Healthy eating in pregnancy

​​​​​Healthy Start Pregnancy Scheme

This scheme provides low-income pregnant women with vouchers for fresh fruit and vegetables. It aims to remove financial barriers and increase access to good nutrition. 

You can apply for the Healthy Start Pr​egnancy Scheme if you:

Healthy Start Scheme: food vouchers for pregna​nt women

Eating well during pregnancy

A healthy diet is vital in pregnancy. Eating healthily will help your baby to develop and grow.

You should eat a variety of different foods daily and try to get all your vitamins and minerals from the food you eat rather than supplements, however, you will need to take Folic Acid as a supplement to make sure you get everything you need.

The foods you should be including in your diet are:

• fruit and vegetables
• rice, grains and pulses
• dairy foods including hard cheese, yoghurt, milk or soya alternatives
• starchy foods like pasta, potatoes bread and cereals
• protein including beans, fish, eggs, meat (avoid liver), poultry and nuts
  

Eating for two

You'll definitely be hungrier in pregnancy but you don't need to "eat for two". Try to maintain a healthy balanced diet and include a wide range of healthy snacks to keep you going throughout the day. Some women prefer to eat several smaller meals throughout the day as their pregnancy progresses rather than three large meals.

Foods to avoid

There are some foods you should avoid in pregnancy as they may make you or your baby ill. These include:

• some soft cheeses
• raw or partially cooked eggs
• pate
• raw or undercooked meat
• cold cured meats
• liver
• game
• vitamin and fish oil supplements
• some fish and shellfish
• sushi (must be frozen first)
• caffeine
• herbal / green teas

You can find a full list of foods and extra information about foods to avoid in pregnancy on the NHS website.

Private water supply and pregnancy

It's not recommended to drink water from a private water supply if you're pregnant. This is because a private supply can be contaminated and these bacteria pose a risk to health.