Preeclampsia Dietitian and Nutritionist

Important information on preeclampsia by our registered dietitians:

What is Preeclampsia?

Preeclampsia describes a form of hypertension (high blood pressure) that develops during pregnancy.

While there are several risk factors for preeclampsia not solely related to diet and lifestyle habits, there is research to support that establishing healthy eating practices prior to and during pregnancy can help mitigate the risk of this complication.

Reducing the prevalence of preeclampsia serves a protective role in reducing the risk of morbidity and mortality in both mom and baby.

That said, dietitians can provide some guidance around preeclampsia.

A dietitian and nutritionist for preeclampsia can help in the following ways:

 

• Carefully analyze your current diet with preeclampsia in mind.
• When it comes to preventing preeclampsia, research suggests that adopting a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fibre can be protective.
• Diets that contain more refined carbohydrates, sodium and high-saturated fat foods tend to increase the risk of preeclampsia, along with excess gestational weight gain. In fact, even an extra few kilograms of weight gain has been studied to increase this risk.
• Along with fibre, calcium, vitamin D and probiotics have been shown to reduce preeclampsia prevalence as well. A dietitian can discuss this with you.
• Fluid retention is also a relevant part of preeclampsia development, so maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance is important too–something with which a dietitian and nutritionist for preeclampsia can help.
• Other pre-existing health conditions, such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes can increase the likelihood of developing preeclampsia, so it is also very important to ensure that these chronic conditions are well managed during pregnancy (and pre-pregnancy).
• For someone that has already developed preeclampsia and needs to focus on the management of it, many of the dietary modifications previously mentioned still offer benefits, along with modifications around sodium intake.
• Whether you are wanting to focus on prevention or management of preeclampsia, meeting with a registered dietitian (RD) can be valuable.
• A dietitian can help you determine what adjustments you may need to make to your diet while accounting for personal differences regarding family history, coexisting conditions, food preferences, weight history, and so on.
• A dietitian can also review whether any supplementation of calcium, vitamin D and/or probiotics is necessary.
• Receive follow-up sessions with a dietitian, if needed or desired.
• And more.