Loader
logo
Cart Call

Home > Blog > Pregnancy Food Chart

Pregnancy Food Chart

Pregnancy Food Chart

Max Lab

Feb 13, 2023

During pregnancy, it becomes imperative to take special care of your diet. After all, you’re eating for two! A balanced and nutritious diet is essential for the health and development of the baby, as well as the mother. The diet chart for pregnant women is much different than any regular diet chart, as antenatal diets should contain more nutrients to support the growth of the baby. Many healthcare providers suggest following an antenatal diet chart as a foundation for healthy eating habits during pregnancy. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that you are eating a balanced and healthy diet throughout your pregnancy. But what should this pregnancy diet chart look like? What foods should you be prioritizing? In this blog post, we’ll discuss the importance of a healthy prenatal diet and provide an overview of a sample diet chart for pregnant women. It is always a good idea to consult a specialist for creating a 1-to-3-month pregnancy diet chart that’s easy to follow. 

Importance of Following a Proper Pregnancy Diet Chart

During gestation, it’s essential to follow a balanced pregnancy diet chart that includes a range of foods from various food groups, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, dairy, and healthy fats. It is also important to avoid specific harmful foods and substances, like alcohol, caffeine, and certain types of fish. Following a nutritious daily pregnancy diet chart is crucial for several reasons, including:

  • Ensuring that you get the essential nutrients you need for your baby’s growth and development
  • Lowering the chances of complications during pregnancy and childbirth
  • Supporting your overall health and well-being during and after pregnancy
  • Reducing the risk of pregnancy-related conditions, such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia
  • Increasing the likelihood of a healthy birth weight for your baby
  • Aiding breastfeeding and meeting your baby’s nutritional needs after birth

Foods to Eat During Pregnancy

It’s essential to remember that the nutrients you need during a pregnancy can vary depending on individual factors, like your age, weight, and overall health. However, it remains crucial that you prepare a well-balanced pregnancy diet chart with fruits, vegetables, and a variety of nutrients that support your and your baby’s health throughout the pregnancy. There are certain foods you should include during diet chart as they provide essential nutrients for both you and your growing baby. A pregnancy food chart can help you stay mindful of what to eat and what to avoid each during trimester. These include:

Fruits and Vegetables: Include a variety of fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables in your month-by-month pregnancy diet chart. These are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Including a pregnancy fruits chart in your meal plan helps ensure a good variety of essential vitamins.

Whole grains: Choose whole-grain bread, pasta, cereals, and crackers. These foods have more fibre and nutrients than their processed counterparts and must be added to the diet chart for a pregnant woman.

Protein: Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, tofu, and nuts are all excellent sources of protein in the pregnancy food chart. This nutrient is important for your baby’s growth and development.

Dairy: Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yoghurt provide calcium and other nutrients that are essential for pregnant women.

Fatty Fish: Fatty fish, like salmon is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. These are beneficial for both you and your baby. Just be sure to limit your intake of fish with high levels of mercury.

Water: Staying hydrated is important for all humans but it’s especially crucial during pregnancy. Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Pregnancy Diet for Each Trimester

First Trimester Diet Chart (4-13 Weeks)

During the first trimester, your diet should include foods rich in folate, as folate plays a key role in the neural development of your baby and helps prevent neurological birth defects. Your doctor may recommend a 1-to-3-month pregnancy diet chart to ensure that you get key nutrients during the critical first trimester. Folate can be found in many foods, including leafy greens, eggs, nuts, broccoli, citrus fruits, and legumes. Additionally, it’s also crucial to keep up with any folic acid supplements that your doctor may prescribe. Along with the folic acid intake in your 1-to-3-month pregnancy diet chart, it is also important to take other nutrients, like Vitamin B6 and iron, during these early months.

Second Trimester Diet Chart (14-27 Weeks)

A pregnancy food chart can help you stay on track with a balanced diet and simplify meal planning. The first trimester is often challenging for many women due to nausea and morning sickness, which can make it difficult to maintain a nutritious diet. Thankfully, these symptoms generally ease up during the second trimester, making it easier for you to meet your body’s nutritional needs. Iron remains a key nutrient throughout this trimester, and you can get it from foods, like lean meat, cooked seafood, leafy green vegetables, nuts, and fortified cereals.

As your baby’s skeletal system begins to form, calcium intake becomes especially important. Dairy products, such as cheese, milk, and yogurt are excellent sources of calcium, as are nuts. Other vital nutrients include Omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and Vitamin D, which can be found in fatty fish, nuts, bananas, and yogurt.

Third Trimester Diet Chart (28-40 Weeks)

In your third trimester, continuing with all the essential nutrients from the previous months is necessary, with added focus on Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), and fibre. Fruits, like kiwis, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, papaya, and melons, are excellent sources of Vitamin C and fibre.

Sweet potatoes provide a good source of Thiamine, while foods like spinach, chicken, broccoli, prunes, green beans, avocado, and cooked kale are rich in Vitamin K. Vitamin K is particularly important for blood coagulation, which is crucial after birth for preventing any complications. Many experts recommend such a pregnancy daily diet chart for a well-rounded approach to prenatal nutrition.

Pregnancy Diet Chart

Monday
Breakfast Rice dosa - 4 +1/2 cup sambhar+ Boiled egg-1/ broken wheat upma with vegetables-1.5 cup+ Egg omelette ( 1 egg)
Mid-Meal  1 Portion fruit salad+ Cottage cheese.
Lunch  Tomato rice1.5 cup+ Soya chunk 1 cup + curd.
Evening  1 cup tea+ Brown rice flakes 1 cup+ Jaggery
Dinner  3 Roti + Ridge guard subji 1/2 cup.
Tuesday
Breakfast Moongdal chilla - 3/ +pudina/ coconut chutney-2tsp/ Wheat dosa - 4+ Tomato subji ½ cup.
Mid-Meal  Blueberry shake 1 cup
Lunch  1.5 cup Mutton/Chicken biryani. Cucumber onion Raita ½ cup.
Evening  Sweet potato salad (cooked sweet potato-200gm, chat masala- 1 pinch, lemon juice- 1 tsp)+ Light tea /coffee 1 cup.
Dinner  Wheat dosa 3 + 1/2 cup Bitter guard sabzi.
Wednesday
Breakfast Idli-4/ medium dosa-3-sambhar(1 cup)+1tsp tomato chutney
Mid-Meal  green gram sprouts 1 cup
Lunch  Veg pulao rice 1.5 cup+ 1 cup Soya Chunk curry+ 1/2 cup curd.
Evening  Fruits salad 1 cup+ 1/2 cup milk.
Dinner  Wheat upma 1 cup+ 1/2 cup green beans sabzi
Thursday
Breakfast Hung curd cucumber sandwich(3 slices)-1/ oats(75gm)+milk-200ml
Mid-Meal  Boiled black channa 1 cup
Lunch  1/2 cup rice + 2 medium chappati+1/2 cup Kidney beans curry+ Snake guard subji 1/2 cup.
Evening  Fruits salad 1 cup+ 1/2 cup milk.
Dinner  3 Roti/ chapati+ 1/2 cup spinach subji.
Friday
Breakfast Upma-1.5 cup/ poha- 1.5 cup+ coconut chutney/tomato chutney/green chutney- 2tsp
Mid-Meal  1 Portion fruit salad+ Cottage cheese.
Lunch  1.5 cup rice+ 1/2 cup Dal+ Palak subji 1/2 cup+ 1/2 cup curd.
Evening  Channa chat 1 cup+ 1 cup tea.
Dinner  3 Chapathi+ Ladies finger subji 1/2 cup.
Saturday
Breakfast Chapathi-4+ Egg roast ½ cup( 1 egg)/ Ragi Dosa- 3+ Tomato + Onion chutney ½ cup.
Mid-Meal  Avocado(75gms)/ nuts (almonds- 4, raisins-6 walnuts-3) milkshake, {Milk-150ml}
Lunch  1.5 cup brown rice + ½ cup sambhar (arhar dal)+ Grilled chicken ( 150 gm)+100 gms curd.
Evening  Sprouts 1 cup
Dinner  3 Roti/chappati.+ Tomato subji 1/2 cup.
Sunday
Breakfast Sprouts & Paneer Paratha 3+ Green chutney.
Mid-Meal  1 cup bana+ almond milkshake.
Lunch  3 medium lachha parantha + ½ cup chana masala + cucumber and onion salad 1 cup
Evening  Boiled black channa 1 cup+ light tea/ coffee 1 cup
Dinner  Wheat upma 1 cup+ 1/2 cup green beans sabzi

Following a month-by-month pregnancy diet chart for each trimester can help ensure that you’re adjusting your intake as your baby’s needs evolve. Along with eating nutrient-rich foods, it’s also important to take prenatal vitamins, supplements, and any medications recommended by your doctor.

Want to book a Blood Test?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

A special diet chart for pregnant women ensures that they are getting all the necessary nutrients in optimal amounts. This includes vitamins like folate, iron, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids which are vital for fetal development.

Some foods that give blood in pregnancy are iron-rich foods including leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale, legumes like lentils and beans, fortified cereals, red meat (in moderation), poultry, fish like salmon and tuna (cooked properly), dried fruits like raisins and apricots.

There are a few things you can do:

  1. Get plenty of rest
  2. Eat healthy
  3. Exercise

There are several factors that can influence your appetite during pregnancy. For example, if you're experiencing morning sickness or nausea, you may not feel like eating much at all. On the other hand, if you're feeling great and have no issues with digestion, you might find yourself craving certain foods more often than usual.

Yes, As the uterus expands, it puts more pressure on the bladder causing a frequent need to urinate. This is especially true during the first and third trimesters.

The first food group that pregnant women should avoid is raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood. Additionally, unpasteurized dairy products such as milk and cheese should also be avoided because they may contain harmful bacteria like Listeria.

Comments


Leave a Comment

new health articles

Heart Cancer: Symptoms, Types, Causes, and Treatment Options

Heart Cancer: Symptoms, Types, Causes, and Treatment Options

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Complications

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Complications

What is Molar Pregnancy? Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

What is Molar Pregnancy? Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

World Leprosy Day

World Leprosy Day

Fungal Ear Infection (Otomycosis): Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Fungal Ear Infection (Otomycosis): Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

हाई बीपी के लक्षण, कारण और घरेलू उपचार

हाई बीपी के लक्षण, कारण और घरेलू उपचार

Get a Call Back from our Health Advisor

LOGIN

Get access to your orders, lab tests

OTP will be sent to this number by SMS

Not Registered Yet? Signup now.

ENTER OTP

OTP sent successfully to your mobile number

Didn't receive OTP? Resend Now

Welcome to Max Lab

Enter your details to proceed

MALE
FEMALE
OTHER