How Many Calories Should I Eat While Pregnant? Pregnancy is a time of growth and anticipation, and sometimes, it can seem like a period that your tummy expands just as much as your baby. While this may be true at times, you don’t have to force yourself to eat something big each time you find yourself with an appetite.
How Many Calories Should I Eat While Pregnant
Most women don’t require additional nutrition until the third trimester of pregnancy. If you are active, you could require an extra 200 calories. Concentrate on making an effort to eat a healthy, balanced diet, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you require it.
People around you may advise you to eat more or in larger portions during pregnancy since “you’re eating for two.” Eating a lot more food during pregnancy is a popular myth, and it will not aid in your baby’s development.
Most women do not need to eat any extra food during the first six months in order to provide their baby with what they require. Around 2,000 calories per day are the recommended calorie intake for women. Depending on how active you are after you reach the third trimester, you might require an additional 200 calories.
It’s crucial to concentrate on eating a healthy, balanced diet, even if calories can assist us comprehend how much energy comes from our food.
You may get an idea of what a 200-calorie snack might look like from our movie.
To help you during the third trimester, we offer some suggestions for nutritious snacks.
Pregnancy is not the time to be restrictive with food or to diet, as this can stop you and your baby getting the nutrients you need. If you have a high BMI or feel you need support with having a healthy diethttps://thesuperhealthyfood.com/healthy-diet-plan-for-pregnancy/, speak with your midwife about dietary and lifestyle advice to manage this safely in pregnancy.
It’s crucial to keep in mind not to overburden yourself with thoughts of how much you are consuming. This may cause problems with your mental health and anxiety about gaining weight. Consuming more foods heavy in sugar and fat, however, might result in issues like gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. Therefore, concentrating on attempting to eat a healthy, balanced diet is the best thing you can do for yourself and your unborn child.
There may be a number of factors, such as illness or emotional health, that make you feel as though you cannot maintain a healthy diet while pregnant.Please get in touch with your doctor or midwife if you feel like you need further support. They can recommend you to a nutritionist.
Is It Safe To Count Calories During Pregnancy?
Pregnant women have a lot to keep track of with all the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy, doctor appointments, and preparation for your baby’s arrival (perhaps while still working and possibly taking care of older children). However, tracking calories is one less thing that the majority of pregnant women need to be aware of. While calorie counting may be encouraged or advised for some women (such as those who struggle to gain weight or those carrying twins), it’s probably not necessary for the majority of pregnant women to count calories every day for the duration of their pregnancy. Although calorie counting is a “safe” technique, many women find that it causes them to become overly concerned with their food choices and their weight, which may not be necessary or beneficial during pregnancy. Instead of counting calories, objective data like a woman’s weight trend during pregnancy, the baby’s weight and measurements, and an evaluation of the quality of the woman’s overall diet can be much more helpful indications of health.
How Many Calories A Day Do I Need While I’m Pregnant?
You won’t need to consume any more calories than you did before becoming pregnant for the first two trimesters, which last for the first six months of your pregnancy. That translates to an average of 2,000 calories daily.
However, you will require an additional 200 calories per day throughout the final three months of your pregnancy (third trimester), for a total of roughly 2,200 calories each day.
Recognize that humans come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and that some of us are more active than others. Therefore, any advice regarding how many calories you should consume when pregnant is based on averages.
The number of calories you need while you are pregnant depends on:
- your height
- your current weight
- how active you are
- your body composition and genetics
However, you may need to adjust your calorie intake if you are expecting twins or more, or if before you were pregnant:
- your BMI was 19 or under (underweight)
- your BMI was 25 or over (overweight)
- your BMI was 30 or over (obese)
Talk to your midwife if you fall into any of these categories. She will record your weight at your first antenatal appointment. She can also tell you what a healthy weight gain in pregnancy would mean for you.
There are lots of delicious, healthy snacks you can have for an extra 200 calories in your third trimester. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- A small, toasted wholegrain pitta, filled with a tablespoon of hummus with grated carrot and three chopped dried apricots.
- A small bowl of muesli with milk, and an apple.
- A slice of wholegrain toast, with mashed avocado or peanut butter.
- A yoghurt with a sprinkle of almonds.
- A slice of malt loaf, with cheese.
How Many Calories To Consume During Pregnancy
Many people have the prevalent belief that during pregnant you must consume food for two. You won’t need to pile on an extra plate for your growing child, but you should modestly boost your calorie consumption while you’re pregnant. Depending on their exercise level, age, and weight, a typical person may consume up to 2000 calories each day. For pregnant women to make it through the term and give the developing fetus in their wombs enough nutrition, calorie intake must be slightly increased. We will discuss the main issues surrounding calorie intake during pregnancy in this article. To learn more, keep reading.
Calories Needed In The First Trimester
You don’t need to drastically alter your diet throughout the first trimester; you can continue to consume the same number of calories. However, morning sickness in some women might lead to weight reduction. During the first trimester, 100 extra calories can assist the body maintain a steady flow of nutrients. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated throughout your pregnancy as morning sickness has a tendency to dehydrate people.
Calories Needed In The Second Trimester
Your hunger may have grown as you enter the second trimester because your baby requires more nutrition to grow. This is the time when you should carefully consider your regular diet. You should consume an extra 300–350 calories daily throughout the second trimester, bringing your total daily caloric intake to roughly 2300–2500.
Calories Needed In The Third Trimester
The nutritional requirements of your developing baby throughout your third trimester will require an additional 300 calories from you. You can get heartburn episodes and find it challenging to eat throughout the third trimester. By spreading out your meals over the course of the day, you can avoid this. A glass of milk could also be beneficial for treating heartburn.
If you have a healthy weight, gaining 11 to 15 kg when pregnant is optimal. The percentage is slightly lower for women who are overweight (7 to 11 kg) and slightly greater for those who are underweight (12 to 18 kg).
You should use a pregnant calorie calculator to keep track of your intake as we are essentially talking about calorie consumption during pregnancy. Continue reading to find out which factors the pregnant calorie calculator emphasizes.
Physical Activity During Pregnancy
If you are concerned about managing your weight during pregnancy, physical activity can help. According to the CDC, pregnant women should partake in some form of physical activity for 150 minutes each week, which can be broken down to about 30 minutes of movement most days. Exercise during pregnancy offers many benefits, including reducing the risk of too much weight gain, gestational diabetes, and symptoms of postpartum depression.
For healthy pregnant women, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise is seen as a safe choice. Examples include power walking, water aerobics, and various varieties of yoga. Running is an example of a high-intensity aerobic activity that can often be continued for as long as it’s comfortable and safe.Before beginning any workout program while you are pregnant, be careful to check with your doctor to make sure it is safe for both you and your unborn child.
If your doctor gives the go-ahead for you to exercise, make sure to drink lots of water to stay hydrated before, during, and after your activity. You should also avoid getting too hot and try to avoid sitting motionless or lying flat on your back as much as you can because these positions can lower your blood pressure. Exercise should be stopped right once if you experience fainting, breathlessness, muscle weakness, or vaginal bleeding.
Supplements In pregnancy
Find out what vitamin supplements you might need when you’re pregnantMore pregnancy videosThese tips will help you to feel full, while keeping your calorie count under control:
- Eat breakfast every day. If you feel sick in the morning, try nibbling dry toast or crackers when you wake up. Ask your partner to bring you something before you get out of bed, and then eat the rest of your breakfast later in the morning.
- Help to control your appetite by eating high-fibre foods, drinking plenty of water, and taking regular exercise. Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
- Keep healthy foods to hand. A fruit bowl filled with apples, bananas, peaches, oranges and grapes makes it easy to grab a healthy snack. Also try a handful of mixed nuts, plain yogurt with a handful of berries, oat crackers with avocado dip or mashed sardines.
- Have a small amount of protein, such as lean chicken, with each meal. Balanced meals help you to feel fuller for longer.
Rather than counting calories, it’s better to eat when you are hungry, and stick to healthy foods whenever you can.
If you develop gestational diabetes and your body mass index (BMI) was 27 or over before you became pregnant, your midwife or doctor may give you different advice. She may recommend that you lose some weight by restricting the amount of calories you eat and doing more exercise. This will help to manage the levels of sugar (glucose) in your blood.
Your midwife, diabetes nurse or doctor will be able to give you more detailed advice, or you may be referred to a dietitian.