Nutrition for Pregnancy

So I’m pregnant.  Ahhhhhhhh!  Now what?!

As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I have to admit that although they taught us the basics on nutrition for pregnancy during school, we mainly memorized recommended daily amounts (RDA) of nutrients and I never thought more about it.  Fast forward, I just found out I’m 5 weeks pregnant and I’m staring at a menu in a restaurant.  What in the world am I supposed to order?

Protein sounds smart. Don’t I need more protein than usual?  I’m growing another human being inside of me so I assume my protein needs go up.  As a pescatarian (fish-eating vegetarian) with an egg allergy, that leaves me with the option of eating fish or plant proteins such as nuts, beans and legumes.  One million questions are flooding my mind at once.  First off, what am I in the mood for?  Do I need to be eating protein with every meal?  What about the mercury content in fish?  Should I limit my fish intake?  Will plant proteins alone be good enough?  I guess there’s always dairy.  Maybe I should just eat a bagel with cream cheese.  That seems safe.  Or should I order the tofu cheese?  WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON??!!!

I’ve never felt so unprepared in my life.  I settled on the veggie delight sandwich on a whole grain bagel with lite cream cheese.  As soon as I got home I ordered my copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”  Hopefully that should give me some answers, but until that arrives in the mail, I’m left in a state of utter confusion.  Maybe I should go work out.  Is it safe to work out during your first trimester?  Should I keep it light?  What about that ab workout I just started two weeks ago?  Obviously, this belly is going to be growing, but do I keep strengthening the muscles or just stop?

I’ve looked forward to being pregnant for most of my adult life.  Although I know my body will be rapidly changing and I won’t always feel so great, I’ve also heard what a wonderful time it is in your life.  The part that I haven’t heard so many people talk about is how overwhelming and scary it can be at first.  Since my husband and I agreed we wouldn’t share the news with our families or close friends until after my first doctors visit, I’m now harboring a tremendous secret and I’m left with only the internet to come up with answers to all these burning questions.

I hope that other women feeling overwhelmed by pregnancy know that they’re not alone.  It’s ok to feel scared and confused.  This is a pretty big deal.  Rest assured, my curiosity led me to find answers and hopefully your moment of panic and frustration will be assuaged by this information.  Here are the nutrition recommendations from the Mayo Clinic for pregnant women:

Grains:

Suggested daily servings for a 5’4” woman:

Weight before pregnancy 1st Trimester 2nd Trimester 3rd Trimester
110 lbs. (49.9 kg) 6 oz. 8 oz. 8 oz.
140 lbs. (63.5 kg) 7 oz. 9 oz. 9 oz.

Suggested daily servings for a 5’9” woman:

Weight before pregnancy 1st Trimester 2nd Trimester 3rd Trimester
128 lbs. (58.1 kg) 7 oz. 9 oz. 9 oz.
162 lbs. (73.5 kg) 8 oz. 10 oz. 10 oz.

Note: 1 oz of whole grains equates to about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cold cereal, ½ cup of cooked rice, pasta or hot cereal.

Fruits and Vegetables:

Suggested daily servings for a 5’4” woman:

Weight before pregnancy 1st Trimester 2nd Trimester 3rd Trimester
110 lbs. (49.9 kg) 4 ½ cups 5 cups 5 cups
140 lbs. (63.5 kg) 5 cups 5 ½ cups 5 ½ cups

Suggested daily servings for a 5’9” woman:

Weight before pregnancy 1st Trimester 2nd Trimester 3rd Trimester
128 lbs. (58.1 kg) 5 cups 5 ½ cups 5 ½ cups
162 lbs. (73.5 kg) 5 cups 6 cups 6 cups

Note: 2 cups of raw vegetables are equivalent to 1 cup of cooked vegetables.

Protein:

Suggested daily servings for a 5’4” woman:

Weight before pregnancy 1st Trimester 2nd Trimester 3rd Trimester
110 lbs. (49.9 kg) 5 ½ oz. 6 ½ oz. 6 ½ oz.
140 lbs. (63.5 kg) 6 oz. 6 ½ oz. 6 ½ oz.

Suggested daily servings for a 5’9” woman:

Weight before pregnancy 1st Trimester 2nd Trimester 3rd Trimester
128 lbs. (58.1 kg) 6 oz. 6 ½ oz. 6 ½ oz.
162 lbs. (73.5 kg) 6 ½ oz. 7 oz. 7 oz.

Note: 1 ounce of protein equates to about one slice of turkey, 1 egg, or ¼ cup cooked beans or tofu, or 1 Tbsp of peanut butter.  1 small chicken breast is about 3-4 ounces.  1 small steak is about 4 ounces.  1 salmon filet is about 4 -6 ounces.

Dairy: 3 cups per day regardless of your height and weight.  Examples of 1 cup of dairy include: 1 glass (8 oz.) of milk or soymilk, 1 cup of yogurt, 1/3 cup of shredded cheese, 1 ½ cups of ice cream.

Are all these measurements sounding scary?  Try using a food tracker app such as My Fitness Pal to keep you on track.

Still confused?  Read this great Article: http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/eating-well/week-11/big-nutrition-small-packages.aspx

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