Nutrition Plan for a Pregnant Lady

Nutrition plan

As our client is planning to have a baby in the future, we recommend specific foods that will help with weight control as well as being nutritious for the body during the pregnancy. We thought it would be tough for her to sustain a fixed exercise plan and a diet during pregnancy so we will provide a guide that allows room for flexibility.

The pregnancy stage comes with many cravings for food such as ice cream and pickles, so it’s very important for her to keep a healthy nutritious balance for her and for the baby during the pregnancy. She will need lots of protein, iron, calcium, and folic acid in order to support herself as well as the baby. It will be very important for our client to increase her intake of fruits, nuts, and veggies (including leafy greens), whole grains, and low-fat dairy products.

A well-balanced diet for a pregnant woman should include at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day, whether they are fresh, frozen, dried or tinned. A portion is about a handful (80g or 3oz), for example; 4 broccoli florets, 1 pear, 3-heaped tablespoons of carrots and 7-8 strawberries (British Heart Foundation, 2014).  This would all be a single portion, and our client must have at a minimum 5 portions such as these per day.

Healthy protein is extremely important.  Foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, dried peas, lentils, nuts, and eggs are good sources of protein, vitamin B, iron, and other vitamins and minerals. It is recommended to eat no more than 6 cooked ounces of meat, poultry, and fish daily (one serving should be about the size of a deck of cards on a plate) and two servings of fish per week (MedlinePlus, 2014). Dairy products such as skimmed or 1% milk, low fat or non-fat cheese and yogurt are also rich in protein, calcium, and vitamins A, B and D.  

Low-fat breads, cereals, crackers, rice, pasta, and starchy vegetables (such as peas, potatoes, corn, winter squash, and lima beans) are recommended in a diet plan (MedlinePlus, 2014). Such foods are rich in vitamin B, iron and fiber and are also low in fat and cholesterol. Six or more servings per day of grain products, especially whole grains are recommended. However, eating too much grain can cause weight gain

Current calcium recommendations for non-pregnant women are also sufficient for pregnant and breastfeeding women (Natural Standard Research Colaboration, 2012). For strong bones and teeth, our client needs to ensure she eats the recommended 1,000 mg of calcium a day (John Muir Health, 2014).  The calcium can be found in low fat dairy products as well as other calcium rich foods like leafy greens, beans and peas.

Our client needs to start taking a daily vitamin. For pregnancy planning, a woman needs 400 micrograms of folic acid (Vitamin B 9) every day, this is the amount found in most multivitamins (John Muir Health, 2014). Folic acid is also present in many foods like leafy greens, citrus, and beans. Folic acid helps prevent serious birth defects that can affect the brain and spinal cord; unfortunately these defects can occur before you know you're pregnant and most women need a pill to get enough of this (Family Planning Association, 2014).