Preparing Food During Pregnancy

You may think that you need read no further and know all about preparing food during pregnancy but how can you be sure that you are handling it correctly? Even the most wholesome ingredients need careful preparation if they are to retain their intrinsic nutritional goodness and flavor. Here are some simple guidelines for you to follow:

1. Always wash or scrub fruit and vegetables thoroughly to remove any traces of chemical sprays and dirt. Peel if necessary.

2. Don’t prepare vegetables in advance and leave them soaking for a long time in salted water. They will lose some nutrients.

3. Cut and prepare fruit and vegetables at the last possible moment before eating or cooking. Many start to oxidize and lose their vitamin C content as soon as they are exposed to the air.

4. Always wash oranges and citrus fruit really well if you intend to use the rind in cooking. Some fruit is dyed or waxed to improve its appearance and to make it appear more lustrous.

5. Use only dried fruits that have been sun-dried – not those sprayed with mineral oil to make them more glossy and attractive. The oil can rob you of the essential fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K.

6. Store vegetables in a cool, dark place to protect them against loss of nutrients.

7. If you wish to freeze fruit or vegetables, do so as quickly as possible after picking.

8. When cooking vegetables, steam them for preference. This helps guard against loss of nutrients; especially the water-soluble vitamins B and C which can him partially destroyed by boiling and are lost in the cooking liquid. A steamer is a good investment as the vegetables cook in the steam of the boiling water below without loss of nutrients.

9. If you do boil vegetables, use the minimum of water. Bring it to the boil before adding the vegetables and boil hard until tender but still slightly crisp. Do not overcook so that they become mushy. You can use the cooking liquid again for making soups, vegetable stocks and gravies.

10. Never, never add bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to the cooking water to preserve the bright green color. It destroys vitamin C as well as giving the food a slightly unpleasant flavor.

11. Always grill, bake or casserole meat rather than frying or roasting it with fat, which adds unnecessary calories and can be a contributory factor in heartburn later on in pregnancy. Speedy cooking methods such as grilling help retain valuable nutrients as well as saving you time.

12 Steam or bake fish in preference to frying for the reasons given above.

13 Make sure that all the food you buy is really fresh – the fresher it is, the higher it’s nutritional content and the better for you.

When you are pregnant or nursing your newborn baby for that matter, you will not have a lot of time or energy for cooking even though it is essential that

You must eat nutritious meals which inevitably involve some preparation. If you don’t want to spend hours slaving over a hot stove, you can make use of the range of available modern kitchen gadgets

To save time and prepare meals with the minimum of labor. When you are pregnant, a food processor, blender, mixer or freezer becomes a godsend.

Some models are more expensive than others and it is worth shopping around to discover which best suits your budget and your requirements. It is worth investing in a good blender or processor now as it will also be needed for pureeing baby food later on. A processor will take all the effort out of mincing, chopping, slicing, grinding, pureeing soups and vegetables, making cakes and bread, preparing pastry and crumble toppings. It is a very versatile kitchen aid and well worth having.

If you are still at work or kept busy with young pre-school children, then it makes sense to cook in batches and freeze some portions until needed. This is ideal for casseroles, pasta sauces, bread, cakes, stews, pies and flans. They can even be defrosted and reheated in a microwave oven if you are pushed for time. While not essential, a microwave can reduce the cooking time of many dishes drastically without any loss of flavor. There were doubts raised in the past about the safety of these ovens but any radiation leakage problems seem to have been ironed out and they are now safe to use.

The cooking method you favor is also important and can save time as well as nutrients. For example, grilling is fast but you do need to buy good cuts of meat – tender, lean steak, for example – rather than cheaper, tougher cuts which require longer, slower cooking to tenderize them. You can grill chicken, of course, and fish. Frying is fast but can add unwanted calories and fat, so make sure that you fry foods only in the minimum of oil, not lard or butter which are saturated fats. If you are feeling tired or nauseous, you don’t have to cook a big meal – a fresh salad, cheese and whole-grain bread, fruit or yoghurt are all nutritious foods and can make an excellent, quick meal.

It is important that you enjoy your food during pregnancy. You should never feel that you are making a sacrifice by cutting out processed convenience meals and eating in a healthier way. In fact, it is to be hoped that you will come to prefer this new diet and make it the pattern for the future.

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