When you're pregnant, the RDAs for most nutrients are higher. Scientists know that your diet can affect your baby's health — even before you become pregnant. For example, research shows that folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects including spina bifida during the earliest stages of fetal development. So it's important to get plenty of it before you become pregnant and during the early weeks of your pregnancy.
Doctors encourage women to take folic acid supplements before and throughout pregnancy especially for the first 28 days. Be sure to ask your doctor about folic acid if you're considering becoming pregnant.
Calcium is another important nutrient. Because your growing baby's calcium demands are high, you should increase your calcium consumption to prevent a loss of calcium from your own bones. Your doctor will also likely prescribe prenatal vitamins for you, which contain some extra calcium.
Your best food sources of calcium are milk and other dairy products. However, if you have lactose intolerance or dislike milk and milk products, ask your doctor about a calcium supplement. Signs of lactose intolerance include diarrhea, bloating, or gas after eating milk or milk products.
Taking a lactase capsule or pill or using lactose-free milk products may help. Other calcium-rich foods include sardines or salmon with bones, tofu, broccoli, spinach, and calcium-fortified juices and foods. Doctors don't usually recommend starting a strict vegan diet when you become pregnant. However, if you already follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, you can continue to do so during your pregnancy — but do it carefully. Be sure your doctor knows about your diet.
It's challenging to get the nutrition you need if you don't eat fish and chicken, or milk, cheese, or eggs. You'll likely need supplemental protein and may also need to take vitamin B12 and D supplements.
To ensure that you and your baby receive adequate nutrition, consult a registered dietitian for help with planning meals.
You've probably known women who craved specific foods during pregnancy, or perhaps you've had such cravings yourself. Some old theories held that a hunger for a particular type of food indicated that a woman's body lacked the nutrients that food contains. Although this turned out not to be so, it's still unclear why these urges occur. Some pregnant women crave chocolate, spicy foods, fruits, and comfort foods, such as mashed potatoes, cereals, and toasted white bread.
Other women crave non-food items, such as clay and cornstarch. Choline — which is contained mostly in the yolks, so be sure to include them — helps your baby's brain and spinal cord develop properly, and helps prevent certain birth defects. Combine eggs with whatever veggies and cheese you have on hand and you'll have the makings of a frittata.
Leftovers — if there are any — are perfect for breakfast the next day. Recipe: Frittata with chard, red onion, and feta.
Recipe : Ratatouille with baked eggs. 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. Salmon as well as herring, trout, anchovies, sardines, and shad is a low-mercury option for the 8 to 12 ounces of seafood pregnant women are encouraged to eat each week.
Find out more about eating fish safely during pregnancy. Recipe: Pan-seared salmon with lentils and leeks. Recipe: Roasted salmon BLTs with herbed mayo. Beans — including legumes like lentils, peas, and peanuts — are a good source of protein and an excellent source of iron , folate , potassium , and magnesium. They're all important when you're pregnant. Beans are also a great food for fiber, which can help prevent and relieve two common pregnancy discomforts: constipation and hemorrhoids.
Try tossing edamame cooked soybeans, which are also an excellent source of essential fatty acids in soups, salads, or stir-fries.
Or snack on roasted edamame. Recipe: Creamy white beans with sausage, broccolini, and bread crumbs extra easy, thanks to canned beans. Recipe: Tofu, broccoli, and sugar snap pea stir-fry. 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. This sweet veggie is also a very good source of vitamin C and manganese , and a good source of vitamin B6 which may help with morning sickness , potassium , and fiber especially if you keep the skin on.
Recipe: Curried chickpea and sweet potato turnovers. Recipe: Baked sweet potato fries not just for kids! Whole grains are high in fiber and nutrients, including B vitamins , iron , folic acid if fortified , magnesium , the antioxidant vitamin E, and the mineral selenium. They also contain phytonutrients, plant compounds that protect cells.
Trade white bread for whole grain, and sample different kinds of whole grains — from barley and buckwheat to oats and spelt — in your pregnancy diet. Recipe: Chicken soup with farro and shiitake mushrooms.
Recipe : Quinoa with shrimp, tomato, and avocado. Walnuts are one of the richest sources of plant-based omega-3s. They're also a good source of magnesium , fiber, and protein which you need more of now that you're pregnant.
Grab a handful of walnuts for an on-the-run snack, or toss some into a salad. Check out other nuts, like almonds and pistachios, and nut and seed butters, like tahini, for similar benefits. Recipe: Kale salad with dried fruit and toasted almonds. Video: How to make three perfect pregnancy meals. Greek yogurt typically has twice the protein of regular yogurt.
Plus, it's a great source of probiotics, B vitamins , phosphorus , and calcium. Calcium helps keep your own bones strong and helps your baby develop a healthy skeleton.
Yogurt is a versatile breakfast ingredient and a wonderful addition to savory dishes too. Drinking milk is another good way to get calcium every day.
Seafood such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, some types of tuna and tilefish are high in levels of methylmercury, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and should be avoided during pregnancy.
If a person eats high-mercury fish regularly, the mercury can accumulate in their bloodstream and, if pregnant, this mercury can be passed on to a woman's baby and damage their developing brain and nervous system, said the Mayo Clinic. Canned light tuna has less mercury than albacore "white" tuna and is safer to eat during pregnancy, according to a study published in in the journal Environ Res.
According to the USDA, pregnant women are at high risk of getting sick from two different types of food poisoning: listeriosis, caused by the Listeria bacteria , and toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite. Listeriosis is about 20 times more common in pregnant women than in the rest of the population, according to a study published in the journal Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The CDC says that Listeria infection may cause miscarriage, stillbirth, pre-term labor, and illness or death in newborns. A mother can pass a Toxoplasma infection on to her baby, which can cause problems such as blindness and mental disability later in life, the CDC reported.
Most women are asymptomatic , according to a study published in the journal Pathogens. To prevent toxoplasmosis, the USDA recommends avoiding the following foods during pregnancy:. Cats are also a source of Toxoplasma. Cats can contract the parasite by eating infected birds, rodents or other small animals, and then transmit the parasite through their feces.
Older cats are less likely to shed the parasite if they have been previously infected. While the CDC does not suggest that you should give away your cat, it recommends that you:. Some foods may increase a pregnant woman's risk for other types of food poisoning, including illness caused by Salmonella and E. It's hard to measure where pregnancy weight is going, she said, adding that a scale does not reveal whether the extra pounds are going to a woman's body fat, baby weight or fluid gains.
When it comes to pregnancy weight gain, Krieger advises mothers-to-be to look at the big picture: During regular prenatal checkups, focus on the fact that the baby is growing normally rather than worrying about the number on a scale.
The total number of calories that are needed per day during pregnancy depends on a woman's height, her weight before becoming pregnant, and how active she is on a daily basis. In general, underweight women need more calories during pregnancy; overweight and obese women need fewer of them. The Institute of Medicine IOM guidelines for total weight gain during a full-term pregnancy recommend that:. The IOM guidelines suggest that pregnant women gain between 1 and 4.
The guidelines recommend that women who are underweight or have normal weight gain, on average, about 1 pound every week during their second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and that women who are overweight or obese gain about half a pound g every week in their second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
When people say that a pregnant woman is "eating for two," it doesn't mean she needs to consume twice as much food or double her calories. For now, stick to the basics described below:. When you eat vegetables regularly, you are providing many benefits to your body. Some of the benefits of vegetables include:. You can also try to eat a variety of vegetables in any form raw, cooked, fresh, frozen, canned or dried and in a variety of colors, as they will provide different vitamins and minerals.
If canned, choose ones that are low in sodium content. Make sure to wash any vegetables thoroughly before eating, since you will be more susceptible to infections during pregnancy. Fill your plate with healthy proteins. Your prenatal nutrition must include whole grains like brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, cereals and oatmeal.
These will also ward off constipation and hemorrhoids, which are some of the common discomforts that you may experience during pregnancy. Some people will warn you against fruit consumption when you ask them about what not to eat during pregnancy. This is a myth. If canned, choose unsweetened. Be cautious in your preparation of fruit.
Rinsing your fruit is important since bacteria can be found on the outer rind or peel, which can cause illness or be harmful to you and baby. Cut off damaged or bruised spots to help remove any bacteria hiding out in these areas. It is worth noting that eating fruits should be done with care. Observing how your body reacts every time you have some will help. For example, if you have a spike in your blood sugar or notice abnormal weight gain , you should cut back.
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