What Should I Eat In Pregnancy? Advice From A Dietitian

It can be hard to know what to eat when you’re pregnant, especially when there is so much information out there! Which is why we recruited help from Registered Dietitian and Intuitive Eating counsellor Katherine Kimber to let us know her expert advice on what you can eat and drink whilst pregnant. This information is taken from her live Masterclass on Pregnancy Nutrition on our YouTube channel. You can watch the class below, or continue scrolling to read the 6 things she has recommended you have whilst pregnant.

1. Fluids

Before we think about what to eat, let’s look at what to drink! First up, water. Some pregnant women and birthing people can’t seem to drink enough and will still have dark pee. Katherine recommends ‘drinking to thirst’ and then checking the colour of your urine. It should ideally be pale, straw coloured, and shouldn’t be smelly. But a good rule of thumb to think about is to drink 35ml to every kg of body weight, e.g. if you weigh 100kg, you should aim for 3.5L of water a day. But the best thing to do is keep checking the colour and smell of your wee.

Remember all fluids count! We’re talking ice lollies, fruit and jellies, your body gets fluid from all these things. Though of course there are exceptions like alcohol and caffeine as mentioned below.

When it comes to caffeinated drinks, 1-2 caffeinated drinks a day is a good amount to stay on the safe side. And finally, where alcohol is concerned, it is not recommended that pregnant people should consume it. Although the risk of harm to your baby is low, there is no known safe level of alcohol that can be consumed while pregnant. So if you can, try not to drink.

2. Protein

While there is no known optimal intake of protein while pregnant, guidelines say that you should have an additional 6-30g of protein a day. However, protein deficiency in pregnancy is rare so as long as you are consuming some amount of protein everyday, this should be fine for you and your baby. 

Sources of protein can come from the below list, and it’s great if you can aim to get protein from a few of these sources a day.

• Meat

• Poultry

• Fish

• Eggs

• Beans

• Lentils

• Yoghurt

• Milk

• Nuts

• Tofu

And if you are a vegetarian/vegan The NHS has great guidance on getting protein from other sources rather than meat and dairy.

3. Carbs

Did you know 45-60% of energy you consume in a day comes from carbs? This means that, if you can, it’s a good idea to try to include carbohydrates in most of your meals and snacks. Carbohydrates can be found in foods like:

• Bread

• Breakfast cereals

• Rice

• Noodles

• Oats

• Yams

• Beans

• Potatoes

• Pasta

Some great snack based carbs include things like oat based cereal bars, toast, cracker breads with cheese, marmite, peanut butter (or whatever your favourite toppings are!) or even food like yoghurt and granola.

This is a non exhaustive list and there are many more things with carbohydrates in. There is a lot of stigma around carbohydrates and a lot of people will try to avoid carbohydrates because we’re told they are unhealthy and lead to weight gain. But this isn’t helpful when you might only be able to stomach carbs like bread when you are having pregnancy nausea. So, don’t be harsh on yourself and listen to what your body wants and needs.

4. Fats

There are no official recommendations for fat intake during pregnancy but Omega 3’s are important for growth of your baby’s brain and the development of their nervous system. Omega 3 is most commonly found in oily fish, but, with oily fish you need to be careful of mercury which can be harmful in pregnancy.

Oily fish high in Omega 3 but low in mercury include:

• Salmon

• Pollock

• Herring

• Cod

• Sardines

• Mackerel (but not king mackerel)

It’s recommended that you have one-two portions of fish a week, with at least one of them being an oily fish. Don’t worry if you don’t eat fish though - finding Omega 3’s as a vegetarian isn’t too difficult either!

You can also find Omega 3’s in:

• Seaweed and algae

• Hemp seeds

• Chia seeds

• Walnuts

• Rapeseed oil

• Flaxseeds

5. Fibre

Fibre is a collective term for different plant substances that are resistant to digestion by our gut enzymes. This means they form the bulk of our poo and keep our digestive systems healthy. But, not only that, they are also heart health promoting and help prevent constipation.

You can find fibre in a range of foods, including (but not limited to):

• High fibre breakfast cereals

• Potatoes with the skins on

• Beans, pulses and lentils

• Fresh fruit, canned fruit and dried fruit

• Oat cakes

• Broccoli

There are lots of ways to add fibre into your diet, Bene fibre has a great list of the Top 10 High-Fibre Foods.

If you are worried about pregnancy nutrition, then it’s always good to remind yourself that your baby gets preference for nutrients over you. So, even if you can’t get that much down you, as long as you’re getting some food in, it’s unlikely that your baby will suffer. This blog is just a snippet of the free masterclass on our YouTube channel. To continue learning, head to our YouTube to watch the rest of the Pregnancy Nutrition Masterclass with Katherine Kimber.

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Katherine Kimber is a Registered Dietitian and Intuitive Eating Counsellor. You can find more about Katherine’s work at Nude Nutrition.