How to eat your baby healthy

Eating a healthy, balanced diet during pregnancy, helps your body cope with the demands of being pregnant and passes essential nutrients to your growing baby.

But there are certain foods you can eat that can help shape your baby's health for the rest of its life.

Some research shows that green leafy vegetables such as cabbage and also nuts can protect your baby from developing asthma or allergies later on in life.

Other studies show that mums-to-be who eat oily fish during pregnancy produce children with better eyesight.

And, eating plenty of baked beans will ensure your baby develops a strong, healthy body.

Here, we present the foods to eat - and the foods to avoid - to give your baby a healthy start in life.

Foods to eat

A balanced diet:

A new study published last week by the British Medical Journal shows the importance of eating a balanced meal. According to scientists from the University of Southampton and Finland's National Public Health Institute, women who are short of nutrients when pregnant tend to produce underweight babies (less than five-and-a-half pounds). The study concluded that babies with low weight gain are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease in later life.

Eating a balanced meal, says Rosemary Dodds of the National Childbirth Trust, means eating one-third of energy foods which includes pasta, potatoes, rice, yam, bread or cereals. One-third of your meal should also be made up from some of your daily five portions of fruit and veg. The final third, claim dieticians, should be divided into three unequal sections, with one much smaller than the other two. The larger amounts of this final section should be devoted to protein needed for growth and repair of our bodies and should include meat, fish, nuts and cooked beans - and dairy products. The smaller amount should be for fatty and sugary foods.

Recommended dose: Eat five portions of

fresh vegetables and fruit each day. Aim for an average of six servings of starchy carbohydrates throughout the day. (One serving equals two slices of bread or two chapattis; a bowl of breakfast cereal; six tablespoons of boiled pasta; four tablespoons of rice; and two potatoes or yams.) Try to take adequate protein - two to three servings a day of lean meat, fish, beans, nuts or milk and milk-products such as cheese.

Nuts: New research shows that eating higher levels of vitamin E than normal when pregnant, can help protect your child from becoming sensitive to common allergies and asthma.

Vitamin E rich food includes green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and spinach, and nuts including pistaccio, sesame and almonds.

A study carried out by researchers at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary tested blood from the umbilical cords of 223 new-born babies. The team found that while genetic history and maternal smoking were important factors, the mother's diet also played a key part. The results showed that mothers with higher levels of vitamin E, had children with lower sensitivity to common allergy-producing substances, mites and grass pollen that are responsible for developing allergies and asthma.

Sam Church of the Food Standards Agency said the study was an interesting one, but it was too early to suggest that pregnant women should change their diet according to its findings. However, she confirmed the importance of diet during pregnancy.

Recommended dose: About five to ten milligrams each day. Around two portions of green leafy vegetables, an ounce of almonds, or one tablespoon of sesame or walnut oil.

Oily fish: Scientists have found that mums-to-be who eat oily fish during pregnancy have children with better eyesight that those who do not. The benefits of oily fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, kippers and sardines are thought to be due to a fatty acid called DHA, said to speed up eyesight development in young children.

After monitoring 340 infants, researchers from University of Dundee, found that babies who had received higher levels of DHA from their mothers during pregnancy had better eyesight at six-years-old than those who did not.

However, warns dietician Fiona Ford from the Sainsburys/well-being eating for pregnancy helpline, that oily fish should not be confused with cod liver oil. Cod liver oil made from the liver of the fish, rather than the body of the fish, is linked to rare birth defects. It is thought that liver products may contain high levels of the 'retinol' - or derivation - of vitamin A. Too much (more than 3,300 microgrammes) of this type of vitamin A could harm your unborn child.

Recommended dose: Dieticians claim pregnant women should eat oily fish two to three times a week.

Dairy products and breakfast cereals: Dieticians recommend that pregnant women eat more foods containing vitamin D than normal. This is because vitamin D helps our bodies absorb and process calcium - needed to make strong bones and teeth. Dairy products and cereals are a rich source of vitamin D, but sunshine can also trigger our bodies to make our own vitamin D, explains dietician Rosemary Dodds from the National Childbirth Trust. 'Some British women may not build up adequate stores of vitamin D to meet the extra needs of pregnancy,' says Dodds. ' So you may need to up your intake of vitamin D.'

Recommended dose: The department of health recommends that pregnant and breastfeeding women take a supplement of 10 microgrammes of vitamin D each day.

Dark green leafy vegetables and baked beans: The Government advises all pregnant women - or those planning to become pregnant - to take folic acid supplements while your baby is being formed. This is because our bodies need folic acid to make DNA - genetic information that controls the correct development and function of our cells. Not enough folic acid during the first three months of pregnancy can prevent your baby's brain and spinal cord form developing sufficiently and can lead to spina bifida.

Dodds recommends eating extra portions of dark leaf vegetables at this time. Foods that are rich in folic acid include brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli, green beans, potatoes, backed beans, citrus fruit juices, cereals, bread, milk and yeast extract.

Other studies show that there is a link between a low intake of folic acid and high levels of homocysteine, an enzyme linked to metabolism. Scientists from Norway's University of Bergen and America's University of Washington showed that low levels of folic acid is linked to the production of homocysteine which can bring on pre-eclampsia - high blood pressure during pregnancy - which can trigger premature childbirth.

Recommended dose: The Government recommends 400 microgrammes of folic acid each day. Much higher doses are given to women who have a baby with spinal defects.

If you are considering changing your diet during pregnancy, consult your GP

Click below to read about the foods to avoid during pregnancy