Nutrition In Pregnancy
Healthy eating is one of the best things you can do during pregnancy. The goal is to balance getting enough nutrients to support the growth of your fetus and maintaining a healthy weight.
Healthy eating is important at every age, as well as during your pregnancy.
Good nutrition helps you handle the extra demands on your body as your pregnancy progresses.
Avoid the “eating for two” approach. When deciding what to eat or drink, choose options that are full of nutrients.
Weight Gain During Pregnancy
During your first 12 weeks—the first trimester—you may gain only 1 to 5 pounds or no weight at all. In your second and third trimesters, if you were a healthy weight before pregnancy, you should gain between half a pound and 1 pound per week.
Weight gain depends on your health and your body mass index (BMI) before you were pregnant. If you were underweight before pregnancy, you should gain more weight than a woman who had a normal weight before pregnancy. If you were overweight or obese before pregnancy, you should gain less weight.
For women who were a healthy weight when they got pregnant, the key to healthy weight gain is to slowly increase your calories.
During the first trimester no extra calories are needed. In the second trimester, you will need an extra 340 calories per day, and in the third trimester, about 450 extra calories a day.
To get the extra calories during the day, have healthy snacks on hand, such as nuts, yogurt, and fresh fruit.
What Foods Can I Eat During Pregnancy?
Most foods can be safely enjoyed during pregnancy. The goal is to eat a balanced variety of nutritious foods to support the growth of your fetus and maintaining a healthy weight while taking a few additional precautions to reduce exposure to foodborne illness and mercury.
Healthy choices include:
- Fruits and vegetables that have been washed thoroughly
- Whole grains, such as oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-grain bread
- Beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds
- Eggs that are fully cooked or pasteurized
- Meat and poultry that are cooked thoroughly
- Pasteurized milk, yogurt, and cheese
- Fully cooked fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury
- Healthy fats from foods such as avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds
Mediterranean Diet
It’s important to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy or fortified soy alternatives.
Increase your intake of fiber. Eating 10 more grams of fiber in the form of cereals, fruits, and vegetables is associated with 26% lower risk of gestational diabetes.
Ideally, you should base your diet on these healthy Mediterranean foods:
- Vegetables: tomatoes, broccoli, kale, spinach, onions, cauliflower, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips
- Fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, pears, strawberries, grapes, dates, figs, melons, peaches
- Nuts, seeds, and nut butters: almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almond butter, peanut butter
- Legumes: beans, peas, lentils, pulses, peanuts, chickpeas. Studies have shown that substituting vegetable protein for animal protein before pregnancy can decrease risk of gestational diabetes by about half.
- Whole grains: oats, brown rice, rye, barley, corn, buckwheat, whole wheat bread and pasta
- Fish and seafood: Salmon, sardines, trout, tuna, mackerel, shrimp, oysters, clams, crab, mussels
- Poultry: chicken, duck, turkey
- Eggs: chicken, quail, and duck eggs
- Dairy: cheese, yogurt, milk
- Herbs and spices: garlic, basil, mint, rosemary, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper
- Use healthy oils low in fat: extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil.
What Should I Avoid in a Mediterranean diet?
- Added sugar: found in many foods but especially high in soda, candies, ice cream, table sugar, syrup, and baked goods. Women who drank five or more such beverages per week before they got pregnant were at greater risk of gestational diabetes.
- Refined grains: white bread, pasta, tortillas, chips, crackers
- Trans fats: found in margarine, fried foods, and other processed foods
- Refined oils: soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil
- Processed meat: processed sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, beef jerky
- Highly processed foods: fast food, convenience meals, microwave popcorn, granola bars
Water should be your go-to beverage on a Mediterranean diet.
During pregnancy you should drink 8 to 12 cups (64 to 96 ounces) of water every day. Water has many benefits. It aids digestion and helps form the amniotic fluid around the fetus. Water also helps nutrients circulate in the body and helps waste leave the body.
Coffee and tea are also healthy beverage choices on the Mediterranean diet. Be mindful of adding lots of added sugar or cream.
You’ll want to limit sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda or sweet tea, which are very high in added sugar. Fruit juice would be OK to include in moderation, but you’re better off choosing whole fruits to get the benefit of fiber.
Caffine
Research suggests that moderate caffeine consumption (less than 200 milligrams per day) does not cause miscarriage or preterm birth. That’s the amount in one 12-ounce cup of coffee.
Remember that caffeine also is found in tea, chocolate, energy drinks, and soft drinks.
Caffeine can interfere with sleep and contribute to nausea and light-headedness. Caffeine also can increase urination and lead to dehydration.
Can I Eat Deli Meat During Pregnancy?
Deli meat, lunch meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and dry or fermented sausages should not be eaten cold during pregnancy. These foods can occasionally contain Listeria, a bacterium that can survive refrigeration and may cause serious complications during pregnancy.
Listeria infection is uncommon during pregnancy, occurring in approximately 1 in 25,000 pregnancies. However, because the infection can have serious consequences for the pregnancy, cold deli meat should be heated to 165°F or until steaming before it is eaten.
Deli meat can be eaten if it is reheated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until it is steaming hot immediately before serving. After it has been thoroughly heated, it may be allowed to cool before eating.
This recommendation applies to packaged lunch meat as well as meat sliced at a deli counter. Refrigerated pâté and refrigerated meat spreads should also be avoided
Can I Eat Dairy Products During Pregnancy?
Dairy products can be an excellent source of calcium, protein, vitamin D, and other important nutrients during pregnancy. Choose milk, yogurt, and cheese made with pasteurized milk.
Generally safe choices include:
- Pasteurized milk
- Pasteurized yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Cream cheese
- String cheese
- Mozzarella
- Feta made with pasteurized milk
- Hard cheeses such as cheddar, Parmesan, Swiss, and Asiago made with pasteurized milk
Unpasteurized Milk and Cheese
Avoid raw or unpasteurized milk and products made from raw milk.
Don’t eat the soft cheeses listed below unless they’re made with pasteurized milk. Make sure the label says “made with pasteurized milk.”
- Brie
- Feta
- Camembert
- Roquefort
- Queso blanco
- Queso fresco
Dairy products made with unpasteurized milk increase your risk of listeriosis, which is a food-borne bacterial illness. Make sure to read the labels of any dairy foods you’re not familiar with.
Instead of eating soft cheese, eat hard cheese such as Cheddar or Swiss.
Pregnant woman should pay particular attention at farmers’ markets to make sure that fresh and soft cheeses are pasteurized.
Can I Eat Fish During Pregnancy?
Yes. Fish is a healthy part of pregnancy nutrition and provides protein, iron, iodine, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids that support fetal brain and nervous-system development.
Pregnant patients should eat approximately 8 to 12 ounces of lower-mercury fish each week, usually divided into two or three servings. One adult serving is approximately 4 ounces.
Lower-Mercury Fish Choices
Good options include:
- Salmon
- Shrimp
- Cod
- Pollock
- Tilapia
- Catfish
- Trout
- Sardines
- Crab
- Scallops
- Canned light tuna
Canned light tuna is lower in mercury than albacore or white tuna. Albacore or white tuna should be limited to one serving per week.
Fish with a High Mercury Content
Some types of fish have higher levels of mercury than others. Mercury is a metal that has been linked to birth defects. Do not eat bigeye tuna, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, or tilefish. Limit white (albacore) tuna to only 6 oz a week. Salmon and shellfish are excellent healthy choices during pregnancy.
What About Sushi?
Sushi, Sashimi and raw fish during pregnancy
You should avoid all raw or undercooked fish when you’re pregnant, though many types of fish are safe to eat when fully cooked. Raw fish, including sushi and sashimi, are more likely to contain parasites or bacteria than fully cooked fish.
Sushi may be eaten during pregnancy when it is prepared with fully cooked seafood or vegetables.
Generally safe sushi choices include:
- Cooked shrimp or crab
- Imitation crab
- Cooked eel
- Cooked salmon
- Tempura shrimp or vegetables
- Avocado or cucumber rolls
- California rolls made with cooked imitation crab
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says it’s better to be safe than sorry until your baby’s been delivered due to the potential for foodborne illness.
Follow these general food safety guidelines when handling and cooking food:
- Wash. Rinse all raw produce thoroughly under running tap water before eating, cutting, or cooking.
- Clean. Wash your hands, knives, countertops, and cutting boards after handling and preparing uncooked foods.
- Cook. Cook beef, pork, or poultry to a safe internal temperature verified by a food thermometer.
- Chill. Promptly refrigerate all perishable food.
- When possible, heat up food and drinks in glass or ceramic containers. Do not heat up food or drinks in plastic containers or wrappers.
- Try to increase the number of meals you make at home and try to use fresh, local food. Avoid fast food or eat it less often.
- Choose canned food labeled as BPA-free when possible. BPA, or bisphenol A, is a toxic chemical used in some cans.
- Try to eat food labeled as USDA organic if you can. (Organic food is grown without pesticides, which are toxic chemicals used on some farms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] certifies that food is organic.)
The recommended daily amounts of essential nutrients
- Folic acid: 800 micrograms, increased to 5,000 micrograms (5mg) with history of MTHFR def. or a prior pregnancy affected by a Neural tube defect (County OBGYN recommends 5,000 micrograms)
- Vitamin D:600 international units (to facilitate proper growth and reduce the risk of preterm delivery)
- Calcium:1,000 milligrams (to aid in the formation of the baby’s bones and teeth)
- Iron: 27 milligrams (to help with the increase in blood volume needed to support both mom and baby)
- Omega-3 fatty acids:300 milligrams (positive impact on baby’s brain and visual development) (DHA or Fish oil)
- Iodine: 220 micrograms (to help the baby’s brain development)
- Choline: 45o milligrams (for development of the baby’s brain and spinal cord)
- Vitamin A: 770 micrograms (for the baby’s development of healthy skin, eyes, and bones)
- Vitamin C: 85 milligrams(to help the growth of gums, teeth, and bones)
- Vitamin D:6oo international units (for the baby’s bones and teeth)
- Vitamin B6: About two milligrams (to help form red blood cells to aid mom and baby in actually absorbing the nutrients they need)
- Vitamin B12: About three milligrams (to keep red blood cell production and the nervous system running smoothly)
- Vitamin E: works to repair cells, which is also what makes it so effective as a fertility vitamin
County Obstetrics & Gynecology
STL Leaders in Women’s Healthcare
Board Certified Physician:
Dr. Lawrence V. Boveri
Dr. Stephen A. Boveri
Our Location
1859 Bowles Avenue
Suite 103
Fenton, MO 63026
Our Hours:
Monday: 8:00 – 5:00
Tuesday: 12:00 – 6:00
Wednesday: 12:00 – 6:00
Thursday: 8:00 – 3:00
Friday: 8:00 – 12:00