Safe and healthy food during pregnancy
Healthy eating is important during pregnancy. It will keep you fit and well, and help your baby to grow and develop.
Women don’t need to follow a special diet during pregnancy but should follow healthy eating guidelines and enjoy keeping active. They should pay special attention to key nutrients and food safety.
Nutrients
Folic acid
Women who could become pregnant, including those taking contraception, should take a 400μg (micrograms) supplement of folic acid every day.
Continue to take the supplement throughout a pregnancy.
Why? Folic Acid helps prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) in the baby. One third of women are not getting enough folic acid to protect against NTDs.
Some women may need a higher dose of folic acid if they have diabetes, are living with overweight or there’s a history of NTDs in the family. In these cases, please talk to your doctor for more advice.
It is not possible to get 400μg of folic acid from food alone.
Go to the NI Direct website for information on Folic acid.
Iron
To prevent anaemia, try to eat iron-rich foods twice a day.
The best sources include:
- Lean red meat, chicken, turkey, fish
- Green leafy vegetables, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds
Tip: Having salad vegetables, citrus fruits or a glass of fruit juice with your meals will help your body to absorb iron.
Calcium
Calcium is good for strong bones and teeth. The best sources are dairy foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt, so eat 3 servings a day.
Other sources include:
- Green leafy vegetables like broccoli or cabbage
- Tinned fish with bones like sardines or salmon
- Nuts, soya products or baked beans
- Calcium-fortified foods like cereals, bread or juice
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is 'the sunshine vitamin' because your body makes it when strong sunlight falls on your skin. People living in Ireland are often low in vitamin D due to low levels of sunlight.
Sources of Vitamin D are:
- Oily fish like salmon and mackerel.
- Eggs contain small amounts of vitamin D.
- Foods like milk often have vitamin D added to them.
Everyone living in Ireland needs to take a vitamin supplement during the winter months. If you are pregnant, you also need to take a supplement throughout your pregnancy, regardless of the time of year. Make sure you take one designed for pregnant women.
Find out more here about how much vitamin D people need to take, and when they need to take it.
Omega-3
Omega-3 is important for the baby’s brain and eye development. Try to eat one or 2 portions of oily fish each week like:
- Herring
- Mackerel
- Sardines
- Salmon
- Trout
Omega-3 can also be found in:
- Linseeds
- Rapeseed oil
- Walnuts
If you are vegetarian, you may need a supplement so please talk to your doctor.
Food safety and pregnancy
Pregnant women and their babies are more vulnerable to foodborne illnesses, especially Listeriosis, which can cause miscarriage or premature birth. Read more about Listeria
How to avoid Listeria
Listeria can contaminate lots of foods particularly those that don’t need further cooking or reheating such as chilled ready-to-eat foods. Listeria can grow at refrigeration temperatures so keep to Use-By dates for chilled foods.
Foods to avoid:
- Soft cheeses including blue veined and those ripened by mould
- Smoked fish
- Cooked sliced meats sold as ready-to-eat
- Cured meats sold as ready-to-eat
- Pate from meat, vegetables or fish. Tinned pate is okay.
- Pre-packed salads and sandwiches,
- Ready-to-eat foods from salad bars and delicatessens
- Pre-cooked shellfish sold as ready-to-eat
- Ready meals that don’t require further cooking or re-heating
Listeria is killed by thorough cooking so any of these foods is safe to eat if fully cooked.
Food safety rules
When pregnant is it particularly important to remember these food safety rules.
- Clean: Wash all fruit, vegetables and salad just before you eat them.
- Cook: Fully cook food and serve it when it is still very hot. Find out more about cooking food safely here. (link to cooking food section)
- Chill: Make sure your fridge is at 5°C or below. Put chilled food in the fridge straight away. Throw out food that has passed the Use-By date. If a food packet has been opened, use within 2 days. (link to fridge)
- Avoid Cross-contamination: Keep cooked food and raw food away from each other.
