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Healthy eating

Pickles and ice cream? Bacon donuts? It’s normal to have crazy cravings when you’re pregnant. It’s okay to indulge a little, but just don’t let your cravings replace your need for healthy food.

Healthy eating helps you do the most important job in the world — grow a healthy baby.

Healthy food + healthy weight = healthy baby

Eating for 2 is really a myth. Although it is normal to have cravings, it is important to not overindulge. You really only need about 300 additional calories a day when you’re pregnant. That’s what you’ll get in 1 banana and a 16-ounce glass of nonfat milk.

The right amount of weight gain is key to your baby’s normal growth and development. See our guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy.

The right foods for you and your baby

Six is the magic number when it comes to healthy foods for you and your baby.  Enjoy foods from these 6 groups every day.

1. Whole grains and legumes

Eat 6-10 servings of grains a day. A serving is 1 slice of bread, 1 ounce dry cereal, or 1/2 cup cooked pasta, rice, or cereal. At least half the grains you eat should be unrefined, whole grains (such as whole wheat breads, whole-grain cereal, and brown rice).

2. Vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables)

Get 4 or more servings of colorful veggies a day. A serving equals 1/2 cup of most raw or cooked vegetables, 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables, or 6 ounces of vegetable juice.

3. Fruits

Enjoy 3 or more servings of fresh, frozen, or dried fruits a day. Canned fruits are good too, without added sugar. A serving is 1 small piece of fruit, 1 cup of berries or melon, 1/2 cup of other fruit (fresh, frozen, or canned), or 1/4 cup of dried fruit.

4. Milk, yogurt and cheese

Eat 3 or more servings day. Choose low-fat or nonfat dairy products. A serving is 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1.5 ounces of cottage cheese (calcium fortified), or 1 cup of soy milk (calcium fortified).

5. Meat, chicken, turkey, fish, dry beans, eggs, soy/tofu

Eat 5 servings of protein a day. A serving is 1 ounce of lean meat, skinless chicken or turkey, or fish. It can also be ½ cup of cooked beans, ½ cup of tofu, 1 whole egg or 2 egg whites a day. Avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel and albacore tuna which have high levels of mercury which is dangerous to your baby.

6. Fats (oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, butter, margarine)

Choose foods low in saturated fats and cholesterol and avoid trans fat. Most of the fats you eat should be plant-based, found in olive or canola oil, nuts, and seeds. Keep your total fat intake between 20 and 35 percent of your total daily calories.

You and your growing baby need vitamins and minerals

You and your baby will have a special need for these three vitamins and minerals:

  • Calcium
  • Iron
  • Folic acid

You can get all of these vitamins and minerals in the healthy food you eat.

Foods with lots of calcium

  • · low-fat or nonfat dairy products
  • · tofu (calcium fortified)
  • · almonds
  • · calcium-fortified orange juice
  • · fortified cereals or oatmeal
  • · certain leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, bok choy, collards, turnip greens, and broccoli)
  • · canned sardines or canned pink salmon with bones
  • · soy nuts or soy beans
  • · scallops

Get enough calcium, otherwise your body will draw it from your own bones to give to your baby and you might develop osteoporosis later in life. Set a goal of 1,000-1,200 mg of calcium per day. If you don’t get at least 1,000 mg of calcium from food and your prenatal vitamin, you may need to supplement with 500 milligram calcium carbonate tablets.

Foods with lots of iron

  • lean beef, lean pork, and skinless chicken or turkey
  • eggs
  • lentils or beans
  • dark-green leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli,
  • bok choy, collards, kale)
  • iron-fortified cereals
  • dried fruits (raisins, prunes, apricots) pumpkin seeds
  • soybeans/tofu
  • nuts (walnuts)
  • mussels, oysters, clams, shrimp, and sardines
  • foods or juices high in vitamin C which helps your body absorb iron

You need twice as much iron in your second and third trimesters as you did before you got pregnant. Aim for 30-60 mg per day. Getting enough iron can help prevent anemia.

Foods with lots of folic acid

  • dark-green, leafy vegetables (kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, and spinach)
  • beans
  • broccoli
  • asparagus
  • cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges
  • orange and grapefruit juices
  • peanuts and almonds (1 to 2 tablespoons per serving)
  • mushrooms
  • folate-fortified breads and breakfast cereals
  • prenatal vitamins (best source for folic acid)

Folic acid reduces the chance that your baby will be born with certain birth defects, so be sure to get enough. If you are planning to become pregnant, get at least 0.4 mg (this is the same as 400 mcg) of folic acid a day in the food you eat or take a 400 mcg tablet. Once you are pregnant, you should be getting at least 400 mg of folic acid every day. Your prenatal vitamins already contain at least this amount, so you should not need to take an extra supplement as long as you are taking your prenatal vitamin.

Foods to avoid during pregnancy

  • Raw or lightly-cooked eggs
  • Raw or undercooked meat, chicken, or fish
  • Insufficiently heated deli meats and hot dogs
  • Raw sprouts
  • Raw (unpasteurized) milk and cheeses
  • Seafood with high levels of mercury (such as shark or swordfish; eat light tuna in moderation)
  • Pate or meat spreads
  • Smoked seafood
  • Limit liver (too much vitamin A may harm your baby)
By Betty Shen, MD - Published November 3, 2015