Nutrition plays a significant role in optimizing your health and the growth of your baby. Food requirements during pregnancy are not drastically different from a normal well-balanced diet. Nutrient needs are higher, but the general principles of sound nutrition, variety, balance, and moderation still apply.

Your health care provider will set goals for total weight gain during pregnancy based on your pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is an indicator of nutritional status based on height and weight, it indicates whether you are underweight, normal or overweight.

A pregnant woman needs about 300 calories a day more than she did pre-pregnancy to support the rapid growth of the fetus and her changing body. (Pre-pregnancy needs are about 2,200 calories daily for most active women and teenage girls and about 1,600 calories for sedentary women.) This is approximately the same number of calories as supplied by 2 cups of low fat milk, or one cup of ice cream, or a tuna fish sandwich. This additional calorie requirement may seem small. However, it is enough to supply the extra energy essential to support pregnancy. Some expectant mothers may be tempted to “eat for two,” or double the amount of food they normally eat. This practice is likely to result in excessive weight gain.

Folic acid is especially important during pregnancy and even more before becoming pregnant. The recommendation is 600 micrograms folic acid per day (400 micrograms from a supplement and 200 micrograms from food sources).

Pregnant women need to eat a variety of carefully chosen foods over the course of the day to get the recommended amount of calories, protein, vitamins and minerals needed during pregnancy. The Food Guide Pyramid provides you with guidelines to plan healthful meals and snacks before, during, and after pregnancy.

The pyramid divides food into six groups.
Here’s a quick look at those groups and how many servings a day from each group you should aim for:

A balanced diet does not have to be a boring or bland diet – but there are some ‘Do’ and ‘Do not’ points to remember:

DO

• Occasional treats are a good thing, as long as they are used in moderation and they can help keep the diet interesting.
• Cravings usually occur during the first trimester but can last for the whole term. There is no evidence that food cravings are the result of nutritional deficiencies, and their cause remains unknown. There is no harm in satisfying food cravings within reason, especially when they make a nutritional contribution to the diet.
• Iron rich foods are important as blood volume increases by 50% during pregnancy – it is especially important for vegetarians. Your doctor may also prescribe iron supplements for you.
• Eat three meals a day and if you are a snacker, make these meals. Snacking can be good because it helps to keep blood sugar at a consistent level.
• Aspartame, the artificial sweetener found in most diet soft drinks and other sugar-free treats, is considered safe for most pregnant women when consumed in moderate amounts. Saccharin, on the other hand, is more controversial. The main health issue for pregnant women who use artificial sweeteners is that they may be missing out on more nutritious foods and beverages.

• Alcohol is not recommended in any circumstances.
• Some studies suggest that drinking more than two or three cups of coffee daily (approximately eight cups of tea or nine cans of caffeinated soft drinks) increase the chances of low birthweight. Because caffeine can cross the placenta and affect the fetus, pregnant women should apply the principle of moderation to caffeine consumption and discuss it with their personal physician.
• Don’t diet during pregnancy and if you do suffer from any form of eating disorder, this should be addressed before becoming pregnant.
• Avoid eating any kind of raw fish, sea food, undercooked meat or chicken and unpasteurised dairy products.