallest quantities okay)
- Cloves (labor-inducing)
No problem
- Tofu
- Coffee (in small amounts)
- cola (in small quantity)
- Pasteurized milk and dairy products
- Edible mushrooms
- peanuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews
- Cinnamon (okay in moderation)
Vitamin requirements during pregnancy
Even with a very healthy diet during pregnancy with high-quality foods, there are a few vitamins and trace elements that you can hardly take in sufficient quantity during pregnancy.
Especially the need for folic acid and iodine increases significantly during pregnancy. Iron is also needed more as the body builds up additional blood volume.
In any case, you should try to eat a lot of green vegetables (contains folic acid) and use iodized salt.
Since this is probably not enough, the German Society for Nutrition recommends supplementation with DHA, folic acid, and iodine for all pregnant women.
How much "more" you should eat during pregnancy?
Not really much. Mainly the nutrient demand increases, NOT the calorie demand! This only increases towards the end of pregnancy – and even then only ca. 10%.
So if you "eat for two" you will gain more weight during pregnancy than is healthy for your child and you. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet during pregnancy – they fill you up and provide plenty of nutrients while being low in calories
The official recommendation of the German Society for Nutrition is regarding additional calorie requirements during pregnancy:
- No extra calories in the 1. Trimester
- 250 kcal extra in 2. Trimester
- 500 kcal extra in 3. Trimester
However, energy consumption often decreases in the third trimester due to low exercise – then no higher energy intake is necessary even at the end of pregnancy!
If you do a lot of exercise during pregnancy, however, you can "earn" a few extra calories and indulge in one or two if you get the munchies&