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Healthy Eating During Pregnancy


  • Consume a variety of foods

  • Eat grains, vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, eggs, milk products (or the alternatives of milk products) every day

  • Choose nutritious foods

  • Avoid foods and drinks with added fats and sugar but low nutrients content e.g. soft drinks, sweetened drinks, cakes, cookies, pastries, ice-cream, processed foods like sausages and instant noodle

Tips: Taste buds emerge at 3 months of gestation. Your baby tastes the food you eat. Your food choice has an effect on his food preference.


How should I eat to meet the demand of pregnancy?

  • In the first trimester (the first 13 weeks), your body needs slightly more calories. You do not need to eat more than taking an extra piece of whole-meal bread, or a cup of low sugar calcium-fortified soy milk or low fat milk per day. You should take a prenatal multivitamin/multimineral supplement containing iodine and folic acid

  • In the second and third trimester (14th to 40th week), your body requires more calories and nutrients. While eating a bit more, it is important to improve the quality of diet by eating a variety of foods.


Meal Plan for a Balanced Diet


The meal plan food of a pregnant woman, having a normal BMI and of a weight 45 to 60 kg before pregnancy, who maintains light physical activity is outlined in the following table.

If you are expecting more than one baby or have gestational diabetes, you should discuss what and how much to eat with your dietitian.


Grains

Choose brown rice and whole-meal bread instead of white rice and white bread. Whole-grain foods are rich in vitamins and dietary fibre. It provides a longer satiety effect and prevents constipation.

Servings per day before pregnancy and first trimester: 3 to 4 Servings per day during second and third trimester: 3½ to 5

Example(s) of a serving:

  • 1 bowl of rice

  • 1 bowl of rice noodles

  • 1¼ bowls of noodles

  • 1½ bowls of spaghetti/ macaroni

  • 2 slices of bread (8 slices per pound)

Vegetables


Go for vegetables of different colors every day. They contain various nutrients and phytochemicals. Dark green vegetables contain more iron, calcium and beta-carotene.

Servings per day before pregnancy and first trimester: 3 or more Servings per day during second and third trimester: 4 to 5 Example(s) of a serving:

  • ½ bowl of cooked vegetables

  • 1 bowl of uncooked vegetables


Fruits


Go for fruits of different colors every day. They contain various nutrients and phytochemicals.

Servings per day before pregnancy and first trimester: 2 or more Servings per day during second and third trimester: 2 to 3

Example(s) of a serving:

  • 1 medium size fruit (e.g. apple/pear/orange of size of a lady's fist)

  • 2 plums/kiwi fruits

  • ½ cup diced fruit

Meat, fish, eggs and alternatives


Remove the skin and trim the fat from meat or poultry. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids. Choose fish of lower methylmercury. Dried beans, soybean and its products are healthy choices and rich in dietary fibre. Choose non-fried and low-salt soy products. Avoid choosing preserved or processed foods.

Servings per day before pregnancy and first trimester: 5 to 6 Servings per day during second and third trimester: 5 to 7

Example(s) of a serving and better food choices:

  • 40 g raw meat (including fish)

  • 30 g cooked meat (size of a table tennis ball)

  • 1 chicken egg

  • ¼ block of firm tofu

  • 4 tablespoons of cooked soybeans, 6 to 8 tablespoons of other cooked beans

Milk and alternatives


Servings per day before pregnancy and first trimester: 1 to 2 Servings per day during second and third trimester: 2

Example(s) of a serving (One serving provides 300 mg calcium): Milk products: choose products that are low-fat or fat-free

  • 1 cup of milk

  • 2 slices of processed cheese

  • 1 carton (150 g) of yoghurt

Other calcium rich foods:

  • 1 cup of calcium-fortified soy milk

  • ½ block of firm tofu (set with calcium salt)

  • 1 bowl of tofu pudding

  • 3 sardines with bones

  • 3 tablespoons of sesame

  • Dark green leafy vegetables:

    • 200 g: Kale, bok choi

    • 300 g: choy sum

Oil, fat, sugar, salt

Use iodised salt. Limit salt intake to no more than 5 g (1 teaspoon) a day. Vegetable oils are recommended for cooking. Limit to 2 teaspoons* a meal.

Servings per day before pregnancy and first trimester: in moderation Servings per day during second and third trimester: in moderation


*Fat content of 1 tablespoon of salad dressing, ½ tablespoon of peanut butter or sesame paste is equal to 1 teaspoon of oil


Fluid

Adjust according to weather and exercise level. Includes water, thin soup Servings per day before pregnancy and first trimester: 6 to 8 cups Servings per day during second and third trimester: 8 cups


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