When it comes to pregnancy nutrition, everyone has an opinion... and when I say everyone,
I mean everyone!! I've heard stories of strangers coming up to pregnant mummas in the street to
provide their personal pregnancy nutrition tips,
and other stories where random people have berated a soon-to-be mumma for eating something in particular
in public. Studies show that mummas are so overwhelmed with what to eat during pregnancy
that many simply give up and eat whatever they feel like. So, in this episode of Nourish,
we're going to look at 10 common myths about pregnancy nutrition debunked. Stay tuned!
Hello! If this is our first time connecting, welcome!
My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm a dietitian who specialises in fertility, pregnancy and infants
in a period known as the first thousand days of life. This first thousand days from
conception until the age of three is where genetic programming takes place to give your little one
the building blocks for a healthy future. Make sure that you subscribe and connect with me on
my socials... you'll find all the details in the description box below this video.
So, let's get started.
1. You're eating for two - you are in terms of quality, but not quantity,
and unless you were underweight at conception,
you don't need to increase your calorie intake until the second trimester
2. It's ok to have the occasional glass of booze - nope! If your bub was conceived on a big night
out, please don't beat yourself up, but emerging research suggests a link between low dose alcohol
during pregnancy and infant anxiety, so I'd recommend giving it a wide berth (excuse the pun!)
3. You'll need iron supplements during pregnancy - unless your iron levels are low at conception,
you're usually better off avoiding iron supplements during the first trimester of
pregnancy, especially if you're experiencing nausea and vomiting. As you're no longer
losing iron with your menstrual period each month, you won't lose as much iron, so your
iron requirements don't increase much until you move into your second trimester of pregnancy.
4. All prenatal multis are equal - no again. They contain very different amounts
and forms of micronutrients. For example, mum number one has poly cystic ovarian syndrome
so unless she's got low iron levels, she should choose a supplement that doesn't contain iron
as it can further increase her risk of developing gestational diabetes,
she should take some myo-inositol and omega 3 and possibly higher than average levels of folate.
On the other hand...
Mum number two doesn't have any health issues, but doesn't eat a lot of meat so needs a supplement
that is going to top up her vitamin B12 levels, iron and choline. I'd highly recommend speaking
to a prenatal dietitian about which is the best prenatal multi for your personal needs.
5. You need to spend a fortune on ginger teas and pregnancy drinks to help with morning sickness.
Please don't get too caught up with pregnancy marketing. There's certainly times when some of these
products can be helpful for some mummas, but more often than not, you can get the same benefits from
regular foods. It's like when you say that you want flowers or a cake for a wedding,
all of a sudden, an additional zero is added to the price tag!
6. You should take probiotics during pregnancy to optimise your baby's gut microbiome - a recent
scientific paper found that probiotics during pregnancy may increase the risk of developing
gestational diabetes and/or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, so until more evidence comes out to
dispute this study, it's best to stay clear until at least your third trimester of pregnancy,
and make sure that you get personalised advice from a health care professional
before taking any probiotics during pregnancy.
7. You should avoid salad during pregnancy - some people assume that because
it's recommended that pregnant mummas avoid pre-washed bags of salad during pregnancy
due to the risk of listeria toxicity, that all salad should be avoided. Salad is good
for you! Just keep it in the fridge until you're ready to eat it, then wash it before eating.
8. Fish are too high in mercury so should be avoided during pregnancy - nope!
fish are a rich source of omega 3 that is so beneficial during pregnancy. Just avoid large,
mercury-containing fish and choose small, omega 3 rich fish instead.
Check out my Nourish episode on my top 4 favourite fish to eat during pregnancy.
9. Honey should be avoided during pregnancy - No again! Unless you've got a gastrointestinal
condition or have recently been taking antibiotics, it's fine.
Again, check out this Nourish episode for more details.
10. Eat fermented foods during pregnancy - fermenting occurs by combining bacteria with
sugars and leaving it at a room temperature environment for the bacteria to grow. The
problem is there's a high risk of bad bacteria growing simultaneously,
so it's generally best to give fermented foods a miss during pregnancy.
Alright, so hopefully you found that helpful.
I'd love you to check out my other videos on pregnancy nutrition to help you determine the truth about nutrition
during pregnancy and debunk some of the crazy myths out there. All my videos are evidence-based,
so you can be confident that the information is correct. I also have
some great new resources for new parents on my website... melaniemcgrice.com so check it out!
I'll look forward to seeing you in my next video!