The nutritional value of a fish finger sandwich

It's 5.45am and I've been up since 2.30am (yawn!)

I'm 24 weeks pregnant (yey, for being viable!) and this seems to happen to me twice a week...for reasons that seem to be a mixture of constipation, cravings and a busy mind.

Whilst I can entertain myself a little by chatting with friends online in the UK and catching up on other yummy mums blogs, I am also sweating my bump off because I'm scared that the aircon will make my hubby, so I'm sitting with two cats sprawled over me, a laptop that is burning up and a baby radiator inside me. I decided to console myself with a fish finger sandwich, although I'm certain it is not helping the constipation situation. But then I felt guilty about the nutritional value of my late night cravings. So in an effort to ease my guilt, and maybe send myself to sleep, I decided to get googling.

Hmmmm, the first thing I came across was this website www.eatdrinklivewell.com/can-fish-fingers-be-healthy it wasn't looking promising...

I am a avid user of excel spreadsheets and cue another reason to design one - a quick(ish) tool to calculate the nutritional value of my late night binges...geek heaven! (and was sure to send me to sleep eventually). See my spreadsheet below but in summary:

• A fish finger sandwich will give you some important vitamins like vitamin K, Thiamin, Folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin A
• It will also give you a large helping of your daily Manganese mineral requirements
• It will also give you a decent helping of your Selenium
• However it has also account for a third of my sodium intake (so no salt & vinegar crisps for me later!)

At this point I admit that I fell asleep...but I came back to my laptop to answer some important questions and found that:

Is Vitamin K important during during pregnancy?

As well as being needed for healthy bone development and protein formation in the liver, vitamin K plays a key role in blood clotting, enabling wounds to heal properly. This is particularly important during labour and just after you’ve given birth, when your body is recovering and starting to heal. Sufficient levels of vitamin K are also crucial for your baby immediately after birth and, while vitamin K deficiency in babies is very rare, it can lead to a condition that increases their risk of bleeding too much.Source: www.aptaclub.co.uk

Is Thiamin important during during pregnancy?

Thiamin (also known as thiamine or vitamin B1) enables you – and your baby – to convert carbohydrates into energy. It also helps your nervous system, muscles, and heart function normally and is essential for your baby's brain development.Source: www.babycenter.com

Is Folate important during during pregnancy?

Folic acid/Folate helps prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) – serious birth defects of the spinal cord (such as spina bifida) and the brain (such as anencephaly).Source: www.babycenter.com

Is Vitamin B12 important during during pregnancy?

If you're pregnant, not having enough vitamin B12 can increase the risk of your baby developing a serious birth defect known as a neural tube defect.Source: www.nhs.uk

Is Vitamin A important during pregnancy?

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that's stored in the liver. Vitamin A is important for your baby's embryonic growth, including the development of the heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes, and bones as well as the circulatory, respiratory, and central nervous systems. Vitamin A is particularly essential for women who are about to give birth because it helps with postpartum tissue repair. It also helps maintain normal vision, fights infections, supports your immune system, and helps with fat metabolism.Source: www.babycenter.com

Is Manganese important during during pregnancy?

Manganese is a mineral that helps form bone and cartilage. It also helps protect cells from damage and activates the enzymes that play a role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids, and cholesterol.Source: www.babycenter.com 

Is Selenium important during pregnancy?

Selenium has also been studied for the treatment of dozens of conditions. They range from asthma to arthritis to dandruff to infertility. However, the results have been inconclusive. Source: www.webmd.com

For a great resource and summary of nutritional health and B Vitamins in particular refer to www.healthline.com

In conclusion, I say enjoy your fish finger sandwiches ladies!