lunchbox

"I'm seven months pregnant and although I've always eaten healthily, I'm now extra careful to make sure I have a balanced diet," says Mary. "I eat the same sorts of foods as I did before I got pregnant, but I do tend to get hungrier and so eat bigger portions."

According to Juliette Kellow, state registered dietician and deputy editor of Slimming magazine, such a meal would give Mary 670 calories of which 26 per cent of calories come from protein, 47 per cent from carbohydrate, 27 per cent from fat,of which 14 per cent from saturates

"Having a good diet during pregnancy helps to ensure the developing baby gets all the nutrients it needs to grow properly and also helps the mother to cope with the extra demands that pregnancy puts on her body," says Juliette. "Contrary to popular belief, it's not necessary to `eat for two' when you're pregnant. In fact, extra calories are only needed during the last three months of pregnancy. But, it's very important to make sure your diet is packed with all the nutrients you and your developing baby need. Mary's lunch is a good example of a balanced meal which provides a wide range of nutrients and follows all the healthy eating guidelines, which still apply during pregnancy.

"If you're pregnant, the best way to make sure your diet is balanced is to eat a variety of foods. It's a good idea to base meals on fruit, vegetables and starchy, fibre-rich foods. Mary has chosen her lunch well with bread, salad and an apple forming the main part of the meal. Eating low-fat dairy products every day is important as good intakes of these foods help to provide a wide range of nutrients including calcium which is vital for strong, healthy bones.

"Choosing cheese as a sandwich filling and having a pot of yogurt helped to ensure this meal was packed with protein, calcium and riboflavin (a B group vitamin). It's also important to have a couple of servings of lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs or beans each day. The corned beef helped to contribute iron and was also a main provider of zinc. It's still sensible to keep fatty and sugary foods to a minimum during pregnancy. Mary didn't use butter, margarine, mayonnaise or salad cream in her sandwiches and this helped to keep the fat down. But even though the fat intake of this meal was low, the proportion of calories coming from saturates was slightly high.

"Pregnant women (and women planning a pregancy) should take a daily supplement of 400 micrograms of folic acid (a B group vitamin) during the first three months of pregnancy to reduce the risk of a neural tube defect such as spina bifida. Eat more foods which are rich in this nutrient such as fortified breakfast cereals, bread, beans, peas, green leafy vegetables,meat and yeast extracts, potatoes, cauliflower and oranges. Pregnant women should also pay extra attention to food safety advice."

Glenda Cooper

For further information about diet during and after pregnancy, contact: Eating for Pregnancy Helpline (Tel: 01142 424 084)