HEALTHY DIET IN PREGNANCY A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle at any time but is especially vital if you re pregnant or planning a pregnancy Eating healthily during pregnancy will help your baby to develop and grow You do not need to go on a special diet but it s important to eat a variety of different foods every day to get the right balance of nutrients that you and your baby need It s best to get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat but when you re pregnant you need to take a folic acid supplement as well to make sure you get everything you need There s no need to eat for 2 You will probably find that you are more hungry than usual but you do not need to eat for 2 even if you are expecting twins or triplets Try to have a healthy breakfast every day because this can help you to avoid snacking on foods that are high in fat and sugar Eating healthily often means changing the amounts of different foods you eat so that your diet is varied rather than cutting out all your favourites You can use the Eatwell Guide to get the balance of your diet right It shows you how much of what you eat should come from each food group to achieve a healthy balanced diet You do not need to achieve this balance with every meal but try to get the balance right over a week Fruit and vegetables in pregnancy Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables because these provide vitamins and minerals as well as fibre which helps digestion and can help prevent constipation Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day these can include fresh frozen canned dried or juiced Always wash fresh fruit and vegetables carefully What counts as a proportion of fruits or vegetables 5 A Day portion sizes Everyone should have at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day An adult portion of fruit or vegetables is 80g The guide below will give you an indication of typical portion sizes for adults Children should also eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day The amount of food a child needs varies with age body size and levels of physical activity As a rough guide 1 portion is the amount they can fit in the palm of their hand 5 A Day fruit portions Small fresh fruit Medium fresh fruit Large fresh fruit Dried fruit A portion is 2 or more small fruit for example 2 plums 2 satsumas 2 kiwi fruit 3 apricots 6 lychees 7 strawberries or 14 cherries A portion is 1 piece of fruit such as 1 apple banana pear orange or nectarine A portion is half a grapefruit 1 slice of papaya 1 slice of melon 5cm slice 1 large slice of pineapple or 2 slices of mango 5cm slices A portion of dried fruit is around 30g This is about 1 heaped tablespoon of raisins currants or sultanas 1 tablespoon of mixed fruit 2 figs 3 prunes or 1 handful of dried banana chips But dried fruit can be high in sugar and can be bad for your teeth Try to swap dried fruit for fresh fruit especially between meals To reduce the risk of tooth decay dried fruit is best enjoyed as part of a meal as dessert for example not as a between meal snack Tinned or frozen fruit A portion is roughly the same quantity of fruit that you would eat for a fresh portion such as 2 pear or peach halves 6 apricot halves 8 segments of tinned grapefruit or 2 handfuls 4 heaped tablespoons of frozen blueberries Choose fruit canned in natural juice rather than syrup 5 A Day vegetable portions Green vegetables Cooked vegetables A portion is 2 broccoli spears 2 heaped tablespoons of cooked spinach or 4 heaped tablespoons of cooked kale spring greens or green beans The same quantity as you would eat for a fresh portion For example a portion is 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables such as carrots peas or sweetcorn or 8 cauliflower florets Salad vegetables Tinned and frozen vegetables A portion is 3 celery sticks a 5cm piece of cucumber 1 medium tomato or 7 cherry tomatoes The same quantity as you would eat for a fresh portion For example 3 heaped tablespoons of tinned or frozen carrots peas or sweetcorn count as 1 portion each For tinned choose those canned in water with no added salt or sugar Pulses and beans A portion is 3 heaped tablespoons of baked beans haricot beans kidney beans cannellini beans butter beans or chickpeas Remember however much of these you eat beans and pulses can only count as a maximum of 1 portion of your 5 A Day Potatoes Potatoes don t count towards your 5 A Day This is the same for yams cassava and plantain too They re classified nutritionally as a starchy food because when they re eaten as part of a meal they re usually used in place of other sources of starch such as bread rice or pasta Although they don t count towards your 5 A Day potatoes do play an important role in your diet as a starchy food You can learn more in 5 A Day what counts 5 A Day in juices and smoothies Unsweetened 100 fruit juice vegetable juice and smoothies can only ever count as a maximum of 1 portion of your 5 A Day For example if you have 2 glasses of fruit juice and a smoothie in 1 day that still only counts as 1 portion Smoothies include any drink made up of any combination of fruit or vegetable juice pur e or all the edible pulped fruit or vegetable Your combined total of drinks from fruit juice vegetable juice and smoothies shouldn t be more than 150ml a day which is a small glass For example if you have 150ml of orange juice and 150ml smoothie in 1 day you ll have exceeded the recommendation by 150ml When fruit is blended or juiced it releases the sugars This increases the risk of tooth decay so it s best to drink fruit juice or smoothies at mealtimes Whole fruits are less likely to cause tooth decay because the sugars are contained within the structure of the fruit Watch out for drinks that say juice drink on the pack as they re unlikely to count towards your 5 A Day and can be high in sugar 5 A Day and ready made foods Fruit and vegetables contained in shop bought ready made foods can also count toward your 5 A Day Always read the label Some ready made foods contain high levels of fat salt and sugar so only have them occasionally or in small amounts as part of a healthy balanced diet Starchy foods carbohydrates in pregnancy Starchy foods are an important source of energy some vitamins and fibre and help you to feel full without containing too many calories …