Picture a regular Tuesday. You’re tired, a bit nauseous maybe, and you still have to eat three times. A pregnancy breakfast lunch dinner plan doesn’t need to be perfect. Get some protein in each meal, add a fruit or vegetable, snack when you’re hungry, and you’re mostly there. According to the CDC, you only need around 300 extra calories a day, and that’s from the second trimester onward.
Table of Contents
Morning
Nausea doesn’t care about your meal plan. So if you wake up feeling rough, grab a few crackers first and eat them slowly, even lying down. Then, an hour later, try something with a bit more substance. Two eggs and toast. Or oats with yogurt and sliced banana, which is what plenty of women end up living on for weeks. Throw in some orange juice if you like it. The vitamin C helps your body use the iron in your food.
Midday
Lunch is whatever you can pull together. Rice and dal is great. So is a chickpea salad, or leftover chicken in a wrap. Beans and lentils are full of folate, and folate is a big deal for your baby’s early development, so they’re worth eating even on days you take your prenatal vitamin. Pack it the night before if you’re out of the house. You’ll thank yourself.
Evening
Dinner is the tricky one because of heartburn. It usually gets worse as the day goes on, and worse again if you lie down on a full stomach. Try to finish eating two or three hours before bed and keep it mild. Baked salmon with sweet potato is lovely, and since salmon has DHA, it’s good for your baby’s brain too. The FDA says two or three servings of low-mercury fish a week is fine. If you don’t eat fish, paneer and vegetables with rice does the job.
Stuff to avoid
Skip raw or runny eggs, undercooked meat, and unpasteurized milk or cheese. Don’t let yourself go hours without food either, because that’s usually when the dizziness hits. And drink water, more than you think you need.
If you have gestational diabetes or low iron, talk to your doctor first. They might want to change a few things.
Quick questions
How many times should I eat in a day?
Three meals and a couple of small snacks is what works for most women.
What’s a good breakfast when pregnant?
Eggs with toast, or yogurt and oats with fruit.
Is skipping dinner okay?
Not great. A small, light dinner keeps your blood sugar from dropping overnight.
Do I need to eat more in the first trimester?
Usually not. That comes later.