It is essential that you consume Omega-3 fatty acids during your pregnancy as it is crucial for brain and retina development in your unborn baby. It’s particularly important that you eat foods with Omega-3 as our bodies cannot make it on their own – in short, we can only ingest it.

The data has shown that children whose mothers did not consume Omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy were more likely to have poor motor, social, and communication skills. They also showed behavioural problems at about seven years old.

There are many food items that contain Omega-3 fatty acids, the most well-known being seafood and fish. However, there are some concerns regarding the mercury level in seafood. Mercury, when taken in large amounts, can result in many health issues such as impaired infant development.

To avoid possible mercury poisoning, these are the seafood to eat and which to avoid:

Safe to consume: shrimp, salmon, pollock, catfish, scallops, sardines, and small amounts of tuna

Avoid: king mackerel, swordfish, and tile fish

Are you eating enough meat proteins during your pregnancy? Well, maybe you are eating too much.

Animal studies have shown that both can result in low infant birth weights. In fact, with every three per cent increase in meat protein consumed, it was found that birth weights saw an increase of 20.6 grams. The consumption of dairy protein results in a similar trend of an 18.2 grams increase with every three per cent more dairy protein consumed.

Both types of protein help to minimise the risk of low birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation, which refers to your baby growing slower than expected for the pregnancy stage.

Foods high in protein include chicken breast, eggs, plain non-fat yoghurt, and lentils.

Consuming calcium during pregnancy is not just good for the baby, but for you as well.

This study found that the bone mineral content of children was higher when their mothers ingested calcium during the pregnancy as compared to children whose mothers didn’t.

On this note, the same study found that if mothers don’t consume enough calcium, it could result in increased bone turnover during pregnancy. This refers to your body literally stealing the calcium from your bones to give it to your child so they can develop properly.

Calcium has also been noted to help reduce the risk of preterm birth.

Foods containing calcium include milk, cereals, tofu, and vegetables.

When you lack iron in your pregnancy diet, it can result in risks of heart and blood vessel diseases in your child during their adulthood. It can also cause iron deficiency anaemia in both you and your child, which is linked to increased infant death. It is also reported to cause cognitive impairment and behavioural difficulties in mothers post-partum.

Foods containing iron include red meat, beans, and dark-green leafy vegetables.

Iodine is essential for the production of thyroid hormones (responsible for turning food into energy) and normal human development. When you lack iodine in your diets, it can increase the risk of birth defects, neurological disorders, pregnancy loss, and brain damage in your child. Luckily for us, though, iodine can be found in most foods already in our normal diet.

Foods containing iodine include fish, shellfish, fruits, vegetables, and meat.

As shown in this study, Vitamin D consumption during your pregnancy can affect the measures of fetal size, body composition, and asthma later in your baby’s life. However, that’s not all. It can also affect you as well.

Vitamin D deficiency has been found to be associated with gestational hypertension (high blood pressure during pregnancy) which can cause your baby to receive less oxygen and nutrients. It was found to also cause preeclampsia, which is a complication in a pregnancy that can include kidney damage. Preeclampsia can lead to hypertension, result in proteinuria (high levels of protein in the urine), and abnormal liver function in you.

Foods containing Vitamin D include cod liver oil and fish.

A version of this story first appeared in Young Parents.

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