Pregnancy is an exciting journey filled with many changes — and one of the most important is eating a healthy diet during pregnancy, because your body’s nutritional needs evolve to support both you and your growing baby. Knowing how to eat healthy during pregnancy is essential for supporting your baby’s development. Understanding what foods should be avoided during pregnancy is equally important for ensuring your safety and baby’s health.
Read on for dietitian-recommended guidelines for healthy eating during pregnancy to support your baby’s development, highlighting essential nutrients, what to avoid, and how to lay the foundation for a healthy start to life.
The Importance of Healthy Eating During Pregnancy
Eating a healthy diet is always important — but it’s especially critical when you’re pregnant. While you can’t control the genes you pass on to your baby, you can control the nutrition you provide during this crucial time through the foods you eat.
During pregnancy, the nutrients you consume not only feed you and support a healthy pregnancy, they also feed your growing baby, support their development, influence your baby’s taste preferences after they’re born, can help prevent birth complications, and affect baby’s risk of obesity and chronic diseases later in life.1,2
What Is Healthy to Eat During Pregnancy?
A well-rounded, whole-foods diet that includes plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and adequate hydration supports a healthy pregnancy and baby. Your body needs more of many nutrients while you are pregnant. Here are the most critical nutrients for a healthy pregnancy and how to get more of them.
Protein. When you first become pregnant, your protein needs are about the same as before you were pregnant. But that changes dramatically starting in the second trimester. After about 13 weeks of pregnancy, you need at least 71 grams of protein daily — and many pregnant women need even more.3
Your body is most able to use the protein you eat when you consume it throughout the day rather than eating it all at once. So, include these and other high-protein foods in every meal and snack:
- Meat and poultry
- Eggs
- Low-mercury fish and seafood
- Beans and lentils
- Nuts and seeds
- Tofu
- Low-fat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and other pasteurized dairy foods
Healthy Fats. Omega-3 fatty acids are important for your baby’s brain development and may lower baby’s risk of developing asthma and allergies — they may also lower your risk of postpartum depression.4 The best sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish that are lower in mercury. Some of the best choices include:5
- Anchovies
- Mackerel
- Cod
- Herring
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Tilapia
- Trout, freshwater
- Canned light tuna
Flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts are good plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Folate. Folate is a B vitamin that helps make new cells and is essential for proper formation of baby’s brain and spinal cord. Getting enough folate or folic acid (a form of folate), especially very early in pregnancy and before you become pregnant, is essential for preventing neural tube defects and spina bifida. Even women who take a prenatal supplement don’t always get enough of this important vitamin — at least 600 micrograms of dietary folate equivalents (DFEs) daily.6
Load up on these and other folate-rich foods during pregnancy:
- Spinach and other dark leafy greens
- Black-eyed peas and other beans
- Asparagus
- Brussels sprouts
- Avocado
- Fortified breads, grains, and breakfast cereals
Iron. Iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that transfers oxygen from your lungs to your body’s tissues. During pregnancy, blood volume increases dramatically to meet the needs of the fetus and placenta.7 As a result, your body needs about 50% more iron when you are pregnant, or 27 milligrams daily.8
While your body can absorb iron from meat, poultry, and seafood more readily than from plant-based foods, a wide variety of foods contain iron, including:
- Meat, poultry, and seafood
- Eggs
- Spinach
- Beans and legumes
- Prunes and other dried fruit
- Tofu
- Fortified breakfast cereals
Consuming vitamin-C-rich foods increases the absorption of iron from plant-based foods.
Iodine. Iodine is important for making thyroid hormone, which is essential for early brain cell development. Milk to moderate iodine deficiency, which is common in pregnancy, is associated with lower scores on tests of intelligence and higher risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in babies.2
Consume at least 220 to 250 micrograms of iodine daily during pregnancy from these and other iodine-rich foods:9
- Seaweed, including kelp, nori, kombu, and wakame
- Cod
- Bread enriched with iodine (listed as iodate)
- Dairy products, like yogurt and milk
- Iodized table salt
Calcium. Calcium is important for building strong bones and teeth and for preventing rickets in children. Research suggests calcium may also reduce the risk of developing preeclampsia, a serious condition involving high blood pressure and protein levels in urine that affects 4% of women during pregnancy and postpartum, especially in women with low calcium intakes.10
People who are pregnant need at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily from foods like:
- Dairy foods like yogurt, milk, and cheese
- Fortified orange juice
- Sardines
- Tofu
- Spinach and other dark leafy greens
- Chia seeds
Vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for strong bones, muscle contractions, nerve conduction, calcium absorption, and healthy cellular function. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with certain pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birth weight, and severe postpartum hemorrhage.11
While the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D is the same for people who are pregnant and those who aren’t — 15 micrograms or 600 International Units (IU) daily — children of mothers with sufficient levels of vitamin D may be less likely to have tooth enamel defects, low bone mineral content, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).12,13
Few foods contain vitamin D naturally. The best sources include:
- Cod liver oil
- Fish like trout, salmon, tuna, and sardines
- Mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light
- Eggs
- Fortified milk and milk alternatives
Your body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to the sun. People who don’t get much sun exposure or live in northern or southern latitudes where the sun is low in the sky may need a supplement, especially during the winter months.
Choline. Choline is essential for early brain development and plays essential roles in synthesizing cell membranes, metabolism, gene expression, mood, and other nervous system functions. While your body produces choline naturally, it’s not enough to meet your needs — especially when you’re pregnant.
While choline is available in many foods, most of us aren’t getting enough. In fact, an estimated 90 to 95% of pregnant women consume less than the Adequate Intake (AI), and most prenatal vitamins contain little, if any, choline.14
Aim for 450 milligrams of choline daily when you’re pregnant from the following and other choline-rich foods:
- Eggs
- Meat, poultry, and fish
- Soybeans
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Kidney and other beans
Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy — and Why
Eating a whole-foods balanced diet is essential for meeting your nutrition needs during pregnancy. But avoiding certain high-risk foods is just as important to ensure the health of you and your baby. Steer clear of the following foods and beverages to ensure a healthy pregnancy and safeguard your baby’s health:
- Raw or undercooked meats and fish: Raw and undercooked meats and fish carry a higher risk of foodborne illnesses, like Listeria and Salmonella, which can harm your developing baby.
- Unpasteurized dairy and juices: Eating these foods increases the risk of listeriosis, which can cause miscarriage, illness, or death of the newborn baby.15
- Deli meat: Like unpasteurized dairy and juices, deli meat carries a higher risk of contamination with Listeria, the bacteria that causes listeriosis.
- High-mercury fish: Eating fish that are high in mercury, including swordfish, king mackerel, shark, tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, and bigeye tuna, can harm baby’s developing nervous system. 5
- Alcohol: Alcohol crosses the placenta and accumulates in the amniotic fluid, increasing the risk of stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, premature birth, intrauterine growth retardation, low birthweight, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.16
- Caffeine: Recent research suggests even moderate caffeine consumption — less than 200 milligrams of caffeine or about 2 cups of coffee daily — is associated with miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, childhood leukemia, and childhood overweight and obesity.17
How Can Healthy Eating Support Your Baby’s Development?
A healthy diet during pregnancy is one of the most impactful ways to support your baby’s growth and development. Nutrient-rich foods provide the building blocks for every aspect of fetal development, from forming strong bones to building a healthy brain.
Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, play a key role in your baby’s brain and eye development, while iron ensures that your baby gets enough oxygen for proper growth. Choline, often overlooked, supports memory and cognitive function, laying the groundwork for lifelong brain health.
Research shows that when you plan out your meals, you’re more likely to eat a healthy, well-rounded diet. A Better Meal app takes the stress out of healthy meal planning during pregnancy and beyond by bringing a wealth of easy, healthy recipes to your fingertips.
By consuming a balanced, nutrient-rich diet, you’re not only helping your baby develop optimally in the womb but also reducing the risk of complications like low birth weight or preterm birth. Remember, what you eat now sets the stage for your baby’s lifelong health and well-being.
References
1. Hedderson MM, Schuh HB, Knapp EA, et al. Prenatal Diet and Infant Growth From Birth to Age 24 Months. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(11):e2445771-e2445771.
2. Marshall NE, Abrams B, Barbour LA, et al. The importance of nutrition in pregnancy and lactation: lifelong consequences. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021;226(5):607.
3. Murphy MM, Higgins KA, Bi X, Barraj LM. Adequacy and Sources of Protein Intake among Pregnant Women in the United States, NHANES 2003–2012. Nutrients. 2021;13(3):795.
4. Huynh LBP, Nguyen NN, Fan HY, Huang SY, Huang CH, Chen YC. Maternal Omega-3 Supplementation During Pregnancy, but Not Childhood Supplementation, Reduces the Risk of Food Allergy Diseases in Offspring. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2023;11(9):2862-2871.e8.
5. Advice about Eating Fish | FDA. Accessed January 16, 2025.
6. Folate – Health Professional Fact Sheet. Accessed January 20, 2025.
7. Soma-Pillay P, Nelson-Piercy C, Tolppanen H, Mebazaa A. Physiological changes in pregnancy. Cardiovasc J Afr. 2016;27(2):89.
8. Iron – Health Professional Fact Sheet. Accessed January 20, 2025.
9. Iodine – Health Professional Fact Sheet. Accessed January 16, 2025.
10. Calcium – Health Professional Fact Sheet. Accessed January 21, 2025.
11. Palacios C, Kostiuk LK, Peña-Rosas JP. Vitamin D supplementation for women during pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;7(7).
12. Vitamin D – Health Professional Fact Sheet. Accessed January 21, 2025.
13. Pérez-López FR, Pilz S, Chedraui P. Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy: an overview. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2020;32(5):316-321.
14. Choline – Health Professional Fact Sheet. Accessed January 21, 2025.
15. The Dangers of Raw Milk: Unpasteurized Milk Can Pose a Serious Health Risk | FDA. Accessed January 21, 2025.
16. Popova S, Dozet D, Shield K, Rehm J, Burd L. Alcohol’s Impact on the Fetus. Nutrients. 2021;13(10).
17. James JE. Maternal caffeine consumption and pregnancy outcomes: a narrative review with implications for advice to mothers and mothers-to-be. BMJ Evid Based Med. 2021;26(3):114-115.