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EatingDuringPregnancy

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EatingDuringPregnancy
Eatingwellduringpregnancyismorethansimplyincreasinghowmuchyoueat.Youmust
alsoconsiderwhatyoueat.
Althoughyouneedabout300extracaloriesadayespeciallylaterinyourpregnancy,
whenyourbabygrowsquicklythosecaloriesshouldcomefromnutritiousfoodssothey
cancontributetoyourbaby'sgrowthanddevelopment.
EatingWellWhenYou'rePregnant
Doyouwonderhowit'sreasonabletogain25to35pounds(onaverage)duringyour
pregnancywhenanewbornbabyweighsonlyafractionofthat?Althoughitvariesfrom
womantowoman,thisishowthosepoundsmayaddup:
7.5pounds:averagebaby'sweight
7pounds:extrastoredprotein,fat,andothernutrients
4pounds:extrablood
4pounds:otherextrabodyfluids
2pounds:breastenlargement
2pounds:enlargementofyouruterus
2pounds:amnioticfluidsurroundingyourbaby
1.5pounds:theplacenta
Ofcourse,patternsofweightgainduringpregnancyvary.It'snormaltogainlessifyou
startoutheavierandmoreifyou'rehavingtwinsortripletsorifyouwereunderweight
beforebecomingpregnant.Moreimportantthanhowmuchweightyougainiswhatmakes
upthoseextrapounds.
Whenyou'repregnant,whatyoueatanddrinkisthemainsourceofnourishmentforyour
baby.Infact,thelinkbetweenwhatyouconsumeandthehealthofyourbabyismuch
strongerthanoncethought.That'swhydoctorsnowsay,forexample,thatnoamountof
alcoholconsumptionshouldbeconsideredsafeduringpregnancy.
Theextrafoodyoueatshouldn'tjustbeemptycaloriesitshouldprovidethenutrients
yourgrowingbabyneeds.Forexample,calciumhelpsmakeandkeepbonesandteeth
strong.Whileyou'repregnant,youstillneedcalciumforyourbody,plusextracalciumfor
yourdevelopingbaby.Similarly,yourequiremoreofalltheessentialnutrientsthanyoudid
beforeyoubecamepregnant.
NutritionforExpectantMoms
Ahealthydietincludesproteins,carbohydrates,fats,vitamins,minerals,andplentyof
water.TheU.S.governmentpublishesdietaryguidelinesthatcanhelpyoudeterminehow
manyservingsofeachkindoffoodtoeateveryday.Eatingavarietyoffoodsinthe
proportionsindicatedisagoodsteptowardstayinghealthy.
Foodlabelscantellyouwhatkindsofnutrientsareinthefoodsyoueat.ThelettersRDA,
whichyoufindonfoodlabeling,standforrecommendeddailyallowance,ortheamountof
anutrientrecommendedforyourdailydiet.Whenyou'repregnant,theRDAsformost
nutrientsarehigher.
Herearesomeofthemostcommonnutrientsyouneedandthefoodsthatcontainthem:

Nutrient

Neededfor

Bestsources

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EatingDuringPregnancy

leanmeat,fish,poultry,egg
whites,beans,peanutbutter,tofu
breads,cereals,rice,potatoes,
Carbohydrates dailyenergyproduction
pasta,fruits,vegetables
strongbonesandteeth,muscle milk,cheese,yogurt,sardinesor
Calcium
contraction,nervefunction
salmonwithbones,spinach
leanredmeat,spinach,iron
redbloodcellproduction(to
Iron
fortifiedwholegrainbreadsand
preventanemia)
cereals
healthyskin,goodeyesight,
carrots,darkleafygreens,sweet
VitaminA
growingbones
potatoes
healthygums,teeth,and
citrusfruit,broccoli,tomatoes,
VitaminC
bonesassistancewithiron
fortifiedfruitjuices
absorption
redbloodcellformation
pork,ham,wholegraincereals,
VitaminB6
effectiveuseofprotein,fat,and
bananas
carbohydrates
meat,fish,poultry,milk
formationofredbloodcells,
(Note:vegetarianswhodon'teat
VitaminB12 maintainingnervoussystem
dairyproductsneedsupplemental
health
B12.)
healthybonesandteethaids fortifiedmilk,dairyproducts,
VitaminD
absorptionofcalcium
cereals,andbreads
greenleafyvegetables,dark
bloodandproteinproduction,
Folicacid
yellowfruitsandvegetables,
effectiveenzymefunction
beans,peas,nuts
meat,wholemilkdairyproducts,
nuts,peanutbutter,margarine,
vegetableoils
Fat
bodyenergystores
(Note:limitfatintaketo30%or
lessofyourtotaldailycalorie
intake.)
Protein

cellgrowthandblood
production

ImportantNutrients
Scientistsknowthatyourdietcanaffectyourbaby'shealthevenbeforeyoubecome
pregnant.Forexample,recentresearchshowsthatfolicacidhelpspreventneuraltube
defects(includingspinabifida)fromoccurringduringtheearlieststagesoffetal
developmentsoit'simportanttoconsumeplentyofitbeforeyoubecomepregnantand
duringtheearlyweeksofyourpregnancy.
Eventhoughmanyfoods,particularlybreakfastcereals,arefortifiedwithfolicacid,doctors
nowencouragewomentotakefolicacidsupplementsbeforeandthroughoutpregnancy
(especiallyforthefirst28days).Besuretoaskyourdoctoraboutfolicacidifyou're
consideringbecomingpregnant.
Calciumisanotherimportantnutrient.Becauseyourgrowingbaby'scalciumdemandsare
high,youshouldincreaseyourcalciumconsumptiontopreventalossofcalciumfromyour
ownbones.Yourdoctorwillalsolikelyprescribeprenatalvitaminsforyou,whichcontain
someextracalcium.
Yourbestfoodsourcesofcalciumaremilkandotherdairyproducts.However,ifyouhave
lactoseintoleranceordislikemilkandmilkproducts,askyourdoctoraboutacalcium
supplement.(Signsoflactoseintoleranceincludediarrhea,bloating,orgasaftereatingmilk
ormilkproducts.Takingalactasecapsuleorpillorusinglactosefreemilkproductsmay
help.)Othercalciumrichfoodsincludesardinesorsalmonwithbones,tofu,broccoli,
spinach,andcalciumfortifiedjuicesandfoods.
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EatingDuringPregnancy

Doctorsdon'tusuallyrecommendstartingastrictvegandietwhenyoubecomepregnant.
However,ifyoualreadyfollowaveganorvegetariandiet,youcancontinuetodosoduring
yourpregnancybutdoitcarefully.Besureyourdoctorknowsaboutyourdiet.It's
challengingtogetthenutritionyouneedifyoudon'teatfishandchicken,ormilk,cheese,
oreggs.You'lllikelyneedsupplementalproteinandmayalsoneedtotakevitaminB12and
Dsupplements.
Toensurethatyouandyourbabyreceiveadequatenutrition,consultaregistereddietitian
forhelpwithplanningmeals.
FoodCravingsDuringPregnancy
You'veprobablyknownwomenwhocravedspecificfoodsduringpregnancy,orperhaps
you'vehadsuchcravingsyourself.Someoldtheoriesheldthatahungerforaparticular
typeoffoodindicatedthatawoman'sbodylackedthenutrientsthatfoodcontains.Although
thisturnedoutnottobeso,it'sstillunclearwhytheseurgesoccur.
Somepregnantwomencravechocolate,spicyfoods,fruits,andcomfortfoods,suchas
mashedpotatoes,cereals,andtoastedwhitebread.Otherwomencravenonfooditems,
suchasclayandcornstarch.Thecravingandeatingofnonfooditemsisknownaspica.
Consumingthingsthataren'tfoodcanbedangeroustobothyouandyourbaby.Ifyouhave
urgestoeatnonfooditems,notifyyourdoctor.
Butfollowingyourcravingsisfineaslongasyoucravefoodsthatcontributetoahealthy
diet.Often,thesecravingsletupabout3monthsintothepregnancy.
FoodandDrinkstoAvoidWhilePregnant
Nolevelofalcoholconsumptionisconsideredsafeduringpregnancy.Also,checkwith
yourdoctorbeforeyoutakeanyvitaminsorherbalproducts.Someofthesecanbeharmful
tothedevelopingfetus.
Andalthoughmanydoctorsfeelthatoneortwo6to8ouncecupsperdayofcoffee,tea,
orsodawithcaffeinewon'tharmyourbaby,it'sprobablywisetoavoidcaffeinealtogetherif
youcan.Highcaffeineconsumptionhasbeenlinkedtoanincreasedriskofmiscarriage
andotherproblems,solimityourintakeorswitchtodecaffeinatedproducts.
Whenyou'repregnant,it'salsoimportanttoavoidfoodborneillnesses,suchaslisteriosis
andtoxoplasmosis,whichcanbelifethreateningtoanunbornbabyandmaycausebirth
defectsormiscarriage.Foodstosteerclearofinclude:
soft,unpasteurizedcheeses(oftenadvertisedas"fresh")suchasfeta,goat,Brie,
Camembert,andbluecheese
unpasteurizedmilk,juices,andapplecider
raweggsorfoodscontainingraweggs,includingmousseandtiramisu
raworundercookedmeats,fish,orshellfish
processedmeatssuchashotdogsanddelimeats(theseshouldbethoroughly
cooked)
fishthatarehighinmercury,includingshark,swordfish,kingmackerel,ortilefish
Ifyou'veeatenthesefoodsatsomepointduringyourpregnancy,trynottoworrytoomuch
aboutitnowjustavoidthemfortheremainderofthepregnancy.Ifyou'rereallyconcerned,
talktoyourdoctor.
MoreAboutFish
Fishandshellfishcanbeanextremelyhealthypartofyourpregnancydiettheycontain
beneficialomega3fattyacidsandarehighinproteinandlowinsaturatedfat.Butlimitthe
typesoffishyoueatwhilepregnantbecausesomecontainhighlevelsofmercury,which
cancausedamagetothedevelopingnervoussystemofafetus.
Mercury,whichoccursnaturallyintheenvironment,isalsoreleasedintotheairthrough
industrialpollutionandcanaccumulateinstreamsandoceans,whereitturnsinto
methylmercury.Themethylmercurybuildsupinfish,especiallythosethateatotherfish.
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EatingDuringPregnancy

Becausecannedalbacore(orwhite)tunaandtunasteaksaregenerallyconsideredtobe
higherinmercurythancannedlighttuna,theU.S.FoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)
recommendsthatyoueatnomorethan6ouncesaweek.A2006reviewbyConsumer
Reports,though,showedthatsomecannedlighttunacancontainmercurylevelseven
higherthanthatofwhitetuna,andrecommendsthatpregnantwomeneatnocannedtuna.
ButtheFDAstandsbyitscurrentrecommendations,sayingthatthelevelsaresafeiftuna
consumptionislimited.
Itcanbeconfusingwhenrecommendationsfromtrustedsourcesdiffer.Butsincethis
analysisindicatesthatamountsofmercuryintunamaybehigherthanpreviouslyreported,
somewomenmaywanttoeliminatetunafromtheirdietwhilepregnantorwhentryingto
becomepregnant.
Almostallfishandshellfishcontainsmallamountsofmercury,butyoucansafelyeatupto
12ounces(2averagemeals)aweekofavarietyoffishandshellfishthatarelowerin
mercury,suchassalmon,shrimp,clams,pollock,catfish,andtilapia.
Talkwithyourdoctorifyouhaveanyquestionsabouthowmuchandwhichfishyou
caneat.
ManagingSomeCommonProblems
Becausetheironinprenatalvitaminsandotherfactorsmaycauseconstipationduring
pregnancy,trytoconsumemorefiberthanyoudidbeforeyoubecamepregnant.Trytoeat
about20to30gramsoffiberaday.Yourbestsourcesarefreshfruitsandvegetablesand
wholegrainbreads,cereals,ormuffins.
Somepeoplealsousefibertabletsordrinksorotherhighfiberproductsavailableat
pharmaciesandgrocerystores,butcheckwithyourdoctorbeforetryingthem.(Don'tuse
laxativeswhileyou'repregnantunlessyourdoctoradvisesyoutodoso.Andavoidtheold
wives'remedycastoroilbecauseitcanactuallyinterferewithyourbody'sabilityto
absorbnutrients.)
Ifconstipationisaproblemforyou,yourdoctormayprescribeastoolsoftener.Besureto
drinkplentyoffluids,especiallywater,whenincreasingfiberintake,oryoucanmakeyour
constipationworse.Oneofthebestwaystoavoidconstipationistogetmoreexercise.You
shouldalsodrinkplentyofwaterbetweenmealseachdaytohelpsoftenyourstoolsand
movefoodthroughyourdigestivesystem.Sometimeshottea,soups,orbrothcanhelp.
Also,keepdriedfruitshandyforsnacking.
Somepregnantwomenfindthatbroccoli,spinach,cauliflower,andfriedfoodsgivethem
heartburnorgas.Youcanplanabalanceddiettoavoidthesefoods.Carbonateddrinks
alsocausegasorheartburnforsomewomen,althoughothersfindtheycalmthedigestive
system.
Ifyou'refrequentlynauseated,eatsmallamountsofblandfoods,liketoastorcrackers,
throughouttheday.Ifnothingelsesoundsgood,trycerealwithmilkorasweetpieceof
fruit.Tohelpcombatnausea,youcanalso:
Takeyourprenatalvitaminbeforegoingtobedafteryou'veeatenasnacknoton
anemptystomach.
Eatasmallsnackwhenyougetuptogotothebathroomearlyinthemorning.
Suckonhardcandy.
HowtoKnowYou'reEatingWell
Thekeyistoeatfoodsfromthedifferentfoodgroupsinapproximatelytherecommended
proportions.Ifnauseaorlackofappetitecauseyoutoeatlessattimes,don'tworryit's
unlikelytocausefetalharmbecauseyourbabygetsfirstcrackatthenutrientsyou
consume.
Andalthoughit'sgenerallyrecommendedthatawomanofnormalweightgainabout25to
35poundsduringpregnancy(mostgain4to6poundsduringthefirsttrimesterand1pound
aweekduringthesecondandthirdtrimesters),don'tfixateonthescale.Instead,focuson
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EatingDuringPregnancy

eatingagoodvarietyandbalanceofnutritiousfoodstokeepbothyouandyourbaby
healthy.
Reviewedby:ElanaPearlBenJoseph,MD
Datereviewed:May2013
19952012TheNemoursFoundation/KidsHealth.Allrightsreserved.
Note:Allinformationisforeducationalpurposesonly.Forspecificmedicaladvice,
diagnoses,andtreatment,consultyourdoctor.
Reviewed/Updated:05/13
Created:07/00

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