Eating well during pregnancy helps support your own health as well as your baby’s growth and development.
That doesn’t mean you need a perfect diet for nine months.
Pregnancy sickness, heartburn, tiredness, food aversions, cravings, cultural preferences, dietary requirements and the cost of food can all influence what you eat. Some days will be more balanced than others, and that’s okay.
For most people, the aim is simply to eat a varied diet with plenty of different foods across the week.
Do I Need to Eat for Two?
No. This is one pregnancy myth that has definitely stuck around.
You don’t need additional calories during the first six months of pregnancy.
During the final three months, you need around 200 extra calories a day.
That’s not a huge amount. It could be something as simple as a couple of slices of wholemeal toast with a topping, yoghurt and fruit, or another nutritious snack.
Rather than eating twice as much, think about getting a good variety of nutrients from the food you are already eating.
What Should I Eat During Pregnancy?
There isn’t a special pregnancy diet that everyone needs to follow.
A healthy pregnancy diet is really a varied, balanced diet containing foods from the main food groups.
Fruit and vegetables
Aim for at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
Fresh, frozen, tinned and dried fruit and vegetables can all count, so don’t feel that everything has to be fresh or expensive.
Try adding fruit to breakfast, vegetables to curries, pasta dishes and soups, or keeping easy snacks such as fruit or vegetable sticks available when you can.
Wash fruit, vegetables and salad thoroughly before eating them.
Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods
Starchy foods are an important source of energy and should make up part of your everyday diet.
These include:
- bread
- rice
- potatoes
- pasta
- noodles
- couscous
- oats and other cereals
- chapatis and other flatbreads
- yam, cassava and plantain.
Choose wholegrain or higher-fibre varieties when you can. Fibre can also help if constipation becomes a problem during pregnancy.
Protein
Protein is important for your baby’s growth and for your own body during pregnancy.
Good sources include:
- beans
- lentils and dhal
- chickpeas
- eggs
- fish
- chicken and other poultry
- meat
- tofu
- nuts and seeds.
You don’t need to eat meat to have a healthy pregnancy.
Vegetarian and vegan diets can provide the nutrients needed during pregnancy, although you may need to pay a little more attention to nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12, calcium, iodine and omega-3 fats.
If you follow a vegan diet or have a particularly restricted diet, speak to your midwife, GP or a dietitian if you would like individual advice.
What About Fish?
Fish can be a useful source of protein, vitamins and minerals.
Try to have two portions of fish a week, with one portion being oily fish such as salmon, sardines, trout, herring or mackerel.
Don’t have more than two portions of oily fish a week because it can contain pollutants.
There are also some fish you should avoid during pregnancy, including shark, swordfish and marlin.
Current NHS food safety advice also recommends avoiding raw fish and sushi made with raw fish during pregnancy. Cold-smoked and cured fish such as smoked salmon should be cooked until steaming hot.
Milk, Yoghurt, Cheese and Alternatives
Dairy foods can provide calcium, protein and other nutrients.
These include:
- milk
- yoghurt
- cheese
- fromage frais.
If you don’t eat dairy, fortified plant-based alternatives can also contribute useful nutrients.
Look at the label and choose products fortified with nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and iodine where possible. Different plant-based drinks vary considerably in their nutritional content.
Rice drinks aren’t recommended for children under 5, but if you’re unsure about the best milk alternative for you during pregnancy, speak to your midwife or a dietitian.
Do I Need Pregnancy Vitamins?
There are two supplements that are particularly important during pregnancy: folic acid and vitamin D.
Folic acid
If you’re planning a pregnancy or are in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, you should take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day.
Ideally, start taking it before becoming pregnant.
Folic acid helps reduce the chance of your baby developing a neural tube defect such as spina bifida.
Some people need a higher 5 mg dose because of their medical history, medications or other factors. This needs to be prescribed.
If you’re unsure which dose you need, ask your midwife, GP or pharmacist.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps support healthy bones and muscles and is important for you and your baby.
Current UK guidance recommends 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D a day between October and March.
Some people are advised to take vitamin D throughout the year because they have a greater chance of vitamin D deficiency. This includes people with darker skin and those who have little exposure to sunlight, for example because they spend most of their time indoors or usually cover most of their skin when outside.
Your midwife can advise you about what is right for you.
Be careful with vitamin A
Don’t take cod liver oil or pregnancy supplements containing vitamin A in the form of retinol.
Too much vitamin A can harm your baby’s development.
Pregnancy multivitamins are formulated differently from ordinary multivitamins, so always check the label or ask a pharmacist if you’re unsure.
What About Iron?
Your body needs iron to make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around your body.
Good sources of iron include:
- meat
- beans and pulses
- green leafy vegetables
- nuts and seeds
- fortified breakfast cereals
- dried fruit.
Having a source of vitamin C alongside plant-based iron can help your body absorb it.
Your haemoglobin will be checked during pregnancy. If you develop iron-deficiency anaemia, your midwife or doctor may recommend an iron supplement.
You don’t need to take iron tablets routinely unless they have been recommended for you.
What If I’m Struggling to Eat Because of Pregnancy Sickness?
Eating a balanced diet can feel almost impossible when you’re nauseous or vomiting.
If that is you, don’t give yourself a hard time about not eating perfectly.
Small, frequent meals or snacks may be easier than three large meals. Some people find plain carbohydrates easier to tolerate, while others find cold foods easier because they have less smell.
The priority is finding foods and drinks that you can manage.
If you’re struggling to keep food or fluids down, losing weight, becoming dehydrated or pregnancy sickness is affecting your everyday life, contact your midwife or GP. Treatments are available and you don’t need to simply put up with severe sickness.
How Much Should I Drink?
Keep drinking regularly throughout the day.
Water is a good everyday choice, but milk and other drinks can also contribute to your fluid intake.
You may need more fluid when the weather is hot, when you’re physically active or if you’re vomiting.
Your urine is often a useful guide. Very dark urine or passing urine much less frequently than usual can be a sign that you need more fluid.
How Much Caffeine Can I Have?
You don’t have to completely give up tea or coffee during pregnancy, but caffeine should be limited to no more than 200 mg a day.
Caffeine isn’t just found in coffee. It’s also present in:
- tea, including green tea
- cola
- energy drinks
- chocolate
- some medicines and supplements.
The amount of caffeine in coffee can vary quite a lot, particularly with coffee-shop drinks.
If you enjoy several cups of tea or coffee a day, switching some of them to decaffeinated versions can make staying within the limit easier.
Can I Drink Alcohol During Pregnancy?
The safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all during pregnancy.
Alcohol passes through the placenta to your baby, and there is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
If you drank alcohol before you realised you were pregnant, don’t panic. Stop drinking once you know you’re pregnant and speak to your midwife or GP if you’re worried.
They are there to support you, not judge you.
Foods to Avoid or Take Extra Care With
Most foods are safe during pregnancy, but a few carry a greater risk of infection or contain substances that may be harmful to your baby.
Current NHS advice includes avoiding or taking particular care with:
- unpasteurised milk and products made from it
- mould-ripened soft cheeses such as brie and camembert unless cooked until steaming hot
- soft blue cheeses unless cooked until steaming hot
- raw or undercooked meat
- liver and liver products
- pâté
- raw shellfish
- raw fish and sushi containing raw fish
- cold-smoked or cured fish unless cooked until steaming hot
- shark, swordfish and marlin.
British Lion hen eggs and eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme can be eaten raw or partially cooked. Other eggs should be thoroughly cooked.
Food safety recommendations do change occasionally, so check current NHS pregnancy food advice if you’re unsure about a particular food.
What About Cultural and Traditional Foods?
A healthy pregnancy diet doesn’t have to look like a plate from a generic healthy-eating leaflet.
Curries, dhal, chapatis, rice dishes, stews, soups, couscous, noodles, beans, plantain and foods from many different cultures can all form part of a healthy pregnancy diet.
Traditional foods may also be an important part of how your family cares for you during pregnancy.
You don’t need to give up your cultural foods to eat well. The important things are variety, nutritional balance and making sure foods are prepared safely.
If you’re unsure about a particular traditional food, herb, herbal tea or supplement, ask your midwife or pharmacist. Herbal and traditional remedies aren’t automatically safe just because they’re natural.
What If Money Is Tight?
Healthy eating doesn’t need to mean expensive ingredients or branded health foods.
Frozen vegetables, tinned beans and pulses, lentils, eggs, potatoes, oats and own-brand wholegrain foods can all be nutritious and relatively inexpensive.
You may also be eligible for Healthy Start, which can help towards the cost of healthy foods and milk and may provide access to free vitamins.
Ask your midwife if you’re not sure whether you qualify.
A Healthy Diet Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect
Pregnancy can bring a complicated relationship with food.
You may be ravenously hungry one week and unable to look at your usual breakfast the next. Foods you’ve loved for years may suddenly make you feel sick.
Try to look at what you eat over days and weeks rather than worrying about every individual meal.
Eat a variety of foods when you can, take the supplements recommended for you and ask for help if sickness, dietary restrictions, food insecurity or concerns about eating are making things difficult.
Our Complete Antenatal Course includes practical information about nutrition and looking after yourself during pregnancy, alongside antenatal care, labour and birth, feeding and caring for your new baby. The course is self-directed, so you can work through it at your own pace.
References
- NHS. Healthy eating in pregnancy.
- NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy.
- NHS. Pregnancy vitamins and supplements.
- NHS. Have a healthy diet in pregnancy.
- NHS. Vomiting and morning sickness in pregnancy.
- NICE Guideline NG247. Maternal and child nutrition: nutrition and weight management in pregnancy, and nutrition in children up to 5 years.
- NICE Guideline NG201. Antenatal care.
- UK Government. The Eatwell Guide.
- Healthy Start. Get help to buy food and milk.
- PIF TICK. Criteria for trustworthy health information.