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.

yes this popcorn is a bit lumpy

Don't mean to throw the cats amongst the pigeons but to all those who asked questions about nutrition: Annabel Karmel is, as far as I'm aware, a food writer not a nutritionist or a dietician.

She's can give you great recipe ideas but not advice on what to eat.

Hi Annabel,

When I'm pregnant I crave junk food, especially chips, coke, pizza and chocolate.

When I'm not pregnant I eat healthily and don't buy/crave/eat junk. I don't have to resist it, I just don't want it. So I assume my body is telling me something about needing more calories/fat when pregnant.

Any ideas for healthy-ish recipes that will satisfy a craving for junk?

Whenhens I think that's why a fair few of us have asked qualifications. Being a good chef is an entirely different prospect to being a qualified dietician.

Bronze, ditto.

I am also interested in what qualifications you have.

Not at all surprised to see it's a Q and A rather than a live webchat

Hello Annabel, I would love to know who your hairdresser is I'm not familiar with your books because I gave my children normal food, sorry.

Annabel in addition to wondering what your qualifications are, what does your book tell pregnant women that the NHS guidance doesn't (what to avoid, how to combat morning sickness etc)?

Annabel,are you mad coming on here?

i assume Annabel has written the book in conjunction with a state registered dietitian , this is what Antony Worrall Thompson does with his books on diabetes and low fat cooking.

I fed my daughter a very wide range of different foods throughout her first 3 years, as did my SIL with her children- her son used to munch on raw broccoli ! However at some point between 3-4 years my daughter and her kids became increasingly fussy (as is normal at that age when new foods become hard to introduce). Any tips on what to do when children start refusing foods they have previously liked?

also!! I'm pregnant. I have to follow a low fibre diet due to my IBS- i have seen a state registered dietician in the past and reducing my very high fibre diet has helped immensely. Advice for healthy eating especially when you're pregnant is always about eating a high fibre diet which i can't do. I have gradually upped my fibre intake from the initial very low hospital plan to one that i can tolerate without getting symptoms and i try to get my fibre intake from fruit and veg rather than brown rice and wholemeal pasta/bread but what else would you suggest i eat? salads are mostly lowish fibre and i sprinkle linseeds on my cornflakes to help prevent constipation. I feel there is little support for women who cannot follow standard nutritional advice.

I doubt this is covered in your book because it isn't generally known about but when i visited the hospital the dietician said the first step is they look at your food diary and from that either recommend a low fibre diet or a high fibre diet, she says that is where they always start before they look at food intolerance and elimination diets.

Wow, what a nest of vipers.

Annabel, I liked your weaning book. Unlike others, it seems, I was not born with a natural instinct for weaning and didn't have a clue what foods would be best for my baby. I loved many of your recipes and still refer to it regularly. Everyone I know has a copy and I fail to see that you are doing any more harm to people's natural cooking instincts than Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Oliver.

I didn't look to you for health advice but for good recipes and I got them.

Sorry in advance for the abuse you will get - just playground bullying but more cowardly.

I am suitably ashamed about my comment and I apologise.

Lurking

What is your nutritional advice to optimise health when trying to get PG. Apart from the obvious 5 a day etc please.

I second what puffpants said, your book gets practically daily use here!

in my experience many children like mud and earth worms, do you have any recipes for this?

I'm that Fat mum to be you were talking about but no one will take me seriously any advice ?

Update: your book 100 finger foods has arrived, and reading it I'm shocked at the amount of fried food in it. A lot of the recipes don't seem healthy for babies and toddlers - Nachos as a meal?!

And a question - do you think hiding vegetables makes children more likely to make good eating choices for life?