What should we read to know what my pregnant wife should be eating?

June 23, 2008 2:23 PM

Recommendations on what diet my 6-week pregnant wife should be following.

We just recently found out that we're pregnant, and trying to figure out what my wife should and shouldn't be eating. What are the books or websites to look at that are reliable sources of information? Thanks.

posted by MythMaker to health (21 comments total)

Food I don't know much about. Vitamins with folic acid for sure though.
posted by All.star at 2:44 PM on June 23

The important thing is that she follow the "no cigarettes, no illegal drugs, little alcohol or caffeine" diet. The kind of food she eats is vastly less important than that so long as she is eating at least moderately healthy and making sure to get enough protein and such.

That said, there are a few exceptions; she should avoid fish that is high in mercury, for example. Generally speaking, the higher on the food chain the fish is the more mercury it contains. Tuna is also relatively high in mercury, though, so she'll want to limit tuna intake. A lot of people also say to avoid soft cheeses (brie, camembert, etc) since they could have listeria.

I think the danger there is likely overblown, but it may be better to err on the side of caution.
posted by Justinian at 2:57 PM on June 23

Thanks so much. I appreciate the help so far.

I guess I was hoping to be directed towards a reliable, well researched book or website based on current scientific research more than just anecdotal suggestions. Thanks again for the help.
posted by MythMaker at 3:12 PM on June 23

Fish Oil Supplements During Pregnancy Are Safe and Beneficial
"Intake of fish oil supplements by pregnant women is safe for the fetus and infant and may benefit the infant's hand and eye coordination, according to the results of a double-blind, randomized trial reported in the December 21 Online First issue of the Archives of Diseases in Childhood, Fetal & Neonatal Edition."

Fish oil is also said to be good for the mother's health:
"Scientists first became interested when they noticed that countries with the highest fish consumption had the lowest rates of depression. They also observed that mothers in England who ate very little fish during pregnancy doubled their risk of developing postpartum depression compared to women who ate fish regularly."

Here's another post about the benefits.
posted by Mjolnir at 3:31 PM on June 23

I learned to never tell a pregnant woman what to do.

Let her eat what ever she wants + multivitamins recommended by her doctor.

The book she liked as a guide was What to Expect When You Are Expecting.

All I know is that the first pregnancy was mainly Japanese pickles & rice and the second pregnancy was mainly steaks & chocolate malts. Both my daughters came out healthy and perfect.
posted by Argyle at 3:33 PM on June 23

nthing all the above - but if you'd like some detailed reliable information here's the new edition of "What to Eat When You're Expecting". (Now with a slightly different title).
posted by AuntLisa at 3:47 PM on June 23

not a doctor here, but i think that pretty much as long as she avoids the bad stuff (drugs, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, certain fish), she'll be fine. i think it's always better to eat a balanced diet of lean proteins, lots of fruits and vegetables, complex carbs, and good fats. there isn't a particular thing she should eat more of, but if she has weight issues already, she may want to talk to a doctor about how much weight she needs to gain. i assume you guys are seeing a doctor anyway, though.
posted by thinkingwoman at 4:40 PM on June 23

Michael Pollen's book "In Defense of Food" is good advice for pregnant women. And non-pregnant women. And their husbands. And their children. And their neighbors. Seriously, eating healthy food is what she should be doing. (And you too -- being a father is a lot of work, and it's best to keep up your health. And it's good for both of you to be good role models for your children.)
posted by Capri at 4:51 PM on June 23

"What to Expect" is research-free crap. Beware that "Being pregnant and receiving unscientific advice go hand in hand"...

Some previous comments

scholar.google.com is very useful for looking up "helpful" advice. Avoid babycenter.com like the plague.

There really isn't anything she can't eat. She can have sushi, she can have soft cheese, she can have a glass of wine. The fish oil as previously mentioned is certainly not a bad idea. Don't let her get food poisoning or run a vitamin deficiency and there's really nothing to worry about.
posted by kmennie at 5:09 PM on June 23

Well, in about a week or two your question will probably become "what can my wife eat that she won't puke up two minutes later?" For me it was club soda, cold japanese noodles and Chai Tea Luna bars. Be prepared to throw out bars of soap because she can smell them all the way in the living room. Oh, and congratulations!
posted by echolalia67 at 5:10 PM on June 23

You might want to look at this for low mercury fish. Opinions vary but sushi that is not shellfish is usually considered ok.
posted by zia at 5:16 PM on June 23

I'm loosely following the Brewer diet, which places an emphasis on protein intake. Adequate protein intake prevents a lot of the major bad guys in pregnancy such as premature rupture of membranes and pre-eclampsia. It's easy to follow, very common sense, and flexible if you have other restrictions such as a vegetarian diet or lactose intolerance. Ina May Gaskin encourages women to follow this diet, and her rate of preeclampsia for just over 2,000 births was .39% (versus about 10% in the general population).

Red raspberry leaf and ginger teas help with early morning sickness, and two crackers before rising or when a wave of nausea hits can be miraculous.

Other than that . . . I worry far more about the nutritional quality of my diet than over every little 'OMG you can't eat that!' warning--soft cheeses, sushi? Show me it! The OMG DON'T people will drive you crazy if you let them. :) In pregnancy and in baby-raising I try to stay away from all that alarmist stuff (which seems to include most popular magazines and books, unfortunately) and just use my noggin.
posted by littlegreenlights at 5:26 PM on June 23

She'll get a list of what's allowed and what isn't at the doctor's.

Personally, I wadded up that thing and chucked it. The only thing I avoided was tuna and fatty fish, because of the mercury. I also avoided multicolored Tums, because I ate so many and fake food (dyes and additives) skeeves me out. I went for the plain white Tums. You might want to run out and buy a bottle. Or forty.

As far as studies and books, I found doing research on pregnancy lifestyle choices tedious and underwhelming, although I spent hours on it for major pregnancy decisions (whether to continue running, for example.) Everyone seems to have an agenda and a lot of it is puritanical and seems to reduce pregnancy to illness and pregnant women to children.

Real research, with control groups, is hard to come by. My guess is plenty of healthy pregnancies have been fueled by Doritos, and lots of women have significant dietary restrictions based on not wanting to spend lots of time vomiting, so they do things like live on baked potatoes or whatever. Their babies are fine, but I bet lots of women who go through that beat themselves up about it.

I ate generally healthy food since I was a generally healthy eater in the first place--I like grains and vegetables--and I drank a glass or two of wine or beer a week. I disregarded the warnings about soft cheese, uncooked eggs, deli meat and so on. I bought more M and M since being pregnant than in the rest of my life, so good thing I skipped the multicolored Tums, because those M and Ms sure compensated for my yellow #5 RDA.

YMMV, in a really big way.

I don't think it's as much a matter of finding the right book to buy as your wife knowing the kind of person she is and what works for her. Pregnancy taught me a lot about who I am.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:38 PM on June 23 [1 favorite]

Folate is critical, as lack of folate causes neural tube defects. Start now with supplements. Limit fish and shellfish to limit mercury. Take calcium and iron supplements, too. Otherwise, eat a balanced diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and some protein.
posted by theora55 at 7:11 PM on June 23

Swiss chard is a VERY nutritious green that is available in abundance right now.

One 35-calorie serving gets you 214% of your vitamin A, 53% of your vitamin C, 22% of your iron and 10% or your calcium. It also has folate and a bunch of other great stuff.

I like to saute it with some olive oil, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.

In general, if you shop mainly around the perimeter of the supermarket you will find the healthiest, least-processed foods.
posted by Ostara at 8:17 PM on June 23

Take the pre-natal vitamins and eat what you like. Really. They'll give you a list which will include fish, some soft cheeses and raw meat as no-nos. And obviously alcohol although wine/beer is okay in moderation.
posted by k8t at 9:34 PM on June 23

Check out these two sites:

Weston A. Price and Nourishing Traditions
posted by healthyliving at 9:53 PM on June 23

These are all great, but if you are looking for "well researched book or website based on current scientific research", you would have better luck going to the ob/gyn and asking them. They have NOTHING to gain by telling you to eat or stay away from certain foods.

And seriously...metafilter is ALL about anecdotal evidence. Thats what makes it great.

Good luck, and err on the side of caution.
posted by hal_c_on at 10:21 PM on June 23

My wife just had our fourth. I'd have her answer this, but she's nursing the little dude right now. My advise would be to definitely get a good multivitamin. After that, eat a wide variety of natural foods. As long as your wife's eating some fruit, some veggies (a good salad) and a solid three square meals, she'll be fine. If she's concerned about weight gain, cut out the empty calories--desserts and stuff. Also, the last trimester is primarily about the baby growing, so eat extra protein during that time. If your wife likes eggs, I'd go for that. They are the best protein. If you want books, I'd contact your local LLL chapter so see what they would recommend.
posted by keith0718 at 2:02 AM on June 24

I'm pregnant right now, four weeks to go...

You get a list of do's and don'ts at the doctor's when you go in at 8 weeks. Do NOT get an over-the-counter multivitamin! These can contain high doses of things like Vitamin A and E that (according to my Dr.) can cause a lot of harm to the baby in such high amounts. You will get a prescription for a prenatal vitamin - use only that.

FIBER is really important. It IS possible not to get constipated when you're pregnant; just make sure to have either some beans, some fresh fruit, or a salad every day.

There are a lot of "how to eat a healthy diet" books out there, and healthy eating is healthy eating: it doesn't vary just because you're pregnant.

That said, many women actually lose weight the first trimester because of the constant nausea. The crackers-in-the-morning thing didn't help me because the problem wasn't really in my stomach: it's actually caused by progesterone-induced "blood-poisoning." My doctor told me to eat any damn thing I pleased, as long as I could keep it down. That turned out to be salads, and ice cream. Go figure.

I found that a "solid three square meals" was impossible because (once I wasn't puking) I was always hungry, and there was very little room in there. Have lots of healthy snack food on hand, like fruit and homemade granola, so that she can eat a little bit, all the time. This is best for baby, too, as blood sugar spikes should be avoided.

Your baby will get the nutrients he needs, even at the expense of the mother. He'll be fine. Your job is to make sure mom gets what *she* needs, too.
posted by GardenGal at 2:32 AM on June 24

I'm at 10 weeks now, and my doctor basically said "in the first trimester, eat whatever you can manage to eat!" That is, you will most likely experience nausea or at the very least, some strong aversion to certain foods and their smells.

I was lucky enough not to have serious nausea, but the idea of eating stuff like meat, fried stuff, or anything with a very strong flavor really turned my stomach. Your wife will have to try different things and see what works for her.

For me, fruits like watermelon, canteloupe, grapes, apples, bananas, and pears were good mainstays, with the added benefit that they had just enough fiber to ease the constipation. I also ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches just about every day - on whole-grain bread for fiber. Popsicles are great when nothing else will stay down. Whole-wheat pasta with just a touch of olive oil is good, and yogurt can calm the stomach. But everyone is different!

Once the nausea subsides you can think more coherently about meal planning. "What to Expect" has some pretty detailed guidance about this stuff.
posted by jenbeee at 8:26 AM on June 24