My nutrition guide for 9 months
10 tips from nutritionists for eating well
Throughout your pregnancy, your diet ensures that your baby grows and develops properly. It’s not a question of eating for two, but of eating better!
1- Eat 3 meals a day, including a substantial breakfast and a light dinner
• Eat at the table, sit down and take your time. Take advantage of mealtimes to enjoy a moment of relaxation and warmth.
• Eat enough: if you are always hungry it is probably because you are not eating enough at mealtimes to cover the needs of you and your baby.
2- If you feel peckish during the day, plan to have a snack
• For example, have your dessert separately, eating it not at the end of the meal but later in the day.
• Choose raw vegetables (radish, celery and cauliflower for example) for a savoury snack.
• Choose seasonal fruit or a dairy product for a sweet snack.
3- Avoid nibbling on sweet things
• Do not go grocery shopping when you are hungry and take a precise list with you.
• Do not put sweet things or food that is too tempting in your cupboard.
• Drink as much water as you want!
4- Vary your meals and what you buy
• Opt for a varied diet, which will provide you with everything that you and your child need, especially vitamins and trace elements:
- Folate: found in spinach, watercress, carrots, tomatoes, eggs, bread, cheese, etc.
- Calcium: milk and dairy products.
- Vitamin D: oily fish (sardines, salmon, tuna, etc.).
- Iron: meat and fish, pulses.
- Iodine: well-cooked shellfish, mussels, sea fish, etc.
• Favour certain foods:
- Vegetables in every form (raw, cooked, fresh, frozen, tinned) and fruit.
- Cooked fish, shellfish and poultry (without the skin).
5- Your weight gain during pregnancy
• An average weight gain of approximately 12 kg is recommended during pregnancy. If you are expecting twins, you will gain 3 to 4 extra kg in weight.
6- Do a little physical exercise every day; pregnancy is completely compatible with doing “reasonable” daily exercise
• Preferably go for a walk (at least 30 minutes per day) or to the pool (swimming or aqua gym classes).
• Avoid doing sports such as skiing, cycling, combat sports, endurance sports and underwater diving. Be careful to avoid all intensive sports.
• If possible, avoid using the lift.
• Consider leaving your car behind for short journeys.
• If you are expecting twins, be aware that practising sport is contraindicated. Ask your doctor for advice.
7- Be careful to avoid listeriosis
The bacterium listeria, which is extremely widespread in the environment, can be found in foodstuffs of plant or animal origin, even if they have been refrigerated.
You should thus avoid:
• Soft cheese (Camembert, Munster, Brie, Pont l’Evêque) especially if they are unpasteurised.
• Certain meat products: rillettes, pâtés, foie gras, etc.
• Raw or rare meat, raw shellfish, raw fish (sushi, surimi, tarama), smoked fish (salmon, trout).
8- Be careful to avoid toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is due to a parasite found in the soil, and thus on plants and in meat. A blood test at the start of your pregnancy will indicate if you have already had it or not.
If you are not immunised against toxoplasmosis:
• Do not eat raw or rare meat.
• Avoid smoked or marinated meat, except if it has been well-cooked.
• Wash fruit and vegetables extremely carefully.
9- Prevent all other infections: be particularly vigilant with respect to hygiene
• Wash your hands often, especially after going to the toilet, having taken care of your children, done some gardening, touched an animal or touched raw foodstuffs (meat, poultry, eggs, raw vegetables).
• Wrap up delicate foodstuffs (meat, fish, ready-made meals) well in your refrigerator. Only keep the leftovers for a maximum of 2 to 3 days. Clean your refrigerator regularly.
• Meat must be frozen for several days at -18°C.
• Ensure that you cook meat and fish thoroughly.
10- Final indispensable precautions!
• Do not consume too many drinks containing caffeine (coffee, tea, certain soft drinks, etc.).
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Do not smoke.
Ask your doctor or midwife for advice: they are there to help you, not to judge you!
