Nutritional intervention
fat-free milk, weight gain
COMPLICATIONS
The nutritional intervention for both groups occurred from enrolment to the end of pregnancy and included a minimum of six individual appointments with the nutritionist when individualised guidance was given according to the occurrence of maternal complications. To improve dietary adherence, the women from the DDG were given a portion of seeds (200 g), nuts (150 g) and fat-free milk (280 g) at each visit, while the women from the SDG received a portion of oats (250 g) and low-fat milk (1–2 %, 300 g). All the women were also given a 500 ml bottle of extra-virgin olive oil at their first appointment.In the preparation of the dietary plans, two methods of dietary guidance were used – the traditional method and the carbohydrate counting method – which the women themselves selected according to their preferenceThe total energy value of each diet was calculated individually to promote adequate gestational weight gain. The proportion of macronutrients was similar for the two groups, ranging from 45 to 55 % carbohydrates, 15 to 20 % proteins and 25 to 30 % lipidsAll the women with low calcium intake (<900 mg/d) were prescribed 500 mg calcium carbonate supplementation per day from the 20th gestational week onwards