Most pregnant women end up eating about 1,800 to 2,200 calories a day. A 1,500 calorie pregnancy meal plan sits below that, so it’s really one for your doctor to suggest, not you.
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Where your number comes from
Everybody’s different, and your weight before pregnancy plays a big part. So does how much you move around all day. ACOG says that in the first trimester you don’t need extra calories, which a lot of moms don’t expect. By the second trimester it’s about 340 extra, and in the third about 450. That’s small. Think a banana and a slice of toast with butter.
The 1,500 day
Doctors tend to pick this for things like gestational diabetes. It’s careful eating, not dieting, and losing weight isn’t the point.
So you start with a couple of eggs and a slice of toast, and a bit of yogurt with berries when you get peckish. Lunch is grilled chicken with a small scoop of rice and plenty of sabzi. When the afternoon slump comes, have an apple with peanut butter. Dinner is baked fish with half a sweet potato and some greens. The biscuits with your chai? Maybe not today.
The 1,800 day
Pretty much the same food, but you eat more of it. Oatmeal with a banana to start, almonds in the yogurt, rice at lunch, and a glass of milk with a couple of dates in the afternoon. Dinner is dal, rice and spinach. It works well for early pregnancy, or if you’re small.
The 2,000 day
Around month four or five most women get hungry, properly hungry. A veggie omelet with toast helps, then rice, dal and fish or chicken at lunch. Hummus and pita keep you going in the afternoon, and dinner can be curry with two rotis. Yogurt before bed if you want it. Nobody’s counting.
Don’t just chase the number
Prenatal nutrition is about what’s on the plate too: iron-rich foods, protein, calcium, fiber. Your doctor may suggest pregnancy supplements like folic acid, iron or DHA for pregnancy. The NIH says these fill gaps, they don’t replace real food.
And if you’re hungry all the time, the plan’s too small. Change it. The CDC says to aim for steady, healthy weight gain, so not too fast and not nothing.
FAQs
Is 1,500 calories enough during pregnancy?
Mostly no. Only follow it if your doctor tells you to.
How many calories do I need in the second trimester?
About 340 more than usual, which puts most women around 2,000 to 2,200.
Can I diet while pregnant?
It’s not advised. Ask your doctor how much gain is right for you.