Nutrition

Nutrional advice during pregnancy

• Refrain from smoking and consuming alcohol;

• Limit the consummation of liver and liver products, such as pate and liver sausage;

• Do not eat raw or medium cooked meat, such as raw steak, filet americain, roast beef etc.;

• Do not eat raw or prepacked fish;

• Do not eat raw shell- or scale fish, such as oysters, shrimps etc.;

• Do not eat cheeses made of raw milk (‘au lait cru’);

• Try to eat foods with a lot of fibers;

• Try to relax and exercise on a regular basis;

• Do not clean the kitty litter and do not touch the sand of a communal (playground) sandbox;

• Use gloves when working in the garden;

• Wash your vegetables and raw vegetables before consummation;

• Never use any medication without consulting your GP or obstetrician.

During pregnancy it is important to have a healthy and varied diet. It’s not necessary to eat ‘for two’, but losing a lot of weight during pregnancy or when breastfeeding is not advised.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that can infect a person. This infection can be easily avoided if you refrain from cleaning the kitty litter box during pregnancy. It’s also advised to use gloves when gardening, not consume raw or half cooked meats and was your vegetables properly before consummation.

Listeria

The listeria bacteria can be found in soft cheeses made of raw milk, also known as ‘au-lait-cru’. Some examples of these cheeses are camembert, brie and rochefort. Listeria can also be found in prepacked fish, such as smoked salmon.

Vitamin A

Organ meat such as liver contains a lot of vitamin A. This can be harmful for the development of, for example, the skull and sternum of the baby.

Fish

Recent studies have shown that eating fat fish once or twice a week is beneficial for pregnant women. Examples of fat fish is salmon, tuna and mackarel.