Q&A with food writer Annabel Karmel about nutrition during pregnancy- ANSWERS BACK

[RachelMumsnet]

Annabel Karmel is a food journalist and author of the bestselling New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner, which has become the baby food 'bible' since it was first published in 1991.

Her latest book, Eating For Two, covers nutrition during pregnancy. It looks at the best foods to eat to promote conception, suggests ideas for avoiding morning sickness and the best foods to combat sleeplessness and heartburn later on in pregnancy.

Eating for Two guides expectant mothers throughout each stage of pregnancy with recipes and offers tips and advice and what to avoid.

Post your questions to Annabel before the end of Monday 18 June and we'll be linking to her answers, along with some of the recipes from her book on 28 June.

Hi Annabel,

I would be very interested in a book that looks specifically at a vegetarian diet as there are lots of us here on MN and many women who eat very little meat.
Please advise if you have written a book that would cover this only.

Many thanks
Vicki

Ooh lurking

I have food intolerances - gluten, dairy, eggs and also several types of meat and veg. How can I ensure that this does not affect my growing baby?

Hi Annabel
I didn't manage a very varied diet when I was pregnant due to multiple food aversions. How would you overcome this problem, given the suggestion that what we eat during pregnancy is important for our baby's food preferences later on?
Thanks.

Are you going to be bringing out a range of not really very healthy ready meals for pregnant women?

Another veggie here - in the first few months of pregnancy I really went off pulses, seeds and nuts and now I'm concerned the baby didn't get enough protein. Am I worrying over nothing?

annabel
i have found it very difficult to eat well whilst suffering from morning sickness. are there any recommendations you have for a healthy diet during this time

Hi Annabel what are your nutrition qualifications?

Hi Annabel,

I had post natal depression with my 1st child and felt extremely fatigued & low during my 2nd pregnancy. Thankfully as soon as my 2nd child was born I felt much better and all has been good since. Do you have any advice on diet & combatting pregnancy fatigue/low moods? Thanks.

Just echoing others requests. A book on vegetarian food please.

Hi Annabel,
can you say where you have got your information from re: the advice you give in your book as you are not a dietician? Thanks

Do you agree with baby-led weaning approaches? I think they are more modern and your prescriptive approach is outdated. Now that parents wait until 6 months to begin weaning, purees are an unnecessary step IMO.

I have ordered your 100 finger foods though and look forward to trying some of them with 6mo DS.

Hi Annabel,

I'd also be interested in your qualifications?

And have you reduced the salt content in your baby frozen meals that was coming in at higher levels then some of the supermarket adult range equivalents?

Watching with great interest!

Another lurker

I would like to know why she aligns herself with Clare Byam-Cook who famously likened breast milk to cola.

This looks like it will be an interesting one

I am thinking this might go the way the Sheherazade Goldsmith webchat went...

Hi Annabel

I have a highly stresful job, where I found no matter what I eat I suffer from serious fatigue. With my first DD I wasn't in a stressful job but did find I was constantly exhausted.

We're currently considering our second child, what advice can you give to mums who have to work through all of their pregnancy in high stress jobs, on how to maintain the best diet not only for their baby, but also the added stress and fatigue that pregnancy puts on a mums body?

Peanut advice varied considerably from my first to second pregnancies.

How do you deal with changing advice (on a variety of nutritional needs) in your books, which once published will be kinda permanent?

I used one of your weaning books in 2005 where you recommended weaning at 6 months.

Then you changed recently to weaning at 4 months.

Why did you change when the NHS advice hasn't?