First, let me say that there is no such thing as “eating for two.”  I know this is a huge disappointment, as many people out there would love to use their pregnancy as an opportunity to eat every single thing that they ever thought tasted good (I know, I’ve been there).  But let me fast forward through your pregnancy a bit—it’s unhealthy for you, it’s unhealthy for your baby, and the pregnancy weight is not going to magically fall off…unless you were the kind of person who would not gorge out in the first place :/  

ChooseMyPlate.Gov

Here are some things to remember:

• You only need about 300 extra calories a day during pregnancy to support your baby’s growth and development.
• Most doctors suggest women gain a total of 1 to 4 pounds total during the first 3 months of their pregnancy.

• Women who gain too much are more likely to have a large baby or a premature baby. A premature baby is born too early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Theses moms also may also have health conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure. These conditions can cause problems during pregnancy.

Here are some things to help you out:

• Seriously watch how much juice you drink. Even all-natural and 100% juice is full of sugar and empty calories. If you find it impossible to cut out these sweet drinks, treat yourself to a small glass once a day.  If you are gestational diabetic, you should really cut these things out from your diet all together!!! 
• Anything canned or frozen is full of salt.  There’s no getting around it. Even if it’s a “healthy meal,” it’s still full of salt.
• Try snacking on something healthy every 2 hours or so. 
• If you can pick the food up in a drive-through, it’s probably unhealthy.

The total amount of weight you should gain during your pregnancy depends on your weight when you became pregnant.

If you’re pregnant with one baby:

• If you were at a healthy weight before pregnancy, you want to gain about 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. You gain 1 to 4½ pounds in the first trimester and then about one pound a week in the second and third trimesters.
• If you were underweight before pregnancy, you want to gain about 28 to 40 pounds during pregnancy. You gain 1 to 4½ pounds in the first trimester and then a little more than a pound a week in the second and third trimesters.
• If you were overweight before pregnancy, you want to gain about 15 to 25 pounds during pregnancy. You gain 1 to 4½ pounds in the first trimester and then a little more than a ½ pound every week in the second and third trimesters.
• If you were obese before pregnancy, you want to gain about 11 to 20 pounds during pregnancy. You gain 1 to 4½ pounds in the first trimester and then a little less than a ½ pound every week in the second and third trimesters.

If you’re pregnant with twins:

• If you were at a healthy weight before pregnancy, you want to gain about 37 to 54 pounds during pregnancy.
• If you were overweight before pregnancy, you want to gain about 31 to 50 pounds during pregnancy.
• If you were obese before pregnancy, you want to gain about 25 to 42 pounds during pregnancy.

Daily Food Plan for Moms

What are Empty Calories?

Vegetable Group

(choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried)

• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Spinach
• Cooked greens (such as kale, collards, turnip greens, and beet greens)
• Winter squash
• Tomatoes and tomato sauces
• Red sweet peppers

These vegetables all have both vitamin A and potassium.  When choosing canned vegetables, look for “low-sodium” or “no-salt-added” on the label.

Fruit Group

(choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried)

• Cantaloupe
• Honeydew melon
• Mangoes
• Prunes
• Bananas
• Apricots
• Oranges
• Red or pink grapefruit
• 100% prune juice or orange juice

These fruits all provide potassium, and many also provide vitamin A. When choosing canned fruit, look for those canned in 100% fruit juice or water instead of syrup.

Dairy Group

• Fat-free or low-fat yogurt
• Fat-free milk (skim milk)
• Low-fat milk (1% milk)
• Calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage)

These all provide the calcium and potassium you need.  Make sure that your choices are fortified with vitamins A and D.

Grain Group

• Fortified ready-to-eat cereals
• Fortified cooked cereals

When buying ready-to-eat and cooked cereals, choose those made from whole grains most often.  Look for cereals that are fortified with iron and folic acid.

Protein Foods Group

• Beans and peas (such as pinto beans, soybeans, white beans, lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas)
• Nuts and seeds (such as sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, and peanut butter)
• Lean beef, lamb, and pork
• Oysters, mussels, crab
• Salmon,  trout, herring, sardines, and pollock

Until my next delivery ❤