What to Eat While Pregnant

A healthy diet includes lots of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains (though types and amounts of the latter are debatable). During pregnancy, you can fine-tune a basic healthy diet by adding foods that contain essential nutrients for your developing baby, such as protein, iron, calcium, folate, DHA, and other vitamins and minerals.

If you are vegan or vegetarian, talk to your doctor or midwife, or consult a registered dietician. You may need supplemental protein and supplemental vitamins B12 and D.

Essential Nutrients for Pregnancy

Protein

Your developing baby’s cells are growing at a rapid pace. Every cell in the human body is made up of protein.

Food sources: cottage cheese, boneless/skinless chicken breast, fish, lentils, milk, peanut butter, quinoa (pronounced keen-WAH), beans, and eggs

Iron

Your body needs about 50% more iron when you are pregnant, primarily to make hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your organs and tissues. Boost iron intake by pairing vitamin C-rich foods with iron-rich foods, such as mandarin oranges with edamame, red peppers with spinach, and tomatoes with broccoli.

Food sources: iron-fortified cereal, beans, spinach, lean beef, duck, poultry, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, tofu, lentils, blackstrap molasses, and edamame (cooked soybeans)

Calcium

Baby needs calcium to build strong bones and teeth. If you do not consume enough calcium, your body will take it from your bones, which can lead to osteoporosis later.

Food sources: milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, salmon, spinach, broccoli, edamame, roasted almonds, fortified cereal, and fortified orange juice

Folate

Folate helps prevent neural tube defects, which are serious problems with the brain and spinal cord.

Food sources: fortified cereal, spinach, beans, asparagus, peanut butter, oranges, and dark leafy greens

Vitamin B6

This vitamin helps produce protein for new cells, form new red blood cells, and boost immunity.

Food sources: fortified cereal, garbanzo beans, baked potato with skin, lean beef, and chicken breast

Vitamin B12 (found naturally in animal sources)

This vitamin helps make DNA, the genetic material found in all cells, and it plays a role in healthy brain and nervous function. Vitamin B12 also produces red blood cells and helps your body convert fats and carbohydrates to energy.

Food sources: wild salmon, lean beef, lamb, chicken

Vegetarian sources: milk, yogurt, eggs

Vegan sources: Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal, General Mills Multi-Grain Cheerios, vitamin B12 fortified soy milk and other B12-fortified foods

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is not stored in the body, so you’ll need a fresh supply for your immune system and for baby’s growing body.

Food sources: oranges, kiwi, strawberries, mango, pineapple, grapes, bell peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, and cauliflower

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential to building baby’s bones and teeth.

Food sources: milk, low-mercury fish, asparagus, eggs (in the yolk), vitamin D fortified orange juice, and vitamin D fortified soymilk

Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) 

Omega-3 fatty acids support healthy brain and eye development.

Food sources: wild salmon and fortified eggs (safest food sources during pregnancy)

What is the “Pregnancy Diet?”  

Several authors have coined variations of the phrase, but if you hear this term, it is more than likely a reference to the pregnancy “daily dozen” diet from What to Expect: Eating Well When You’re Expecting. Please reference the book for more in-depth analysis and recipes.¹⁸

1. Extra calories – You only need on average 300 more calories per day than pre-pregnancy.
2. Protein foods – 3 servings daily – about 75 grams of protein every day.
3. Calcium foods – 4 servings daily – about 1,200 mg a day total.
4. Vitamin C foods – at least 3 servings daily.
5. Green leafy vegetables, yellow vegetables, and yellow fruits – 3-4 servings daily.
6. Other fruits and vegetables – 1-2 servings daily.
7. Whole grains and legumes – 6 or more servings a day.
8. Iron-rich foods – some daily. Small amounts of iron are found in most of the fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats you eat every day.
9. Fats and high-fat foods – approximately four full (about 14 grams each) or eight half (about 7 grams each) servings of fat each day.  
10. Focus on foods with omega-3 fatty acids/DHA.
11. Fluids – at least eight 8-ounce glasses daily.
12. Prenatal vitamin supplements

Some of the Best Foods for Pregnancy

• Lean meat (amino acids in protein are the building blocks of every cell for baby)
• Lentils (loaded with folate, which is good for baby’s brain and nervous system development)
• Yogurt (calcium, protein, folate, and active cultures)
• Wild salmon (loaded with essential omega-3 fatty acids, most importantly DHA)
• Eggs (choline, protein)
• Avocados (folate, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6; good fats)
• Oats (fiber, B vitamins, and iron)
• Edamame (protein, calcium, folate and vitamins A and B)
• Nuts (portable snack packed with minerals (copper, manganese, magnesium, selenium, zinc, potassium, and calcium and vitamin E)
• Red peppers, sweet potatoes, and carrots (packed with beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A for baby’s development)
• Dark, leafy greens (Cooked spinach has high levels of folate and iron, and kale and turnip greens are both good calcium sources) 
• Mangos (vitamins A and C)
• Water (delivering nutrients to cells, flushing toxins)

Did You Know?

Pregnant and Gluten-Free

Popular articles and books, such as bestsellers, Wheat Belly by cardiologist William Davis and Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar–Your Brain’s Silent Killers by neurologist David Perlmutter, have helped spearhead a mainstream gluten-free movement, maintaining that gluten and excess carbohydrates lead to inflammation in our bodies and brains. Non-Celiac pregnant women on a gluten-free diet should talk to their doctor or midwife. (Note: Celiac disease is a digestive and autoimmune disorder that can damage the lining of the small intestine.) Many gluten-free products are made with unenriched grains and starches that are loaded with calories and short on vitamins and minerals.

• If you are diagnosed with celiac disease, talk to your doctor. Expect to maintain a healthy gluten-free diet during pregnancy. Strive to breastfeed your infant through baby’s gluten introduction, as it may decrease his or her chance of acquiring celiac disease.  
• If you are on a gluten-free diet “just because”, talk to your doctor. Without proper monitoring, a gluten-free diet can leave you depleted of B vitamins, iron, calcium, zinc, and fiber. For example, breads made with tapioca, rice, and other gluten-free flours are typically not fortified. Fortified breads and cereals are some of the top sources of B vitamins for women in the U.S. This group needs vitamin B_9, also known as folic acid or folate, to prevent birth defects.
• To maintain a gluten-free diet, focus on good sources of gluten-free foods to boost potentially deficient areas.
  • Sources of gluten-free fiber: beans, quinoa, ground flax seeds, berries, sweet potatoes with skin, nuts, kale, chia seeds, broccoli, and prunes
  • Sources of gluten-free iron: beef, poultry, liver, soybeans/edamame, lentils, green peas, spinach, and amaranth    
  • Sources of gluten-free calcium: milk, hard cheese, yogurt, fortified milks (almond, soy, etc.), and green leafy vegetables
  • Sources of gluten-free B vitamins: meats, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, beans, quinoa, GF oatmeal, brown rice, andenriched products (Rice Chex, etc.),
  • Sources of gluten-free zinc: poultry, beef, liver, dark turkey meat, pecans, pumpkin seeds, beans, and brown rice

Tips for Pregnancy Nutrition

• Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements other than a prenatal vitamin. For example, if you don’t drink milk, and you take a calcium supplement, you may not know that calcium supplements from natural sources, such as oyster shell or bone meal, can be high in mercury.
• Take a prescription-level prenatal vitamin with DHA. While popping a gummy bear may seem like an easier option than swallowing a horse pill, some prenatal gummy brands, such as Vitafusion PreNatal, do not contain iron, calcium, thiamin, or riboflavin. DHA and other vitamin and mineral levels are also lower than recommended daily values.
• Take your prenatal vitamin with orange or fruit juice. Vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron into the bloodstream.
• Take your prenatal vitamin at a different time than calcium supplements or TUMS to get the full benefit of each. 
• Drink plenty of water. If plain water is too bland, add slices of lemon, lime, cucumber, or watermelon to enhance flavor. Consider trying an infusing water bottle, such as a BPA-free Infuser bottle, or a stainless steel Aquazinger water bottle.

• Try a breakfast cereal that really packs a punch, containing 100% of the Daily Value for folic acid and iron and vitamin B12, such as General Mills Total and Total Raisin Bran, or Kellogg’s Product 19 and All-Bran Complete.
• If you eat meat, prioritize lean cuts of beef and pork since they contain choline as well as protein.
• If you choose to eat eat canned tuna, choose canned light tuna over white, albacore tuna, which is higher in mercury. FDA limits canned light tuna to 12 ounces per week and albacore to six ounces per week for pregnant women.
• Skip canned goods for tomato sauces in glass bottles or soups in BPA-free Tetra Paks.
• For canned goods, stick to brands without BPA, such as Eden Foods, Amy’s, and some Trader Joe’s canned products.
  • Trader Joe’s Non-BPA Packages:
    ALL Tetra-Pak® Cartons 
    ALL Plastic Bottles, Tubs & Containers 
    ALL Canned Coconut Milk & Coconut Cream
    MOST Canned Beans, Fruits & Vegetables (EXCEPT: Mandarins, Hatch Chilies, Artichokes, and Giant Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce)
    MOST Canned Fish, Chicken & Beef (EXCEPT: Sardines, Crabs, & Cherrystone Clams)
    Organic Vegetarian Chili
    Tunisian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• For snacks, choose a fruit, vegetable, protein, or calcium food: a hard-boiled egg, an orange, a banana, trail mix, Greek yogurt with flaxseed sprinkles, cottage cheese cup, string cheese, veggie sticks with edamame hummus, a small box of fortified cereal, a Larabar or Kind bar, or apple slices with peanut butter, nuts, or seeds.
• For lunch, try a mashed avocado-chickpea sandwich, leftover slices of lean beef and sliced red peppers, pre-cooked lentils on a bed of quinoa, or hit a local salad bar and load up on vegetables and lean protein.
• For desserts, try a glass of chocolate low-fat milk (using an organic syrup such as Trader Joe’s Organic Midnight Moo), a cored and baked apple with raisins and cinnamon, a frozen fruit and yogurt smoothie, a fresh fruit salad with honey and diced mint leaves, natural ice cream, or a square or two of dark chocolate.  
• For cooking oils and salad dressings, use heart-healthy canola, flaxseed, and olive oils.
• For trips to the supermarket, shop for whole foods around the edges of the store.
• Try a helpful nutrition app. Fooducate and ShopWell both have built-in bar scanners that read ingredient labels and provide nutritional food scores for packaged foods. Fooducate adds funny warnings, such as “Look out! Not 100% whole grain” or “Contains controversial artificial colors,” while ShopWell personalizes and adjusts nutritional scores based on your diet and food preferences, such as gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, diabetes, etc.  

Pregnancy Nutrition Books

There is perhaps no better time in life to read a book about nutrition than while pregnant. Unlike books on breathing techniques and childbirth, which address a process that could be over in hours, nutritional advice can benefit you and your family for life. Here are some of my picks for the best pregnancy nutrition books:

Best for Easy Reading

• What to Expect: Eating Well When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel

Best for Sample Menus and Recipes

• Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today’s Mothers-to-Be by Catherine Jones and Rose Ann Hudson (a culinary school graduate and perinatal nutritionist/registered dietician team)

Best for Nutrition Nuts

• Expect the Best: Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, and After Pregnancy by Elizabeth Ward (spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association)

Best Vegetarian

• Your Vegetarian Pregnancy: A Month-by-Month Guide to Health and Nutrition by Holly Roberts (vegetarian and OB/GYN)

Best Vegan

• The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book: All you need to know for a healthy pregnancy that fits your lifestyle by Reed Mangels (coauthor of the American Dietetic Association’s position paper on vegetarian diets and food guide for vegetarians)

Practical Tips from Real Parents: Eating and Nutrition

• Don’t be lazy about taking your prenatal vitamin. Take it at the same time each day. Set an alarm on your phone if you tend to forget things.
• If your prenatal vitamin is making you sick, take it with food. You can also cut it in half.
• Be aware that some prenatal vitamins contain stool softeners because of the extra iron. I couldn’t stand having sticky poo all the time (I’d rather be constipated), so you may want to check the label on your prescription before your doctor orders a nine month supply.
• Try not to let pregnancy justify eating junk food or too much food. I kept telling myself “Well, I’m going to get fat anyway,” and guess what? I did.
• Don’t drink too many juices while pregnant. I did this to cut out diet soda however the calories and sugar add up. My doctor attributed much of my 60-pound weight gain to my liquid intake.
• If you get carried away with eating mid-pregnancy, don’t diet to make up for it in the third trimester. Simply eat a healthy diet and work off the extra pounds after baby arrives.
• Don’t eat sugar or bread right before your 28-week, one-hour glucose test (for gestational diabetes), or else risk a “false positive” and a follow-on three-hour test. Talk to your doctor about whether to fast or not. If you do eat, eat eggs for breakfast well before the test.