Nutrition and pregnancy

Dr Douglas Street, Contributor

Bringing a new life is indeed an awesome responsibility. There are so many things to consider. No doubt nutrition ranks at the top in terms of priorities for this new life. Your body - as well as the body of the unborn child - is formed from what you eat before, during and after pregnancy (if breastfeeding is done). So how should this be approached?

Unfortunately, most of our pregnancies are not planned. Ideally, pregnancies should be planned and prepared for - especially if there are significant health problems.

A woman who is planning to get pregnant should start paying special attention to her diet. This may even increase the chance of getting pregnant. This diet is similar to that of pregnancy, so we will look at it later. Body weight is important, so it's also best to have a body mass index (BMI) between 21 and 30 for the best chance of conceiving and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.

Then there are things to avoid or limit. These include recreational drugs, smoking, alcohol and caffeine. There are some medications used for certain medical conditions that may be harmful to the baby, so if pregnancy is planned, or even likely (such as when no reliable contraceptive is being utilised), these should be avoided.

Avoid some foods

Some foods should also be avoided or limited. King mackerel, shark and swordfish should be avoided due to possible mercury exposure. For the same reason, salmon, tuna, shrimp, crab, Pollock, cod and tilapia should be restricted to about two servings weekly. Also wash fruits and vegetables properly and avoid undercooked and possibly contaminated food.

Now, here is the dietary advice. The recommendation is for 75g to 100g of protein to be consumed. This can be obtained from six to nine ounces of meat (for example fish, chicken, beef, lamb, liver) or 1-1¹/² cups of legume/nut (peas, beans, nuts, and tofu).

Calcium intake should be 1,000mg daily: two to three servings daily of milk, egg, yoghurt, tofu, almonds, white beans, salmon, cabbage and/or cheese. Iron 27mg: two to three cups of green leafy vegetables (lettuce, cabbage, turnip, collards and/or spinach); 1¹/² cups/three slices of whole grain (e.g. cereal, oats, bread and/or cornmeal) or the meats mentioned above. Folate 0.6-0.8mg (for healthy nervous system): legumes (as above), green leafy vegetables (as above) or 1- 1¹/² cups of fruit (e.g. mango, strawberry, orange, lemon, melon, kiwi and/or grapefruit). Vitamin C of 85mg (for healthy wound healing and bone and teeth formation): fruit (as above). Supplements may not be necessary.

Dr Douglas Street is a general practitioner and has private practices at Trinity Medical Centre, Trinity Mall, 3 Barnett Street, Montego Bay, and Omega Medical Centre, Plaza de Negril, Negril. Send feedback to drdougstreet@yahoo.com.