So now that you're pregnant, you are no longer concerned for only your own health, but the health and development of your growing baby too.  It can be quite daunting to think that everything you eat will contribute to how well your baby grows and forms.  The following are naturopath, Kirsten Donovan's 'top picks' for foods that you need to include in your pregnancy diet. Of course the more wide and varied you eat, the more likely you are to be getting all the nutrients you need for you and for baby so try to go out of your comfort zone and try new delicious fresh foods.  Your growing foetus will always take what it needs from your blood supply of vitamins and minerals if you are not providing your body with adequate supplies, so to avoid ending up with a compromised immune system and fatigue, try to eat as well as you possibly can. 

Omega-3 Fats. 

Essential fats cannot be made in the body so need to be consumed in the diet and are absolutely necessary in a pregnancy diet as they contribute to every cell, tissue and organ in the body. Not just your body but your growing baby's body as well! Omega-3 fats are often deficient in our diets and these fats are crucial for production of hormones, growth of the placenta, formation of collagen for healthy skin and proper brain development.  Eye development of your bub also depends on Omega-3 fats. 

So if not enough Omega-3 is consumed then the result could be an undeveloped nervous and immune system in the new-born which may carry on into later life.

Are you now convinced that you should be eating some tasty omega-laden foods?  Your best sources are oily fish and seafood.  And your best vegetarian source are flaxseeds (by far a top plant source) followed by walnuts, canola oil and sunflower oil. 

Get this in your diet by eating fresh and canned salmon, sardines, canned tuna (not fresh) and calamari.  Soak flaxseeds in water overnight and have a tablespoon full on your cereal or in a smoothie at breakfast for a top dose of omega-3 as well as soluble fibre for bowel health and detoxification.  Add a tablespoon of flaxseed oil to a balsamic vinegar salad dressing and drizzle on a salad or vege's for a delicious omega boost. Munch on half a handful of walnuts for a mid-morning boost or throw them in a salad for added omega crunch. 

Top recipes for added pregnancy omega-3 include: Ginger salmon curry, Tuna and brown rice salad, Date and walnut brain balls. 

Eggs

Quick, easy and a perfect 17g of protein all wrapped up in a shell. Eggs are quite possibly the perfect pregnancy food, high in vitamin A, iron, calcium and lutein (antioxidant that protects your eyes) to boot. Eggs have taken some bad rap in the past with accusations that they elevate cholesterol levels and should be avoided in pregnancy due to salmonella risks.  I can assure you that most recent studies show that eggs have very little effect on raising your blood cholesterol – it is the cholesterol made by your liver that has most effect.  Your needs for cholesterol rise in pregnancy as it is part of the cell membrane of every cell in your new babes body and cholesterol is also needed for hormone production. 

As for the risk of salmonella, you can alleviate this problem by cooking your eggs so the white and yolk is solid.  No runny yolks for expectant Mums.

Top recipes for the benefits of eggs: Roast vegetable and soft egg salad, Omelette, Frittata, Heuvos Ranchos.

Flaxseeds

These humble looking seeds are power packed with nutrition including healthy ALA fatty acids (more on this soon) , protein and soluble fibre.

ALA or alpha linoleic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid that can be converted in your body to DHA and EPA – the essential fats needed for brain and eye development of your bub.  However this conversion is relatively inefficient (only 10% gets converted), so oily fish is still your best source of DHA and EPA.  ALA is still great for glowing skin. 

Two tablespoons of ground flaxseed provides 4g of soluble fibre – the type of fibre that helps your liver to carry out toxic debris from your body.  It turns into a jelly like substance when water is added so keeps your bowels regular – another concern in pregnancy. 

All seeds, and flaxseeds are no exception, provide a nice source of protein.  One tablespoon of flaxseeds give you one gram of protein. 

Best recipes for flaxseed consumption: Tasty flaxseed smoothie, Seedy porridge, Seedy Banana Pancakes.            

Brown Rice

As your baby rapidly develops in the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy, many women are looking for a quick nutritious fix for morning sickness.  Look no further than this powerhouse of a grain.  It has a mild nutty flavour that is palatable to even the seediest expecting Mum, but the wonderful advantage of brown rice is that it is full of minerals and B-vitamins which stave off fatigue and baby abnormalities.  Vitamin B6 in particular has been shown in studies to combat morning sickness while B5 is a coenzyme needed for energy production. 

Fibre-wise brown rice beats it's processed cousin, white rice, hands down.  White rice has had the bran layer of the grain removed and this layer contains most of the vitamins, minerals and fibre.  A cup of cooked brown rice contains 4 times the fibre of white rice to help prevent pesky pregnancy constipation.

Brown rice is a low glycaemic food which means it will keep your blood sugar steady for longer making you feel full and this is another proven method of keeping morning sickness at bay. 

So give this nutty grain a go and reap the numerous benefits for a healthy Mum and bub.

Top brown rice recipes: Brown rice pudding, Brown rice with curry or ratatouille.  Add brown rice to omelettes or frittata for extra bite.

For some delicious pregnancy-safe recipes see:  Ultim8 Pregnancy Blog

Kirsten Donovan practices naturopathy in Northland, New Zealand and was one of the contributors to Ultim8 Health's new eBook on healthy pregnancy titled "What to Avoid During Pregnancy for a Healthy Baby" which is now available on Amazon.com .

There are also many more pregnancy food recommendations and those to avoid inside Ultim8 Health's new eBook which is full of expert pregnancy advice from health professionals you can trust, who answer those crucial pregnancy questions: http://ultim8pregnancy.com/

Wishing you a super healthy pregnancy!