Pregnancy diet: Fruit and vegetables

Pregnancy diet: Fruit and vegetables

Eat the rainbow

Unearthing facts about fruit and veg

Packed with essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, fruit and vegetables are a vital part of a healthy pregnancy diet. Find out how eating your 5 to 7-a-day of fruit and vegetables can influence your baby’s future development and learn how to include more fruit and vegetables at mealtimes.

Going green (red, orange and yellow)

As well as adding variety and colour to your diet, fruit and vegetables are packed with powerful nutrients that support you and your baby during pregnancy.

Fruit and vegetables are an excellent source of many well-known vitamins and minerals, in addition to fibre and antioxidants. They provide key nutrients, such as vitamin C, carotenoids, folate and magnesium, which all contribute to your baby’s growth and development.

A role to play in your baby’s birth weight

During pregnancy, your diet can have a direct impact on your baby’s birth weight. A well-balanced diet that meets the recommended calorie and nutrient intakes is more likely to result in a healthy birth weight, which can reduce your baby’s risk of disease and other health issues.

A good way to achieve this is to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables throughout pregnancy. As the most nutrient-dense of all the food groups, fruit and veg provide a comparatively high level of nutrients per calorie. At a time when your recommended intakes of many nutrients is higher than usual, yet your recommended calorie intake doesn’t change much, if at all, it’s wise to make every mouthful count by choosing nutrient-dense foods. Fruit and vegetables are an excellent choice.

Eat a rainbow of colours for a wide variety of nutrients.

Fruit and vegetables

Packed with essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, fruit and vegetables are a vital part of a healthy pregnancy diet.

Key nutrients provided by fruit and vegetables

Vitamin C: supports the normal function of the immune system. Sources include:

Broccoli
Citrus fruits
Tomatoes
Red, green and yellow peppers
Blackcurrants

Potassium: Helps to maintain blood pressure. Sources include:

Avocados
Bananas
Dried apricots
Dark leafy greens
Coconut water

Folic Acid: Helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects. Sources include:

Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Spinach
Asparagus

Calcium: Contributes to your baby’s developing bones and teeth. Vegetable sources of calcium include:

Dark leafy veg, such as broccoli, kale, watercress
Green French beans
Brussels sprouts

Fibre: Aids digestion and prevents constipation. All fruit and vegetables provide some fibre, with some being especially good sources, including:

Peas
Pears
Prunes
Legumes

5 to 7-a-day (or more) for a range of nutrients

You’re probably well aware of the 5 to 7-a-day guideline. This is based on the fact that fruit and vegetables help to lower the risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.

Eating at least 5 to 7 portions of fruit and vegetables per day as part of a healthy pregnancy diet will provide many of the nutrients needed to support your own health and your baby’s development.

With regards to which fruits to eat during pregnancy, fresh, frozen, dried and tinned varieties all count, and the skin is often a good source of fibre. A glass of fruit juice counts as 1 of your 5 to 7-a-day, but due to the nature and quantity of the sugar it contains, can only be counted once towards your 5 to 7 a-day.

Folate: A first trimester essential

Folate, the food source of folic acid, is a B vitamin that occurs naturally in certain vegetables and other foods.

During the first trimester, you should take a folic acid supplement of 400 micrograms per day.

Due to its role in protecting against neural tube defects, it’s recommended that all pregnant women get 400micrograms of folic acid per day 3 months before conception until the 12th week of pregnancy. It would be difficult to get this through food sources of folate, so a folic acid supplement is advised. Folate-rich foods help to increase your intake even further.

Folate-rich vegetables to eat during pregnancy include:

Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Spinach
Asparagus
Peas

There is no limit on vegetable intake, the campaign was originally intended to help people meet a minimum of 5 to 7 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. In fact, eating more than seven portions each day could be even more beneficial for yours and your baby's health.

One portion equates to^:

1 medium apple, orange or pear
Two plums or kiwis
10 grapes or 6 strawberries
1 bowl of homemade vegetable soup
½ cup of peas, peppers or broccoli
1 bowl of lettuce, tomato or cucumber

NEXT STEPS

Try these easy ways to increase your intake of fruit and vegetables:

Buy frozen fruit and veg – it’s often cheaper than fresh varieties, doesn’t go off, and the nutrient content is well preserve. The FSAI advises that imported frozen berries should be boiled for one minute before eating.. This advice is as a result of outbreaks of norovirus and hepatitis A virus in imported frozen berries across Europe in recent years.
Snack on vegetables, such as carrot or celery sticks with hummus
Add extra vegetables to home cooked soups and sauces
Try tinned fruit and vegetables – make sure they’re in natural juice or water with no added salt or sugar
Use fruit and vegetables to make nutritious smoothies