Did you know that what you eat during pregnancy can shape your baby’s health for a lifetime?
Don’t get me wrong, there are many aspects to pregnancy we can’t control. In fact, going through pregnancy is a lot about letting go of control. Specifically, things outside of our control like genetics, environmental influences, and certain medical conditions. While these things are important and absolutely contribute to the health of our pregnancy and baby, there is one crucial aspect of pregnancy we can control: our nutrition.
Nutrition during pregnancy directly affects both the mother’s and baby’s health. And the positive impact of proper nutrition goes way further than you might think.
Nourishing yourself properly during pregnancy (we’ll get to what that looks like in a bit) plays a huge role in enhancing positive pregnancy outcomes (ie a healthy body, a healthy delivery, a healthy baby, and an easier postpartum recovery). On the other hand, it also helps mitigate risks to both you and baby (think: iron-deficiency anemia, low birth weight for baby, or gestational diabetes for mom, to name a few). These two factors combine to make nutrition, not doctors, interventions, where you live, or anything else, the single most significant factor within our influence during pregnancy.
How is Nutrition Important During Pregnancy?
We’ve covered why nutrition during pregnancy is so important. Now let’s dive into the juicy bit: exactly how does nutrition affect pregnancy?
For the Mother:
Pregnancy requires a lot from the mother. Some would say it takes a lot out of you! While I prefer to think of pregnancy in a net positive way, I understand the sentiment. Pregnancy requires us as moms to have an excess of nutrients so that we can pass that excess along to our growing babies. If you go through your pregnancy underconsuming calories, healthy fats, protein, or key micronutrients, not only will you not have enough to pass along to your baby, but you won’t be able to properly nourish yourself either. My midwife reminds me of this at every appointment, because it’s that important.
Here are just a handful of ways proper prenatal nutrition supports the mother:
- stable energy levels
- stronger immune system
- better long-term health postpartum
- an easier time breastfeeding
- better bone health
And if that’s not reason enough to nourish yourself well during these nine months, proper nutrition can help prevent common but undesired pregnancy-related issues, including gestational diabetes (GD), preeclampsia (a serious high blood pressure condition, usually during the second half of pregnancy), and anemia (usually from insufficient iron-intake but it can also be from other key nutrients like B12 or folic acid).
This is where a strong focus on your nutrition can help in big impactful ways! No one wants to experience a high-risk pregnancy, and while many issues that result in high-risk pregnancies aren’t in our control, those that are impacted by nutrition and lifestyle absolutely are!
For the Baby:
Good nutrition is essential to your baby’s growth and development in utero. While there are a wide variety of specific ways nutrition impacts the baby, here are just a few. Essential nutrients play key roles in proper brain development, bone formation, and healthy birth weight.
During every trimester of pregnancy–from the first few weeks when your body is beginning to form the placenta and amniotic sac, to the last few weeks when your baby is gaining his/her important final few lbs in preparation for life outside the womb–abundant essential nutrients passed from the mother through the placenta to the baby are of vital importance.
Beyond the baby’s development in utero, prenatal nutrition has long-term impacts on the baby’s health and development into childhood and beyond. When you prioritize your nutrition during pregnancy and nourish yourself and your baby well, you establish the basis for lifelong health and development of your child.
How to Nourish Yourself (and Your Baby) Well During Pregnancy
By now you’re probably convinced to make nutrition a top priority during pregnancy. But you might be wondering how exactly to do that. What should you focus on? What essential nutrients deserve special attention? This is a whole topic in and of itself and many books have been written about it. (I recommend starting with this one if you want to dive deeper.)
If you’re newly pregnant or haven’t been focusing on your nutrition up until now, here are some practical tips to get you started. These will help ensure optimal nutrition during pregnancy, without overwhelming you:
Prenatal Nutrition Tip #1: Eat a Balanced Diet
Focus on eating a variety of real, unprocessed whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, high-quality proteins (from both animal and plant sources), healthy fats (like extra virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and full-fat organic dairy if you tolerate it) legumes, and whole grains. Prioritize lots of healthy fats and proteins in all your meals and snacks.
Blood sugar is a big focus in pregnancy and poor blood sugar control can impact so many aspects of pregnancy for both you and your baby. So, in addition to the tips above, try to limit refined sugar and processed carb consumption.
Prenatal Nutrition Tip #2: Manage Meal Portions and Frequency
The common advice to “eat for two” during pregnancy is pretty misleading. For one thing, your growing baby does not require even close to as many calories as you do, even at the end of pregnancy! For another, as your belly and baby grow, your digestive organs are pushed upward and smashed together. Your stomach is constricted and there really isn’t a lot of space in there! This lack of space can lead to overeating (by just eating your normal, pre-pregnancy portion sizes) and then feeling REALLY full, like your stomach is going to pop. (I speak from personal experience.😅)
To combat this while ensuring you’re consuming enough calories and nutrients, try reducing your portion sizes and increasing the number of meals you eat in a day. Instead of 3 big meals, try eating 5 smaller, more frequent mini-meals. A bonus of eating this way is that it can help you maintain stable energy levels and manage first-trimester nausea.
Prenatal Nutrition Tip #3: Avoid Harmful Substances (but don’t obsess over it!)
Educate yourself early on about what foods are best avoided during pregnancy. Particularly if you eat meat, dairy, fish, and/or eggs, there are certain foods and preparation methods you may want to avoid.
As soon as you find out you’re pregnant, switch some or all of your caffeine consumption from coffee to tea. Swearing off coffee entirely isn’t usually necessary, but if you’re a multiple coffees per day type person, it might be a good idea to opt for black, green, or matcha teas in place of your second or third cup of coffee.
It goes without saying, but you’ll also want to completely avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, or using recreational drugs while pregnant. In fact, I recommend pausing alcohol consumption as soon as you start trying to conceive.
Prenatal Nutrition Tip #4: Include a Prenatal Vitamin
Consult with your doctor or nutritionist to figure out the best pregnancy supplements for your specific situation and needs. And then, treat your prenatal vitamins as an insurance policy. Supplements don’t replace eating a healthy diet, but they can ensure adequate intake of key nutrients such as folic acid, iron, calcium, and DHA that you might struggle to get from food alone.
Prenatal Nutrition Tip #5: Stay Hydrated
I can’t overstate the importance of drinking enough water during pregnancy. Especially as your pregnancy progresses and you move into the second and third trimesters, extra hydration is essential. During pregnancy the blood volume in our bodies nearly doubles, resulting in much higher hydration needs. Staying well-hydrated helps your skin stretch to accommodate your growing belly, improves blood flow through the umbilical cord to your baby, and prevents painful third-trimester leg cramps and swelling.
To stay on top of your hydration needs, it can help to keep track of your fluid intake during the day. And remember that water on its own isn’t always enough. With increased fluids comes a need for increased electrolytes during pregnancy, including sodium (yes, I mean salt!), potassium, and magnesium. Consider making your own mineral mocktails (recipe below) or at the very least adding a pinch of high-quality sea salt (I like Celtic grey) to your water.
Here’s my super simple mineral mocktail recipe that I’ve been drinking every morning during pregnancy:
- 8-12oz filtered water (room temp or warm)
- Juice from ½ a lemon (source of vitamin C)
- ⅛ tsp Celtic grey sea salt (source of sodium)
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar (source of potassium)
- 1-2 capsules magnesium glycinate or malate powder (broken)
Mix everything in a glass and enjoy! It tastes like a fancy version of standard lemon water. I’ve noticed that on the days I drink it, I have fewer leg cramp episodes than on days I forget to!
So there you have it–five simple ways to prioritize your nutrition during pregnancy.
I hope you walk away from this article feeling more confident about the role nutrition plays in a healthy pregnancy, and more empowered in your ability to make healthy choices for yourself and your growing baby.
If you’re still feeling confused or looking for further resources, you might benefit from personalized support! As I’ve gone through my own pregnancy journey, I’ve loved diving into prenatal nutrition. I’m excited to now be offering two different Plants So Good pregnancy-specific 1:1 coaching packages! If this sounds like something you’re interested in and want to learn more about, apply for 1:1 sessions with me. In these sessions, you’ll receive tailored guidance catered to your specific nourishment needs for a healthy, happy pregnancy.
