Safe Food: What to eat and drink in pregnancy. Rosie Dodds

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      The calcium in milk and other foods is very important. Calcium is a mineral needed by our bodies to ensure strong bones and teeth. A good supply of calcium is especially important during pregnancy (when your baby’s bones and teeth are developing) and while breastfeeding.

       Can’t drink milk?

      Some people strongly dislike milk and feel that it disagrees with their digestion. They may be allergic to milk or they may react badly to lactose, the sugar in milk.

      In order to digest lactose, our bodies need an enzyme (special chemical) called lactase. Babies have plenty of lactase, but some adults have very little. These adults are unable to drink milk – but may find they can eat cheese and yoghurt because the lactose in these foods has been changed or removed. They may also be able to tolerate butter.

      All of these nutrients in milk can be found in other foods, but it may be hard to get enough calcium if you dislike all dairy products. We suggest other sources of calcium in Chapter 2.

       How much milk?

      We need three servings of milk, or milk-based food, each day. A serving of milk is equivalent to:

      

a full glass of milk (one-third of a pint or 200ml), or the milk in 5–6 cups of tea or coffee

      

a small carton of yoghurt

      

a piece of hard cheese the size of a small matchbox

      

half a small tub of cottage cheese (55g)

      

half a small tub of fromage frais (100g)

       What is so bad about fats and sugar?

      The tiny section remaining on our plate is for fatty and sugary foods. Fats and sugar are found in many, many foods – not only in butter, cream and all types of sugar, but ‘hidden’ in lots of processed foods. Did you know, for example, that a large sausage contains the equivalent of 3 teaspoons of fat, and a can of soft drink 8 teaspoons of sugar?

      We do need some fat in our diet. Fat is a source of vitamins A, D and E and essential fatty acids. But we don’t need to deliberately choose fatty foods – because we get quite enough of both from other, more healthy foods.

       The problem with fats

      There are several different types of fat; some are more healthy than others. The three main types of fat are:

      

saturated

      

monounsaturated, and

      

polyunsaturated.

      The basic building blocks of fat are called fatty acids. Each type of fat is made up of different fatty acids.

      Most adults in the UK eat too much fat – especially saturated fat. Too much saturated fat increases our risk of heart disease. All types of fat can contribute to an unhealthy weight gain. This is because fats are a very concentrated source of energy. They also tend to make foods taste good.

       Saturated fats

      Saturated fats are found mainly in foods that come directly, or indirectly, from animals – lard, butter, cream, fatty meat, hard cheese, and foods made using animal fats, like biscuits and ready-made pastry. Coconut oil, palm oil and ghee are also rich in saturated fats – as is chocolate. We should all eat a lot less saturated fat.

      Meat and cheese, however, supply other valuable nutrients as well as containing saturated fat. The way around this dilemma is to try to choose lean cuts of meat (we only need a little, remember). It is also a good idea to trim away visible fat, and avoid using extra fat when cooking the meat. If you eat a lot of cheese, you may like to choose a low-fat variety. And, if you enjoy the taste of butter, try a low-fat, ‘buttery’ spread instead. Semi-skimmed milk (or normal milk with the cream poured off) contains a lot less fat than whole milk – and is just as nutritious.

       Mono and poly: the unsaturated fats

      Monounsaturated fats are found in many foods, including vegetable oil, olive oil, soft margarines, meat, fish, avocado, eggs and peanuts. Check the ‘nutritional information’ label on packaged food to see what type of fat each food contains.

      Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are better for you than saturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature – in contrast to saturated fats which are usually hard (think of butter, lard, fat on meat and so on). Polyunsaturated fats are found in soya and sunflower cooking oils, sunflower margarine, oily fish, nuts and seeds.

       Essential fatty acids

      Polyunsaturated fats are important because they contain essential fatty acids. These special fatty acids are called ‘essential’ because (unlike other fatty acids) they cannot be made in our bodies – we have to get them from our food. The essential fatty acids are needed for normal brain development and the production of some of the hormones necessary for a healthy pregnancy. (Hormones are special chemicals working in our bodies.)

      There are two essential fatty acids: linoleic acid and linolenic acid. Linoleic acid is found mainly in nuts, and in plant oils such as sunflower, soya or corn oil. Good sources of the other essential fatty acid – linolenic acid – are oily fish (tinned or fresh sardines, mackerel and salmon), eggs and lean meat.

      It is important to take in a balance of the two fatty acids. Unless you are on a very low-fat diet, you are probably taking enough linoleic acid, but most of us would benefit from eating more oily fish and so increasing our intake of the second essential fatty acid, linolenic acid. Scientific research suggests that women who eat more oily fish tend to have longer pregnancies and bigger babies. There may also be a link between taking fish oil during pregnancy and a reduction in the risk of pre-eclampsia, a serious disorder of pregnancy.

       Trans fats

      Finally, we need to mention a special group of fatty acids called ‘trans fats’. You may notice on some low-fat spreads a label stating that ‘This product contains virtually no trans fats’. These products are good ones to choose because high intakes of trans fats have been linked with heart disease.

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