Balanced Pregnancy Diet
All foods are built of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals, fiber and water. Each food has a unique mixture of nutrients, with the food groups tending to have similarities. Foods in the meat group tend to be high in protein. Fruits and vegetables have a variety of vitamins and minerals, and whole grains are an excellent source of carbohydrates and fiber. To make the most of your eating, you should attempt to "balance" the nutrients in your diet by eating a variety of foods every day to provide a mixture of nutrients.
For example, if you know you are hungry for chicken, you could have a piece of baked chicken with some brown rice risotto and a mix of steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Or, you could have some shredded cooked chicken on a whole wheat pita with diced cucumber, onion, lettuce and tomatoes. Both of these meals provide a mixture of nutrients naturally.
How balanced should this be? There is no authority who recommends eating equal volumes of all types of foods. Instead, recommendations are made per serving from food groups to help you maintain a balance throughout the day. Because the recommendations are made per food group, you have tremendous freedom to choose or not choose foods based on taste, availability, personal beliefs or simply preference.
The following are dietary balance recommendations for servings per day made by various governments and are compared to the recommendations for minimum servings made by Dr. Tom Brewer, noted advocate for pregnancy nutrition gave the following recommendations for balanced nutrition:
Food Group |
Dr. Brewer |
USA |
Canada |
Australia |
UK |
Protein |
4 |
2-3 |
2 |
1.5 |
Moderate |
Dairy |
4 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2-3 |
Fruits and Vegetables |
5 |
5-9 |
7-8 |
9-10 |
5 |
Grains |
4 |
6-11 |
6-7 |
4-6 |
1/3 of diet |
Pregnancy Specific |
NA |
NA |
Add 2-3 servings of any group |
NA |
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It is important to note that these recommendations are based on serving sizes, not helpings. The serving size varies for each type of food. Your most accurate measure will be listed on the food label when available. Having a food scale can help you ensure your serving sizes are not too small or too large.
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