13/07/2025
Staying healthy during pregnancy requires knowledge. Keep following Safe motherhood
FOODS IMPORTANT TO EAT BEFORE AND DURING PREGNANCY
Before and during conception, a baby is entirely dependent on their mother for good nutrition. This means that looking after yourself and eating well during this period will go a long way in giving your child the best start in life.
But with rising cost of food prices across NIGERIA, it's become even harder to eat healthy. Many women have told us they don’t know where to start, or what information to trust.
We spoke with nutrition and health experts at SAFEMOTHERHOOD to answer questions from mums-to-be and new mums on the best things to eat to have a healthy pregnancy.
“WHAT SHOULD I EAT WHEN TRYING TO CONCEIVE ?”
Before you get pregnant, it’s important to eat well to prepare your body for pregnancy — and increase your chances of a healthy pregnancy.
If you’re an unhealthy weight, it can get in the way of conceiving. When trying to get pregnant, it’s best to eat healthy and keep an active lifestyle.
Eat regular, wholesome, home-cooked meals (3 meals a day with a light snack in between) and 3 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
Focus on eating wholegrain foods (whole wheat flour chapati, whole wheat bread, brown rice and oats), foods that are rich in protein (eggs, fish, chicken, lentils and soya) and folate (green leafy vegetables). These can help improve your health.
Use double fortified salt - a type of table salt with added iron and iodine - when cooking.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are also good foods to eat when trying to get pregnant. These healthy, unsaturated fats can be found in safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds and chia seeds.
Lastly, as iron is important to your health during pregnancy, it’s recommended that women who are trying to get pregnant start taking Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) tablets. Speak to your health worker for more information on supplements.
“WHAT SHOULDN'T I EAT WHEN TRYING TO GET PREGNANT?"
Avoid ultra-processed foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar. These foods are not good for your health.
Limit the amount of trans-fat (bad fat) you’re eating. Trans-fat can be found in pastries, biscuits, cakes and chips.
Try to avoid food that contains lots of saturated fats and very high cholesterol. This includes butter, margarine, spreads, fatty meat, egg yolk and processed meat products like sausages. Avoid foods that can contain harmful bacteria like raw or undercooked animal products (meat, fish, eggs) and unpasteurized milk.
Try to avoid skipping breakfast, late meals and snacking on fatty foods. Reduce the amount of tea and coffee you drink. If you currently smoke, get support to help you quit.
“What should I eat when I’m pregnant?”
To grow a healthy baby, you need rest, a clean environment, pregnancy healthcare, and a healthy, nutritious diet.
When you’re pregnant, your body needs more nutrients than normal to support you and the growth of your baby.
If you don’t get enough nutritious food during your pregnancy, your baby could be born malnourished, which can have long term consequences for their health and development. Diets lacking in key nutrients – like iodine, iron, folate, calcium and zinc – can also lead to anaemia and pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia in mothers.
To give your baby the best start in the womb, we recommend you eat three home-cooked main meals a day, plus one or two nutritious snacks. There should be variety of food items in your diet to help you get all the nutrients you and your baby need.
We recommend that you eat at least one food item from all the listed food groups below every day with millet roti or rice:
Pulses:
Whole cereals
Pulses/Lentils
Meat and animal products:
Eggs
Fish
Chicken
Milk products:
Cottage cheese
Curd
Buttermilk
Fresh, dark green leafy vegetables:
Spinach
Fenugreek
Mustard
Yellow or orange pulpy fruits and vegetables:
Tomatoes
Pumpkin
Carrot
Mango
Citrus fruits:
Lemon
Apple
Guava
Orange
Banana
