There are so many changes taking place in our body when a baby shows up in our uterus! Once this little being is growing in its nest, our ordinary lives change. We have to think both about our needs and those of this little being.

Everyone should eat a balanced and varied diet, rest, exercise and do activities.

Diet While Pregnant

Ideally, to optimise fertility and improve general health even during the pre-conception period, women are encouraged to have a balanced diet, a healthy lifestyle, maintain a healthy weight and to avoid alcohol and drugs. Every woman who wants to become pregnant should start taking multivitamins who contain folic acid (0.4 mg base) and an iron concentration (16 to 20 mg) is indicated for all women, three months before pregnancy.

A pregnant woman doesn’t have to eat for two! That’s a timeless myth.

It’s true that a mother provides her baby with the nutrients they need to develop. However, you never have to double your food quantities to meet both the mother’s and baby’s needs. That’s why it’s essential for a pregnant woman to have a diet with high nutritional quality.

According to the recently revised Canadian Food Guide, every person should have a balanced diet and eat a variety of foods every day. This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women:

• Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables;
• Eat high protein foods (meat, dairy products, nuts, legumes, tofu, fish, eggs, etc.);
• Choose foods with whole grains;
• Make water your drink of choice.

Even if dairy products are no longer a specific category in the new guide, pregnant and breastfeeding women need to consume dairy products to ensure their daily intake of calcium and vitamin D and phosphorus is sufficient for the growth of the baby’s bones and teeth. Dairy products can be added to a meal or taken as a snack very easily. It is best to choose it with a low fat, sugar and sodium content.

Caloric Needs During Pregnancy

At the start of pregnancy, the number of calories needed is the same as before. However, starting from the 15th week (2nd and 3rd Trimester), it’s recommended that you increase your nutritional and energy intake to deal with the physiological changes inherent to pregnancy. The increase in blood volume, the growth of tissues, the development of the fetus and the preparation for lactation increase caloric needs.

To handle these metabolic changes associated with pregnancy progression, pregnant women are advised to increase their number of calories in their diet by:

• 350 calories during their 2nd trimester;
• 450 calories during the last three months.

Every woman should allow their appetite to guide their caloric intake based on their energy expenditures, age and physical condition. That’s why we talk about the average recommended caloric values rather than strict standards for each woman. Please read the article Weight Gain During Pregnancy.

To avoid gaining too much weight, always consume unsaturated fats, limit sugar as much as possible and eat highly nutritious foods that can be fresh, frozen, canned or dried.

Proteins

From the start of your pregnancy, proteins play an essential role in hormonal changes, the proper functioning of enzymes and antibodies. They also are involved in the increase in your blood volume, repairing different organs as well as their contribution to your energy levels. 

In general, for women, we recommend consuming 46 g of proteins. During pregnancy, starting from the 2nd trimester, it’s recommended that you increase your proteins by 25 g in your diet in addition to your regular intake.

Protein sources include:

•   Fish
•   Cooked meats and poultry
•   Dairy products
•   Cooked eggs
•   Tofu, tempeh, nuts and legumes

To get enough omega-3s, eat two portions of fish per week. There are no suggested supplements for this, as it’s better to eat fish.

Folic Acid

Folic acids are part of the complex vitamin B group.

We suggest folic acid supplements ideally at least three months before conceiving your baby. This is to ensure adequate blood dosages from the first cell divisions to prevent different problems. These can include spinal malformations, including spina-bifida. The incomplete closing of the spine, and for more information about this, please read my article on Vitamins and Folic Acid.

Generally, we recommend 0.6 mg of folic acid per day. To achieve this, take a 0.4 mg supplement in addition to your diet. You don’t need to take more unless your health professional advises you to do so. 

Guides strongly suggest taking folic acid in a multivitamin that contains other vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin D, etc., to prevent heart problems, limb defects and low birth weight. 

The best sources of folates are:

•   Green beans
•   Soybeans
•   Legumes such as chick peas and lentils
•   Spinach
•   Asparagus
•   Orange juice
•   Canned pineapple juice
•   Sunflower seeds

Many foods sold in grocery stores are enriched with folic acid, including cereal products, some pasta and flour. To find them, read their labels.

Calcium and Vitamin D

Pregnant or breastfeeding women need calcium and vitamin D to maintain their bones and teeth, ensure the development of the fetal skeleton and produce breast milk after childbirth. The minimum amount required is 1000 mg per day.

Vitamin D facilitates the intestinal absorption of calcium and its use. You should consume about 600 UI per day. During pregnancy, some women might be given supplements in addition to a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. It’s not an official rule for all mothers, because an overly large increase in calcium can diminish iron absorption. You need a balanced dosage. 

Without surprise, the best sources of calcium are:

•   Dairy products made from cow milk or others (ideally with lower fat levels)
•   Enriched soy drinks
•   Swiss cheese
•   Tofu
•   Plain yogurt and kefir
•   Whole sesame seeds
•   Canned sardines

Even if dairy products were added to the classification of proteins in the Canada Food Guide in 2019, make sure you consume them frequently during pregnancy and when breastfeeding.

Given that suntanning is not a safe way to get your required amount of vitamin D, you should consume foods and take multivitamins for your desired intake.

The best sources of vitamin D are milk, enriched soy drinks and yogurt, but you can add enriched margarine and fatty fish such as salmon.

Iron

It no longer needs to be proven that it’s important for pregnant women to consume sufficient amounts of iron. Please read my article Iron During Pregnancy to learn about this essential mineral in your diet when pregnant. It prevents pregnancy complications and problems for the baby as well. 

Iron serves to transport oxygen in the blood and tissue to promote the growth and resistance to infections. Considering that pregnancy is a period of high growth, iron intake should be increased to meet the requirements. 

Recommended daily intake for pregnant women is 27 g of iron in addition to multivitamins, almost double normal levels.

Iron sources include:

•   Red meats (ground beef, steak, etc.) because iron absorbs directly in the blood
•   White meats (chicken, pork)
•   Clams, oysters
•   Cream of wheat, enriched cereals and blackstrap molasses
•   Vegetable sources, including legumes, spinach, tofu, pumpkin and sesame seeds

Essential Fatty Acids

When talking about fatty acids or essential lipids, these are good unsaturated fats that can’t be produced by the body. They must be consumed in a nutritious diet.

Without going into the tiny details of the different required fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic fats, as well as omega-3 and 6, are essential for proper development of the baby’s brain, the nervous system and vision. Lipids are also an important energy source for the body and contribute to cell development, hormonal balance and vitamins A, D, E, and K. 

With a varied diet, you can easily consume 150 g of essential lipids a day, even when pregnant. You can get them from quality oils, fish, nuts, and meat. Make sure you get your omega-3 intake from fish (salmon, sardines, trout, herring) or specific oils (linseed, canola) and certain nuts (soybean, sunflower).

Fibres

Fibres are essential for preventing many health problems. We understand their impact on regular bowel movements and preventing constipation. However, fibres also impact heart function and help prevent diabetes. 

Since pregnant women have increased metabolism, you should slightly increase your intake of fibres in your diet. The target during pregnancy moving from 25 g to 28 g per day.

You can meet these fibre needs by eating more legumes, whole grains, vegetables and fruits and different nuts and seeds such as linseed and sunflower. 

Iodine

Iodine is an essential element to regulate your thyroid gland. This gland has an impact on your basic metabolism, growth and development. During pregnancy, your iodine needs increase, but your body can’t produce it on its own. Once again you need to compensate in your diet.

You can find iodine in iodised table salt because for many years Health Canada has had manufacturers add it to their product so that the population gets enough to prevent problems associated with deficiencies. 

During pregnancy, you can cook your vegetables with iodised salt in the cooking water to get your intake without leading to possible water retention and swelling. Fish, seaweed and saltwater seafood are also good sources of iodine. 

Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

What you eat during pregnancy can be transmitted to your baby via the placenta. Even if it filters many substances, many can still pass through and harm your baby’s development.

You should know that foods that are considered allergenic, such as peanut butter, shellfish and other seafood can be consumed during pregnancy.

Foods to avoid:

•   Raw meats, such as tartar or ceviche, can contain bacteria or parasites that can lead to deformities in your baby, miscarriages or stillbirth.
•   Game meat is acceptable as long as the parts of the animal consumed are free of lead particles.
•   Fish must be eaten cooked, not just smoked or marinated. So no sushi. Be careful of sport fish such as bass, pike, walleye, musky and lake trout, due to their potential high levels of heavy metals such as lead and mercury. These can be eaten very occasionally.
•   Raw eggs and raw milk dairy products should not be eaten due to the same reasons for raw meats.
•   Dried meats should be cooked before eating them. Sausages, pepperoni, mortadella, ham and other sliced meats should be pan-fried, microwaved or baked in the oven.
•   Unpasteurised juices.
•   Raw sprouts (alfalfa).
•   Energy drinks.
•   Sugar substitutes (saccharin and cyclamate).