Podcast 60: Good Nutrition Before, During & After Pregnancy

by The Meal Makeover Moms on June 16th, 2009

Expect the BestA lot of the conventional advice about what to eat before, during and after pregnancy has changed since we had kids.  For the latest, greatest diet recommendations, we turned to Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD, author of the new book, Expect the Best.  In this week’s Cooking with the Moms’ podcast, she shared a lot of surprising information.

For example, did you know …
> When couples are trying to get pregnant, dads-to-be should take a daily multivitamin.  The reason is that men need folic acid, vitamin C, and zinc for healthy sperm formation.

> Pregnant women, on average, consume about 54 milligrams of DHA omega-3 fat per day though their needs are much higher at 200 to 300 milligrams.  To put that recommendation into perspective, consider that a 3-ounce serving of salmon has 740 milligrams.

> Nursing women need more choline than pregnant women.  Choline, found in eggs, beef, soy and wheat germ is critical for normal infant brain development.

Elizabeth also served up one of her favorite recipes from the book:

Salmon Burgers
Makes 2 Servings

  • One 6½-ounce can boneless, skinless pink salmon
  • 2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • ½ tablespoon finely chopped shallots
  • 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 2 whole whole-grain sandwich buns
  • Sliced tomato (optional)
  • Lettuce (optional)

1. Place the salmon in a medium mixing bowl and flake it up with a fork.  Add the bread crumbs, egg, shallots, bell pepper, and dill and stir to combine. Form the mixture into 2 burgers.

2. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook about 4 minutes on each side. Serve on the sandwich buns.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 503 calories, 21g fat (4g saturated), 625mg sodium, 41g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 35g protein

liz-ward-with-the-moms-after-podcastingThis podcast is chock full of great information, so we hope you’ll tune in.  And be sure to check out Elizabeth’s website, Expect the Best Pregnancy, which offers terrific advice.  She’ll even personally answer your questions on everything from food cravings to exercise recommendations.   And if you want to read up on the latest pregnancy weight gain guidelines recently issued by the Institute of Medicine, you can read an article Elizabeth wrote for Web MD.

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Comment | Filed Under Podcast, Seafood 

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