Pregnancy - Nutrition

Get the Nutrients and Calories you Need to Build a Healthy Baby

Pregnancy is a good time to enjoy eating healthy foods. The best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need is to eat a variety of foods from each food group. Take extra care to get the nutrients and calories you need to build a healthy baby.

Calcium and Vitamin D 

Calcium and vitamin D keep your bones strong and build strong bones and teeth for your baby. Fortified milk and other alternatives are a good source of calcium and vitamin D.

Iron

Iron helps build healthy blood for you and your baby. Meat, whole grains, leafy green vegetables, nuts, and seeds are good sources of iron. During pregnancy your body needs extra iron. Your multivitamin should contain 16-20mg of iron.

Folate / Folic Acid

Folate / folic acid helps build healthy blood and tissues for you and your baby. It reduces the risk of birth defects that affect the baby’s brain and spine. Whole grains and leafy green vegetables are a good source of this vitamin. If you are of childbearing age, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you need extra folic acid. Check your multivitamin to be sure it has 400mcg of this vitamin.

Extra Calories

Women need extra calories during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. These extra calories ensure that the mother gains enough weight to support the baby’s growth and development. Pregnant women need about 350 extra calories each day during the second trimester and 450 extra calories each day during the third trimester. The best way to get these extra calories is to eat a little more food every day from the food groups of your choice. The extra food you eat should total about two to three Food Guide Servings.

Prenatal Vitamins

All women of childbearing age and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding need a multivitamin containing 400mcg (0.4mg) of folic acid every day. During pregnancy, your multivitamin should also contain 16-20mg of iron.

Some women may need even more iron or folic acid. Talk with your health care provider to find the multivitamin that is right for you or if you have any questions about healthy eating.

Watch Out For Some Kinds of Fish

Canada’s Food Guide recommends that you eat at least two Food Guide Servings of fish each week. The nutrients in fish are particularly good for children, pregnant women and women who may become pregnant. However, some types of fish can have high levels of mercury, which can harm your growing baby.

If you are pregnant, may become pregnant, or are breastfeeding, have no more than two Food Guide Servings per month of: fresh or frozen tuna; swordfish; marlin: orange roughy; escolar or shark. 

Have no more than four Food Guide Servings per week of canned albacore tuna. You do not need to limit the amount of canned light tuna you eat. Canned light tuna contains less mercury than albacore tuna.

You can find the latest information on mercury in fish at: Health Canada

Gaining Weight Gradually

The amount of weight you should gain during pregnancy will depend on how much you weighed before you got pregnant. BMI is a number based on a comparison of your weight to your height. Visit Health Canada’s website to determine your pre-pregnancy BMI and your recommended weight gain.

If you are pregnant with more than one baby (twins, triplets) you will need to gain more weight. Your health care provider will advise you.

(Source for information on this page: Healthy Eating During Pregnancy, Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Protection, 2007)