It always seemed reasonable to me, especially when I was pregnant, that pregnancy would require about an additional 1,000 calories per day to meet the requirements of a growing baby. But this is not the case. Caloric requirements of pregnancy only increase by about 300 calories per day.
A common refrain in pregnancy is, "I can't believe I gained all that weight." But with only 300 calories a day to spare, making wise food choices becomes an art in pregnancy.
Though it is smart to start living a healthy lifestyle well before pregnancy begins, it is never too late to start eating correctly. Improvements in maternal nutrition have been linked to preterm birth prevention, prevention of intrauterine fetal growth restriction and a decrease in newborn and childhood illnesses.
Page two: Your pregnancy food plan
Page three: Snack ideas and common pitfalls
Your Pregnancy Food Plan
Your typical daily intake should look something like this:
Dairy
3 to 4 servings
Breakfast: 8 oz. carton low-fat yogurt
Lunch: 8 oz. skim milk
Dinner: 8 oz. skim milk, 1/2 cup ice milk
Grains/Bread
6 to 11 servings
Breakfast: 2 slices whole grain bread; or 1 slice + 1/2 bowl Total, Product 19 or Smart Start cereal; or 1 whole grain bagel
Lunch: Sandwich with whole grain bread; soup with rice, potatoes or corn
Dinner: Baked potato and/or corn or bread or taco shell
Meat/Protein
3 to 4 servings
Breakfast: 2 eggs or 1 egg with 1 oz. cheese in an omelet
Lunch: Turkey (3 oz.)
Dinner: Taco with 3 oz. meat filling
Fruits
2 to 4 servings
Breakfast: 1/2 cup fruit juice or 1/2 cup berries
Lunch: 1 whole fruit
Dinner: 1/2 cup applesauce or 1 whole fruit
Vegetables
3 to 5 servings
Breakfast: Carrot juice (quite good, actually)
Lunch: 1 cup green beans or 1 spinach salad
Dinner: 6 carrot sticks, cabbage salad, 1/2 cup peas
Next page: Snack ideas and common pitfalls
9 Quick and Easy Snacks
