Nutrition for Pregnancy

This vitamin is particularly important before and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, when extra folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects, a type of birth defect that affects development of the baby’s spine.

Studies show that 83% of women aged 16 – 49 years had blood levels of folate that put them at increased risk of an NTD affected pregnancy.

If you are pregnant or trying for a baby you should take daily folic acid supplements (400 micrograms per day for most women). Ideally you should start taking folic acid 3 months before trying for a baby and continue for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

If you have a family history of neural tube defects, are taking anti-epileptic medication, or are diabetic, speak to your doctor as you may need a higher dose. 

Folate – the natural form of folic acid - is found in green leafy vegetables, wholegrains and wholegrain bread, nuts, peas, beetroot, oranges and berries. Eating plenty of folate-rich foods is also important during pregnancy.

It's common for women to develop iron deficiency during pregnancy. This is because your body needs extra iron to ensure your baby has a sufficient blood supply and receives necessary oxygen and nutrients. 

Over a third of all women aged 19 - 65 years in the UK have low iron intakes. Low iron status is linked to poor outcomes for both mother and baby, including premature birth and low birth weight

Try to build up your iron stores when you’re trying to become pregnant by eating a balanced diet including food containing iron, such as red meat, poultry and fish, beans, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and wholegrains.  

Vitamin C helps us absorb iron from plant sources. Try adding foods or drinks that are high in vitamin C (like peppers, tomatoes or a small glass of orange juice) to meals, to help increase your iron uptake. 

As well as being a good source of vitamin D, oily fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and this type of fat is needed for the development of your baby’s brain and eyes.

Eat at least one portion (140g, cooked weight) of oily fish per week. Fish is a healthy food to include and provides important nutrients for pregnancy. But limit fish to no more than two portions per week as some fish, including salmon, sea bass, sea bream, turbot, halibut and brown crab meat can be harmful if consumed in large amounts.  

If you are trying for a baby or are pregnant, avoid eating shark, swordfish and marlin, and more than four cans of tuna, or two fresh tuna steaks, a week. These fish can contain more mercury than other kinds of fish, which may harm your baby’s nervous system. 

Women are also advised to avoid ready-to-eat cold-smoked or cured fish products as they can present a risk of listeria.  

Large amounts of vitamin A can harm your unborn baby and may cause conditions such as spina bifida.  

Avoid supplements that contain vitamin A (including fish liver oil) and liver or liver products, such as pâté, which are high in vitamin A.

You can speak to your doctor or midwife for more information.  

Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, chocolate, sports/energy drinks, some soft drinks and some cold and flu remedies. It has been linked to an increased risk of your baby not growing as well as expected, so limit your caffeine intake when trying for a baby and while pregnant, to less than 200mg per day. This is roughly the amount in two mugs of instant coffee or two and a half cups of tea.  

Energy drinks are legally required to declare a high caffeine content and are not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women.  

The advice from the UK Chief Medical Officers’ is that, if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum. 

Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to the baby, with the more you drink the greater the risk. 

The risk of harm to the baby is likely to be low if you have drunk only small amounts of alcohol before you knew you were pregnant or during pregnancy.  

If you who find out that you are pregnant after already having drunk during early pregnancy, avoid further drinking but be aware that it is unlikely in most cases that your baby has been affected. 

Energy requirements during the first and second trimester are no different to normal as your body makes some adaptations to help reduce the extra energy it might otherwise need.

In the last 12 weeks of pregnancy, you do need a little extra energy – about 200kcal more per day.

Good sources of extra calories include steamed vegetables, egg noodles, a small handful of unsalted nuts, porridge with a spoonful of raisins, or wholegrain toast with peanut better.  

Morning sickness is a normal part of pregnancy; it usually settles in the second trimester and is unlikely to cause longer-term problems.  

Some women find eating carbohydrate-rich foods helps reduce nausea and eating small amounts throughout the day may also help. There is some evidence that ginger products, such as fresh ginger or ginger teas, help reduce nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

Try to replace the fluids that are lost when you are sick.  

Some women experience severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (‘hyperemesis gravidarum’) and should consult their doctor or midwife. 

For breastfeeding women, losing weight by eating healthily and taking regular exercise will not affect the quantity or quality of their milk. 

Women who exclusively breastfeed may require extra calories, but your body will also use up the fat stored during pregnancy for this exact purpose.  

Exclusively breastfeeding is linked to greater weight loss after pregnancy and breastfeeding for a longer period is associated with a healthier BMI in the long term. Breastfeeding has important health benefits for mother and baby, including supporting your baby’s immune system. 

Avoid soft cheeses with white rinds such as brie, camembert and others with a similar rind, including goats' cheese with a rind (sometimes known as chèvre) 

Also, avoid soft, blue-veined cheeses such as Danish blue, gorgonzola and Roquefort 

These cheeses can contain listeria bacteria that cause listeriosis. Listeriosis is an infection that can cause flu-like symptoms. Although listeriosis is extremely serious in pregnancy, it is very rare. 

Pasteurisation is a heat treatment process to kill bacteria and prevent food poisoning. 

Unpasteurised or ‘raw’ milk and cream (from cows’, goats’ or sheep) are often sold at farmers markets and farm shops. They may contain harmful bacteria that could cause food poisoning and should be avoided.

These products must carry an on-pack warning in England and Wales. The sale of raw milk is banned in Scotland.  

Including raw cured meats, for example Parma ham (prosciutto), chorizo, pepperoni and salami 

Many cold meats such as salami, pepperoni, chorizo and Parma ham, are cured and fermented but not cooked, and there is a risk they contain toxoplasmosis-causing parasites.

Freezing for four days or more makes the meat safer to eat, as does cooking (pepperoni on a pizza, for example).  

Tap water is a good choice, but all non-alcoholic drinks can count towards your fluid intake, including milk, fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and hot drinks.

Keep your caffeine below 200mg per day during pregnancy. A mug of instant coffee, for example, has about 100mg of caffeine, filter coffee about 140mg, and a mug of tea about 75mg. Bear in mind that green tea has caffeine.  

There is a greater risk of tooth decay and gum disease in pregnancy, so limit sugary and acidic drinks as fizzy soft drinks, sweetened iced teas, juices and smoothies, to mealtimes only.