Benefits of fruit during pregnancy
Pregnancy |Benefits of Fruit During Pregnancy
Pregnant or not, eating a balanced diet is always essential for feeling your best. When you’ve got a little one on the way, of course, you not only want to maintain optimal health for yourself (pregnancy certainly has its ups and downs) – but it is imperative that you serve the most beneficial menu that you can to your unborn baby.
Thankfully, this doesn’t mean drastically switching up your diet or buying in heaps of expensive ‘superfoods’. Rather, your standard fruit bowl provides some of the most essential vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal foetal development. What’s more, they’re delicious and good for mum, too! (For anyone who has been craving fruits during pregnancy already, well done!)
But what fruits can you eat during pregnancy? Take a look below for all you need to know.
How much fruit should I be eating a day when pregnant?
The general rule of thumb is to aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and veg every day. It might sound like a lot at first, but a bowl of muesli with blueberries or a bowl of porridge with chopped strawberries and banana sees you almost halfway there before lunchtime!
Fruit also makes a fantastic vitamin-and-mineral-packed snack and is ideal for tackling sugar cravings in-between meals. It’s even better when you mix up your servings too: an apple with peanut butter or berries with natural yogurt are just two quick and easy examples of fruits to eat during pregnancy.
How much is a portion of fruit or veg?
A portion counts as anything from fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced. As such, sultanas, canned pineapple rings, dried apricots, and frozen blueberries are just as good as, say, an orange, for staying healthy during pregnancy. Plus, they will last for ages in your kitchen cupboard or freezer, so you don’t need to stress about using them up right away.
Juice is a little bit different; only a small 150ml glass counts towards your five a day. This is because juicing releases the sugars (fructose) from the fruit and strips away any insoluble fibre. As such, juice can only be counted once towards your daily fruit and veg target and should ideally be consumed with food (as this helps to reduce the risk of tooth decay).
And it’s not just juice: portion sizes vary depending on the food you’re consuming pretty much across the board. Your recommended amount of, say, grapefruit, will differ widely from grapes, for instance. Of course, this can be greatly confusing when you’re trying to follow a healthy pregnancy diet, so it’s always useful to have a basic guide of fruit portion sizes on hand for when you do want to meet those 5-a-day goals.
Below are just some of the guidelines for good fruits to eat during pregnancy, and their portion amounts.
One portion of fruit is the equivalent of…
• 150ml glass of fruit juice or smoothie
• Half a grapefruit
• One slice of melon
• One apple, pear, small banana, nectarine, or peach
• 30g dried fruit. This could be two dried figs, three dried prunes or apricots, or one tablespoon raisins, sultanas, or mixed fruit
• Two tinned pineapple rings, in fruit juice rather than syrup
• Two slices of mango
• Two plums, satsumas, or kiwi fruits
• Two heaped tablespoons of frozen berries
• Eight strawberries
• Twelve grapes
• Fourteen cherries
Knowing your portion sizes is essential for understanding if you are eating too much or too little fruit in pregnancy. Too much dried fruit, for instance, can raise blood sugar, causing a risk to women with gestational diabetes (a common issue during pregnancy), so it’s wise to keep an eye on your intake.
You’ll also want to take care of consuming fruit products that have added sugar or salt and remember to always give fruit a good wash before consuming to remove all traces of soil.
Still think 5 portions of fruit and veg a day in pregnancy sounds like a lot? A good way to ease yourself towards your daily count is to mix up your fruit and vegetables; varying the colours helps to get a wide range of vitamins and minerals into your pregnancy diet.
Want more help and support during your pregnancy? There is no better space than our HiPP BabyClub. Along with a monthly newsletter to help you grow your knowledge along with your baby, we also offer exclusive giveaways and discounts on HiPP baby products. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Join BabyClub today to become a member!
