Nancy Rudner Lugo: Your food, your baby

“You are what you eat,” a common refrain, also translates to “your baby is what you eat, too.” Mom’s healthy eating for growing a strong, healthy baby starts before conception and continues through breastfeeding. The healthier you are before getting pregnant, the more likely you are to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Balanced meals with a variety of fruits and vegetables of many colors, mixed with lean protein sources and whole grains are a great formula for good health. Whole grains with plenty of fruits and vegetables can give your body and your growing baby the nutrients for good health. Find new ways to add vegetables to your meals. Switch to veggie pizzas. Add an extra tomato slice to your sandwich.

Of course, avoid alcohol and tobacco before and after having a baby. We don’t know what a safe level of alcohol might be, so it is best to avoid all beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks. And the damage of prenatal smoking and second-hand smoke is well known. Don’t do it to yourself or your baby. If you smoke, call the Florida Tobacco Free Help Line at 877-UCANNOW for help.

Look for these nutrients:

Folate, a Vitamin B, prevents birth defects affecting the brain and spinal cord, such as spina bifida. Prior to and during pregnancy, try to have plenty of foods with folate. Folate is found in leafy green vegetables, beans, citrus, prenatal vitamins and foods fortified with folic acid.

Calcium is a critical building block for bones and teeth, and a great source of Vitamin D. Aim for at least three cups a day of low-fat milk, yogurt or cheeses. If you and milk don’t get along, try calcium-fortified soymilk and juices.

Iron is used to make red blood cells. Iron-deficiency anemia (red blood cells that are too small and too light) can be avoided with dark leafy vegetables. Popeye got his strength from spinach (a dark leafy vegetable) precisely because it prevented anemia. Popeye’s mother also ate spinach when she was pregnant.

Lean protein helps the baby’s growth. Look for lean cuts of meats and don’t underestimate the power of beans and soy cooked with good flavoring — the secret’s in the sauce.

Water is a basic building block of life. Especially in the warm weather, aim to drink 10 glasses of water, juice or other fluids a day. Avoid sodas as much as possible. They provide no nutrition and give you either calories or artificial sweeteners.

Avoid risky foods

Eating fish is a mixed bag. Fish provide protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for brain development. But with so much contamination in our planet’s waters, fish can have enough mercury to hurt a baby’s nervous system development. Avoid the fish likely to have more mercury: swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish. Aim for no more than two fish meals a week, with a lower mercury seafood such as shrimp, crab, salmon, catfish, cod, tilapia or canned tuna.

Stick to well-cooked foods. Raw or undercooked fish, meat, poultry or eggs can carry harmful bacteria and viruses. When you are pregnant, your immune system is not as strong so you need to avoid infection risks. Raw oysters may be the food of love, but not of pregnancy. Raw fish sushi, undercooked chicken, turkey or eggs can make you sick, too. Eggs over easy may not go over easy with your health. Pasteurized dairy products are also a safer way to go than unpasteurized.

Breastfeeding

When breastfeeding your precious baby, continue to eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water so your body can make healthy milk. Know that anything that can cause gas or heart burn in you is doubly likely to upset a newborn stomach. A great night out at Taco Tuesday may mean staying up late Tuesday night with an unhappy baby.

Maitland resident Nancy Rudner Lugo is a nurse practitioner and president of Health Action, offering workplace health consulting and nurse coaching. Visit www.healthaction.biz