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What foods should you eat if you're pregnant?
Should I eat a healthy diet during pregnancy?
What nutrients should a pregnant woman eat?
What is a healthy pregnancy meal plan?
Why should you eat a healthy meal plan during pregnancy?
Find out how to eat a healthy diet in pregnancy, including plenty of fruit and vegetables, and cutting down on sugar and saturated fat.
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- Foods to Avoid in Pregnancy
- Eggs. Eggs are a great source of protein, a crucial part of your pregnancy diet. The amino acids that make up protein are the building blocks of the cells in your body – and your baby's.
- Salmon. Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial for your baby's brain development and may even boost your mood. Salmon is an exceptionally good source. Salmon also provides protein and vitamin D, which your baby needs for healthy bones and teeth.
- Beans. Beans – including legumes like lentils, peas, and peanuts – are a good source of protein and an excellent source of iron, folate, potassium, and magnesium.
- Sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes get their orange color from carotenoids, plant pigments that are converted to vitamin A in our bodies. Your baby needs vitamin A for healthy bones, lungs, eyes, and skin development.
- Overview
- 1. Dairy products
- 2. Legumes
- 3. Sweet potatoes
- 4. Salmon
- 5. Eggs
- 6. Broccoli and dark, leafy greens
- 7. Lean meat and proteins
- 8. Berries
- 9. Whole grains
While you’re pregnant, you’ll want to eat extra protein, calcium, iron, and essential vitamins. You can get these by eating a wide variety of lean meat, seafood, whole grains, and plant-based foods.
When building your healthy eating plan, you’ll want to focus on whole foods that give you higher amounts of the good stuff you’d need when not pregnant, such as:
•protein
•vitamins and minerals
•healthy types of fat
•complex carbohydrates
During pregnancy, you’ll need extra protein and calcium to meet your baby’s needs. Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt are good choices.
Dairy products contain two types of high-quality protein: casein and whey. Dairy is the best dietary source of calcium. It also provides phosphorus, B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc.
Yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, may be especially beneficial. Some varieties also contain probiotic bacteria, which support digestive health.
If you’re lactose intolerant, you may also be able to tolerate yogurt, especially probiotic yogurt. Check with your doctor to see if you can test it out. A whole world of yogurt smoothies, parfaits, and lassi could be waiting.
These include lentils, peas, beans, chickpeas, soybeans, and peanuts.
Legumes are great plant-based sources of fiber, protein, iron, folate, and calcium — all of which your body needs more of during pregnancy.
Folate is one of the most essential B vitamins (B9). It’s very important for you and your baby, especially during the first trimester, and even before.
You’ll need at least 600 micrograms (mcg) of folate every day, which can be a challenge to achieve with foods alone. But legumes can boost your folate levels along with supplementation based on your doctor’s recommendation.
Sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene, a plant compound that your body converts to vitamin A.
Vitamin A is essential for a baby’s development. However, too much vitamin A, from animal products — such as organ meats — can cause toxicity.
Sweet potatoes are a good plant-based source of beta-carotene and fiber. Fiber keeps you full longer, reduces blood sugar spikes, and improves digestive health, which can help reduce the risk of pregnancy constipation.
Try sweet potatoes at breakfast time as a base for your morning avocado toast.
Smoked on a whole wheat bagel, teriyaki grilled, or served with pesto, salmon is a welcome addition to this list. Salmon is rich in essential omega-3 fatty acids, which have a host of benefits.
Omega-3s are present in seafood. They help build the brain and eyes of your baby and may help increase gestational length.
While it’s best to avoid some seafoods during pregnancy, due to mercury and other contaminants, salmon, sardines, and anchovies are safe to eat.
However, it’s worth checking where it was fished from, especially if it was locally caught. It’s also best to opt for fresh salmon, as smoked seafood can carry a risk of listeria.
Here are the high mercury fish to avoid:
•swordfish
Eggs are a healthy food, as they contain a little of almost every nutrient you need. A large egg contains about 71 calories, 3.6 g of protein, fat, and many vitamins and minerals.
Eggs are a great source of choline, a vital nutrient during pregnancy. It’s important in a baby’s brain development and helps prevent developmental abnormalities of the brain and spine.
A single whole egg contains roughly 147 milligrams (mg) of choline, which will get you closer to the current recommended choline intake of 450 mg per day while pregnant, though more studies are under way to determine if that is enough.
Here are some of the healthiest ways to cook eggs. Try them in spinach feta wraps or a chickpea scramble.
Broccoli and dark, green vegetables, such as kale and spinach, have many of the nutrients you’ll need. If you don’t like the flavors, you can disguise them by adding them to soups, pasta sauces, and more.
Benefits include fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, calcium, iron, folate, and potassium. Their fiber content can also help prevent constipation.
Vegetables have also been linked to a reduced risk of low birth weight.
Try this kale eggs Florentine recipe or blend some spinach into a green smoothie, and you won’t even know it’s in there.
Lean beef, pork, and chicken are excellent sources of high-quality protein. Beef and pork are also rich in iron, choline, and other B vitamins — all of which you’ll need in higher amounts during pregnancy.
Iron is an essential mineral used by red blood cells as a part of hemoglobin. You’ll need more iron since your blood volume is increasing, and especially during your third trimester.
Low levels of iron during early and mid-pregnancy may cause iron deficiency anemia, which increases the risk of low birth weight and other complications.
It can be hard to cover your iron needs with meals alone, especially if you develop an aversion to meat or follow a plant-based diet. However, for those who can, lean red meat may help increase the amount of iron you’re getting from food.
Pro tip: Pairing foods that are rich in vitamin C, such as oranges or bell peppers, along with iron-rich foods may also help increase iron absorption.
Toss some vitamin C-rich tomato slices on that turkey burger or whip up this steak and mango salad.
Berries provide water, healthy carbs, vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. They also have a relatively low glycemic index value, so they should not cause significant spikes in blood sugar.
Berries are a great snack, as they contain both water and fiber. They provide a lot of flavor and nutrition but with relatively few calories.
Unlike their refined counterparts, whole grains are packed with fiber, vitamins, and plant compounds. Think oats, quinoa, brown rice, wheat berries, and barley instead of white bread, pasta, and white rice.
Some whole grains, like oats and quinoa, also contain a fair amount of protein, as well as B vitamins, fiber, and magnesium.
Healthy eating in pregnancy. Eating a healthy, nutritious diet is especially important if you're pregnant or planning to be. Your baby relies on you to provide the right balance of nutrients to help them grow and develop properly (even after they're born).
Foods to eat during pregnancy. With a few exceptions, pregnant women should follow the same healthy and varied diet that’s recommended to everyone. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables,...
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Jul 9, 2020 · Good nutrition during pregnancy can help ensure that your baby gets the best start possible. The meal plan is a balanced one that provides lots of: protein. complex carbohydrates. healthy...
If You're Pregnant Or Trying To Become Pregnant, Then Consider Taking A Prenatal Vitamin. Save 25% Off Your First Order on NatureMade.com. Shop Now.
