The World's Simplest Guide to Nutrition in Pregnancy
The amount of information out there on Nutrition in Pregnancy is extraordinary, and for good reason. However, all of this information can be overwhelming, and instead of making decisions easier, can often result in paralysis. What’s more, nutrition is one of those topics with a lot of contradictory information, in part because our understanding of it is evolving so rapidly, but also because of our culture’s tendency to tell pregnant people that they can’t do things, especially when it comes to eating.
Our goal with this post is to take the topic of Nutrition and Pregnancy and simplify it to its most basic and essential elements. In doing so, we hope to provide information that is actionable and empowering, rather than confusing.
A healthy diet helps you go to term with your baby, which is one of the most important factors for having the birth outcome you are working towards. Everything you need to remain healthy and strong, while growing a healthy baby can be obtained through diet. It is the most effective way for your body to obtain and assimilate nutrients. In addition, these recommendations support consistent energy throughout the day, restful sleep and comfortable digestion and elimination (something many people struggle with during pregnancy).
So, let’s get to it…
Raise Your Awareness
Food journaling is an excellent tool for raising your awareness about what you’re eating and how that corresponds to how you’re feeling. This may sound likely sounds laborious, but it really builds your insight and intuition. Keep a small notebook or pad around your kitchen (or use a notes app on your phone). Jot down your meal and later on record anything you notice about your digestion, mood, cravings, your level of energy or any unpleasant symptoms. It doesn’t have to be detailed, and this little extra attention will have a huge impact your ability to notice what your body is telling you.
Forget Calories & Weight Gain
You’re growing a baby, but that’s not the same as “eating for two”. The daily recommended amount of calories during pregnancy isn’t that much more than normal. In fact, it used to be a flat 2,000 calories. Now they’ve broken it down further, based on your term. But, who counts calories? If you’re eating the right foods, you’re going to get enough calories.
Don’t worry about weight gain. Every one is different! People have healthy pregnancies and babies every day with gaining less or more than the “normal” amount of weight. A 25-35lb weight increase is roughly “normal”. But don’t worry about the weight. Again, just focus on the foods you’re choosing to eat.
Protein
Protein is the essential building block that the body uses to create bones, tissue, hair, skin and more. It is critical for optimal functioning. Sixty 60grams is the recommended daily amount (RDA). Here’s a couple tips:
Ideally, you’re spreading this out across all three meals (20g or so each), this supports absorption in the body.
Salmon is an excellent source of protein plus it contains omega-3 fatty acids, which support optimal brain development. Consider eating salmon 2-3 times per week. If salmon isn’t available or is too expensive, sardines are a great low-cost alternative.
30g (half) should come from non-animal sources (assuming you aren’t vegetarian or vegan), like nuts, seeds, leafy greens, lentils and other beans.
1 cup of nuts, for example, contains about 20g of protein. Sunflower and Pumpkin seeds are super high in protein and often less expensive than other nuts.
An egg contains 6g. A chicken breast contains 43g.
Snacking on things like nuts gives your body protein in small doses, which again, supports better assimilation.
Vegetables & Fruits
You need 5 cups of fresh vegetables and fruits per day. As you’re preparing meals, keep a rough mental tally of about how many cups are going in to each meal or snack that you’re eating. There’s no need to get exact. Here’s a few tips:
Strive for diversity and seasonality in your fruit and vegetable choices. Look for different colors and types (leafy greens, root, etc.) as a way to achieve that.
As your body grows a baby, your digestive system gets more and more compressed and squeezed. Focusing on vegetables and fruits helps to avoid many of the common digestive issues that people face, including constipation (more on that below).
Some options with the highest nutritional values: spinach, carrots, broccoli, garlic, brussels, kale, green peas, swiss chard, ginger, asparagus, red cabbage, sweet potato, and collard greens.
Fiber
Everything in your digestion slows down during pregnancy as your body tries to squeeze the most out of every single nutrient, assimilating as much as possible for you and your baby. Unfortunately, this can create constipation and a number of other unpleasant digestive issues during pregnancy. Fiber is the solution. 90% of pregnant women do not eat enough. 25-30g of fiber is the recommended daily amount. Here’s some foods that are especially high in fiber:
Vegetables: avocado, carrots, beets, broccoli, artichoke, brussels and kale.
Fruits: pears, strawberries, apples and raspberries.
Legumes: lentils, kidney beans, split peas, chickpeas and black beans.
Grains: quinoa, oats, and popcorn.
All nuts and seeds are a good source of fiber, especially: almonds, walnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Fiber also softens your bowel movements which helps prevent hemorrhoids which are another common occurrence during pregnancy.
You can take a fiber pill to relieve these issues, but that’s really only correcting a symptom rather than the systemic deficiency.
Hydration
Adequate hydration is super important. From 20 weeks on your baby starts peeing as you hydrate and this forms the amniotic fluid in your uterus. Drinking enough water helps to maintain adequate amounts of amniotic fluids. 64oz is the minimum amount you should be drinking each day. 96oz is the recommended daily amount. Consider drinking more if you exercise heavily, live at altitude or in a dry climate. Here are some tips on developing heroic hydration habits:
Get a refillable water bottle, know how many times you need to refill it to reach the recommended daily amount, and keep it by you as much of the day as possible.
Herbal teas provide hydration and tons of great vitamins and minerals to add to what you’re already getting in your diet.
Great teas for pregnancy include: Raspberry Leaf, Ginger, Peppermint, Red Clover, Oat Straw, and Nettles. Add honey for a little sweetness as it is rich in enzymes.
Supplements
If you’re building your diet around the types of foods listed in the sections above, supplements shouldn’t really be necessary. But a lot of people feel good about adding something extra to their diet, and that’s fine. Look for vitamins made from whole, organic foods, and in liquid form because they assimilate the best. Magnesium is a supplement that we do recommend to women during pregnancy as it helps with sleep, muscle aches, bowel movements and mood.
Processed & Sugary Foods
Obviously, we want to minimize the amount of heavily processed foods we consume during pregnancy, but no one is perfect and it’s good to treat yourself. One thing we recommend to clients is to make sure that whatever you’re indulging in is high quality. If it’s chocolate, avoid the mass-produced stuff and get something really nice with lots of cacao. If it’s ice cream, search for organic. You get the idea: don’t skimp on the quality of your treats.
That’s it! That’s all! Do the things that have proven to work for you throughout your life. Trust your intuition. Follow this to the best of your ability, and you and your baby are going to feel great!