“Don’t eat soft cheese”, “avoid sushi”, “try Keto to keep energy up but weight down”, “no cured meats”… Whether thinking about getting pregnant or carrying a baby, one thing’s for sure – the list of what you can’t eat comes thick and fast. Turning to Google is no help, with very little information from Australian professionals on what you can eat during pregnancy to ensure you and your little one have all nutrition needs met.

Annie Boxall, 26, knows this all too well. She’s 15 weeks pregnant with her first child, and is finding the food element of pregnancy overwhelming, with people telling her what to avoid, even when unsolicited. And she’s not alone.

New research from Elevit has found that only one quarter of current or aspiring mums are consuming the nutrition they need for a healthy pregnancy, with modern diets like intermittent fasting (done by 23% of survey respondents), keto (13%) or dairy-free (19%) being favoured over the health of baby*.

The 2023 Pregnancy Nutrition Survey found 1-in-3 women surveyed (32%) are going to start trying for a baby in the next 6-12 months and of these only 25% plan to follow a pre-conception/pregnancy nutrition diet*. Reasons for not doing so point to a gap in understanding of nutritional needs during such an exciting time in a mother’s life.

Paediatric Nutritionist, Mandy Sacher, has created a ‘Pre-conception and First 1000 Days’ Nutrition Pack to help new parents, wherever they are in their conception or pregnancy journey, ensure they are aware of the right foods for their needs. The pack includes a nutrition table detailing what nutrients you need and foods you can get them from, a bunch of nutrient-dense easy-to-make recipes (see Mandy’s overnight Bircher muesli recipe, below), and a meal planner template so you can take the guesswork out of meal prep.

“There are a range of micronutrients needed for critical developments of the fetus during those early weeks following conception – often before you’ve noticed the signs of pregnancy. We know that pregnancy can sometimes be an overwhelming time, especially when it comes to what you can and can’t eat. It can be information overload and at times difficult to access credible information for free,” Mandy says.

“I always encourage that we focus on foods to fill nutritional gaps. However, this is not always possible due to life demands, limited time and heightened nutritional needs at various times in life.

In these circumstances, we need to supplement with vitamins and minerals. General multivitamins certainly fill a need when managing nutrient deficiencies, however when it comes to preconception and pregnancy, there are additional nutrients required to support the developing baby’s needs for the best start in life and these are available from tailored pregnancy multivitamins.”

Recipe: Mandy Sacher’s Overnight Bircher Muesli

Dietary: Vegetarian, Egg Free
Allergens: Wheat, Dairy, Nuts
Mealtime: Breakfast
Difficulty level: Beginner
Serves: 2
Prep: 10 minutes (+7 hours refrigeration time)

Equipment
Blender

Ingredients

• 1 cup (120g) rolled oats
• 1 cup (250ml) milk of choice
• ¾ cup (120g) mixed nuts and seeds of choice, crushed in a blender
• 1 tbsp (15g) goji berries
• 1 medium-sized pear (120g), peeled and grated
• ½ cup (130g) natural yoghurt
• ½ tsp (1g) ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp (20ml) raw honey
• ¼ cup (40g) fresh or frozen berries

Instructions

1. Place oats, milk, nuts and seeds, goji berries and pear in a bowl and mix to combine with a wooden spoon.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 7 hours, or overnight.
3. Add yoghurt, cinnamon and honey and mix to combine.
4. Transfer to 2 bowls and serve with berries on top.
Serving and storing leftovers: Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Tips:

Allergies

• For a dairy-free version: Swap milk for almond, coconut, oat or soy milk and natural yoghurt for coconut yoghurt or any plant-based yoghurt of choice.
• For a gluten-free version: Swap oats for quinoa flakes.
• For a nut-free version: Swap nuts for seeds.

Easy ingredient swaps:

• Swap pear for apple.
• Swap goji berries for dried fruit of choice.
• Swap honey for maple syrup.

Additional boosters:

• Add pregnancy-friendly protein powder.

To download the free ‘Pre-conception and First 1000 Days’ Nutrition Pack, visit Elevit.

* ‘The 2023 Pregnancy Nutrition Survey by Elevit’. Survey of 1,000+ Australians aged 18-54. Commissioned by Elevit, executed by Researchify.

Tell us in the comments below: Did you know about the different nutrition requirements needed when trying for a baby?