During your pregnancy, if you eat a varied and balanced diet, your baby will have all it needs to be healthy. Here are some helpful tips for developing good eating habits.
Off - Limits
Dairy Products
- Raw (unpasteurised) milk cheese (e.g. French brie, camembert, roquefort, Swiss gruyere)
- Commercial grated cheese (e.g. tasty mozzarella)
Fish & Fish Eggs
- Smoked Fish (smoked salmon, etc.)
- Raw fish (sushi, carpaccio, ceviche)
- Surimi (imitation crab)
- Taramasalata, lumpfish roe, caviar
- Stingray, shark (flake), swordfish
Shellfish & Crustaceans
- Raw Shellfish (oysters scallop crudo, etc.)
- Raw crustaceans (prawn tatare, etc.)
Meat
- Smoked and dried meats and products (raw ham, salami, etc.)
- Meats and dishes slow-cooked at low temperatures (rillettes, pates, foie gras, etc.)
- Raw or marinated meats and dishes (carpaccio, steak tartare, rate duck breast, etc.)
- Liver (calf's liver etc.)
Eggs
- Raw eggs an dishes containing raw eggs (home-made mayonnaise, home-made ice cream, home-made chocolate mousse, etc.)
- Semi-cooked eggs and dishes that contain them (e.g. soft-boiled eggs, chocolate lava cakes)
Drinks
- Alcohol (in drinks, but also in dishes such as flambeed crepes, baked Alaska, rum baba)
- Energy drinks
Allowed
Dairy Products
- Pasteurised milk cheeses (check on the packaging): feta, mozzarella, gouda, havarti, cream cheeses
- Medium-hard to hard cheeses: parmesan, pecorino, comte (French gruyere), emmental
- Cooked (not just melted) cheeses
Fish
- Tinned tuna, salmon, ocean trout, trout, flounder, herring, mackerel, hake (cooked)
Meat
- Cooked meats (cooked ham, sausages, meat in general)
Eggs
- Egg products (e.g. mass produced ice cream, mass-produced chocolate mousse)
- Cooked eggs and dishes that contain them (hard-boiled eggs, quiche, cakes, etc.)
Fruits & Vegetables
- Cooked vegetables
- Cooked fruits
Eat in Moderation
Fish
- Orange roughly (deep sea perch) catfish, bonito, eel, mullet, skate, tuna (cooked)
- Cooked shellfish (mussels, oysters, etc.)
- Cooked crustaceans (prawns, crab, etc.)
- Cooked smoked fish
Meat
- Offal (except liver)
Fruits & Vegetables
- Raw vegetables
- Herbs
- Raw fruit
- Soy
Drinks
- Sparkling water
- Tea, coffee
- Herbal teas
- Sodas and soft drinks
Pregnancy Depression
It is normal for every expectant mom to have her difficulties. If your lows are consistent and frequent, you may be among the 10-15 percent of women who battle mild to moderate depression during pregnancy.Both emotional & physical depression shows up in a variety of symptoms, that go well beyond standard moms-to-be moodiness. They can include feeling sad, empty, hopeless, and emotionally lethargic, having sleep disturbances (you don't feel like eating at all, or you're eating all the time), feeling fatigued and lacking energy (above what's normal in pregnancy) and/or feeling agitated or restless, losing interest in work, friends, family, and activities you usually enjoy, losing concentration and focus, having exaggerated mood swings (more dramatic than what's normal in pregnancy), and even having self-destructive thoughts. There may also be unexplained aches and pains.
Nutrition while Breastfeeding
Your nutrition during breastfeeding isn’t affected by your diet unless you’re eating habits are inadequate. You do need to be sure to take in enough calories and water for your body to produce adequate milk. Your baby may react a different way to certain foods, but if you pay attention to how your baby responds, you can figure out what foods to avoid.
Exercising Tips for Pregnant Women
Before starting any type of fitness program, please consult your physician. Let him or her know what type of exercises you plan on doing, and whether they are safe for you.
Teaching Kids to Eat Healthy
If you were to offer your child a candy bar or an apple, which would they choose? What if instead, you offer them the choice between crackers and cheese or an apple? Teaching kids to eat well can be real tricky. You don't want to turn every meal into a lecture, but if you wait too long, they could pickup unhealthy habits in the meantime.