Good nutrition is important throughout life, but medical & nutritional experts agree that it is even more important if you are planning to conceive, are expecting a baby, or are currently breastfeeding. Indeed, it is increasingly being recognised that the nutritional status of a woman has important implications for the development, & future health & wellbeing of her children. This does not mean that you require a special diet, or need to ‘eat for two’, it simply means that you need a good intake of those nutrients that are essential for your baby’s healthy growth & development. Variety is key to a healthy balanced diet. By eating a range of different foods each day, including fruit & vegetables, cooked meat & fish, sources of carbohydrate like pasta, as well as dairy products including milk & cheese, you will obtain all the various nutrients that your baby needs, as well as keeping yourself in top condition, too. Of particular interest is the fact that organisations such as the Department of Health & the British Nutrition Foundation recommend we all eat more fish – at least two portions a week, of which one should be oily fish like salmon or mackerel. The main reason for this is because in addition to being an excellent low-fat protein source, oily fish is also rich in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. In particular, the structural fatty acids play a vital role in the ‘nutritional preparation’ for pregnancy, since a diet that
Includes:: these can have positive outcomes for the developing baby & the expectant or breastfeeding mother. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) also recommends that we should all eat at least two portions of fish a week. They also say: ‘ Girls & women who might have a baby one day, & women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should eat no more than two portions of oily fish a week. Other women, men & boys, can eat up to four portions of oily fish.’