Pregnant women No special diet is necessary at this time and an expectant mother should certainly not 'eat for two'. Care should be taken, however, to see that the diet is varied enough to provide all the essential nutrients for herself and the foetus. Morning sickness in the first 3 or 4 months may cause problems, but avoiding fatty foods and eating frequent starchy snacks to raise blood sugar levels may help. A supplement of iron and folic acid (a B group vitamin) is often prescribed, but such supplements should only be taken when prescribed, and only supplements especially formulated for pregnant women should be used. Alcohol intake should be severely limited, preferably cut out altogether.

Breastfeeding Mothers During lactation a woman's nutritional requirements are greater than in pregnancy. The ingredients and quality of the mother's milk depends largely on the mother's diet, so high quality protein, calcium, and iron are especially important. Altogether, approximately 500 additional Calories a day are needed (equivalent to an extra meal).

Convalescents People who are ill often lose their appetite, eat little food and lose weight during the period they are unwell. Once they begin to recover it is normal for the appetite to increase dramatically and the patient should be given sufficient food so that weight returns to normal. If the illness has been prolonged, muscles may be wasted. In this case, and also after injury or surgery, extra protein may be needed to rebuild body tissues. Increased metabolic rate increases the need for energy.

The elderly In an affluent society one of the most common nutritional problems in old people is obesity. As they become less active, the elderly need to eat less, but this makes it more important that what is eaten is nutritionally rich. A lack of variety may lead to deficiencies, particularly in vitamin C, iron and protein. Physical problems such as arthritis or lack of teeth may make preparing, handling and chewing certain nutritious foods such as oranges and potatoes difficult, leading to a reliance on refined, nutritionally poor convenience foods. Obesity is commoner, but malnutrition occurs among the elderly even in the developed countries, more often in mild forms resulting from nutrient deficiencies.

Go to Previous Page