Healthy Eating:

Healthy eating, food safety and weight gain in pregnancy are questions I get asked a lot.

Caloric needs and weight gain:
On average you will need to increase your daily caloric intake above what you were eating pre-pregnancy by about 350kcal in the second trimester and 450kcal in the third trimester. This works out to about one additional snack per day. This is roughly 2200-2900kcal total per day. 

Typical weight gain in the second and third trimesters is about 1lb per week or 1kg every two weeks. If you are starting your pregnancy underweight or are carrying multiples you may need to increase beyond this and if you are starting your pregnancy overweight you may not need to increase by this much. 

Food safety:
There are a few foods that are not recommended during pregnancy and this is mostly due to the risk of listeria. Listeria is a bacteria that can make you and your baby quite sick and pregnant people are more susceptible to becoming ill from listeria than non pregnant people. 

  • Packaged deli meat

  • Unpasteurized dairy products or fruit juices

  • Soft cheeses like brie or camembert

  • Raw meat or seafood

  • Bean sprouts

  • Uncooked eggs

Avoid alcohol. 

Avoid eating liver as it has very high levels of vitamin A which can be dangerous at high levels. 

If you eat canned fish, limit it to 2 servings per month as these foods are high in mercury which can be toxic in high amounts

It’s ok to drink coffee or tea during pregnancy, just limit it to 1-2 cups per day or 300mg of caffeine. Most herbal teas including peppermint, rose hip and raspberry leaf are considered safe in pregnancy.

Your diet should ideally consist of lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean or plant based proteins and whole grains. It should include healthy fats from sources like olive oil, nuts and avocado. Limit your intake of foods with added salt as well as processed foods and simple sugars.

Specific nutrients during pregnancy:

Folate: try and consume foods rich in folate like lentils, green vegetables and enriched pasta

Your prenatal vitamin should contain 0.4-1mg of folate. Do not take a higher dose than this as it can be harmful in large amounts. 

Iron: Try and consume iron rich foods like chicken, fish, cashews, lentils, fortified whole grain cereals and spinach. 

Your prenatal vitamin should contain 16-20mg of iron. Many women will become deficient in iron in their second trimester as it is utilized in high quantities during pregnancy. Your maternity provider may ask you to take a supplement. I usually recommend palafer/ ferrous fumarate 300mg every second day on an empty stomach. It can cause constipation and dark stool so drink plenty of water and get lots of fiber in your diet. 

Calcium: Have at least 2 servings of dairy or calcium fortified dairy alternatives per day. 

Omega 3: Eat two servings of fish per week or include more walnuts, flax seeds or chia seeds in your diet.