MENAGE A TROIS (A Household of Three)
As a man, I may be occasionally insensitive to female needs, but never as a chef. As both, I have often wondered why pregnant women have cravings for extraordinary things like petrol fumes, gherkins and chalk. It would be wonderful if could, in this book, develop those odd cravings into longings for the very best of foods!
Preconceptual care is now a whole nutritional specialty for hopeful mamans, but men also have a nutritional role to play when trying to conceive. Our old friend Casanova was quite right about the aphrodisiac the oyster – Zinc – rich foods are said to be excellent for sperm production. In Denmark, organic farmers consuming their own produce had twice the sperm count of men eating commercially grown products. So practising an organic lifestyle could be a real act of love towards your imminent new family.
Good food is vital, both preconceptually and during pregnancy. Once pregnant, a new maman should eat five portions of well-washed fruit and vegetables a day. She should eat plenty of calcium-rich food such as milk, yoghurt and cheese; soft-boned fish such as tinned salmon and sardines are also a good source of calcium. Oily fish like sardines are high in essential fatty acids, protecting against heart disease (and may help to prevent stretch marks). Maman will benefit from lot of Superfoods and minerals (see appendices). Iron, folic acid (which prevents birth defects such as spina bifida) and iodine are essential (fish and kelp are excellent sources of the latter). Avoid soft cheese because of the risk of listeriosis; raw eggs could be a problem too because of the risk of salmonella. Do not drink alcohol during pregnancy: babies could be born underweight. And never smoke.
Prospective mothers should demand to be spoiled. If his cooking is so awful that he can’t manage the simple recipes in this book, get him to bring you to Le Manoir instead!
