How many calories does a pregnant woman need?
During pregnancy, the daily energy requirement increases – but only from the fourth month onwards and not by much: by the end of pregnancy by just 10 percent. This means that a pregnant woman needs around 2300 kilocalories a day. Compared to a non-pregnant woman, this is 300 kilocalories more per day, which is roughly equivalent to a cheese sandwich or a yoghurt with fruit. On average, however, every European consumes around 3400 kilocalories a day, which is significantly more than a pregnant woman needs.
Increased need for vitamins & co.
More important than the slightly increased energy requirement is an adequate supply of proteins, minerals, vitamins and trace elements. You therefore don’t have to eat more during pregnancy, just better, more balanced and healthier. You are also feeding your child and supplying it with nutrients through your circulation. So make sure you choose and prepare high-quality food!
Pregnancy: plan your diet well!
Not sure whether you are already eating a sensible diet? Then the following small nutrition plan will help you to get through pregnancy and birth well nourished:
- Eat low-fat meat in moderation (three to four portions per week), high-fat sea fish (two portions per week) and low-fat dairy products (three portions or glasses per day).
- Eat few convenience foods, high-fat foods, fast food (only occasionally) and sweets (about a handful a day).
* One portion corresponds to the amount that fits in your hand.
You should also make sure you eat regularly and always prepare your food as fresh as possible. Choose vegetable oils over animal fats. If you have morning sickness or an increasing abdominal girth, it makes sense to eat smaller meals spread throughout the day (three main meals and two snacks) to cover your nutritional requirements.
Healthy nutrition – pregnancy without vitamin pills & co.
You can take good care of yourself and your child with a balanced diet during pregnancy. However, the dietary supply of folic acid and iodine does not cover the requirement. You also need to be careful with the iron supply during pregnancy: eating iron-rich foods (broccoli, kale, lean meat, etc.) alone is not enough to cover the requirement in some cases.
Overall, the supply of the following nutrients is particularly critical during pregnancy:
Folic acid
Iodine
A lack of iodine also increases the likelihood of a malformation in the child. For a healthy physical and mental development of the child, 100 to 150 micrograms (µg) of iodide per day are sufficient. Iodized table salt is useful, but no more than four grams should be consumed per day. Good natural sources of iodine are sea fish, seafood and dairy products. However, sea fish and seafood should only be consumed in moderation – they are often contaminated with heavy metals such as mercury.
If you have a thyroid disorder, you should definitely discuss with your doctor whether and how much additional iodine you can consume.
Iron
During pregnancy, the amount of iron in the blood increases and so does the mother-to-be’s iron requirement. Unlike iodine and folic acid, a deficiency can often be avoided with an iron-rich diet during pregnancy. The most important source of iron is meat. However, pulses and wholegrain products also contain a lot of iron. Good non-meat sources of iron are beet, strawberries and millet. Vitamin C supports the absorption of iron. Therefore, always combine iron-rich foods with fruit and vegetables with a high vitamin C content, such as cabbage, peppers or oranges (including orange juice).
Special diet during pregnancy
Do you not eat meat? Do you abstain from fish? Or do you eat a vegan diet at all? If you want to continue a special diet during pregnancy, you should always inform your gynecologist.
Vegetarians
Vegetarians who eat enough protein-rich food and dairy products (ovo-lacto vegetarians) are usually well supplied with all the important nutrients. However, abstaining from meat can lead to an iron deficiency. Iron is an important mineral for the healthy development of your baby. As a vegetarian, you must therefore pay particular attention to ensuring that you get enough iron from meat-free foods. Always combine wholegrain products with vitamin C-rich fruit or vegetables. If your gynecologist diagnoses an iron deficiency, iron supplements may be necessary.
If you do not eat fish, you may be lacking important omega-3 fatty acids. A daily intake of 200 mg DHA – a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid – would then be recommended.
Vegans
There is still disagreement among experts as to how dangerous a diet without animal products is for the unborn child:
According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and the Dietitians of Canada (DC), there is nothing wrong with a well-planned vegan (or vegetarian) diet during pregnancy. However, the two organizations emphasize that the administration of nutritional supplements may be necessary to cover the recommended nutrient requirements in individual cases.
Malnutrition during pregnancy should be avoided at all costs. This is because it carries serious health risks, especially for the development of the child’s nervous system. It is therefore essential that you inform your gynecologist if you are planning a vegan diet during pregnancy.
What are pregnant women not allowed to eat or drink?
Pregnancy also means giving up one or two foods or stimulants in order not to harm the child:
Alcohol during pregnancy
It is therefore essential to avoid alcohol during pregnancy! Desserts, chocolates, fruit juices, baked goods, malt beer and even non-alcoholic beer can also contain small amounts of alcohol. However, the content is so low that there is no risk of harm to your child if you consume them occasionally.
In the first few weeks, you are usually unaware that you are pregnant. If you have consumed alcohol during this time, you do not need to worry. In the first month, the so-called all-or-nothing principle applies. The embryonic cells are omnipotent in this early phase, which means that they can still develop into any cell and compensate for minor defects. If there is a serious defect, a miscarriage occurs. Alcohol consumption becomes critical from the fifth week onwards, when organ development begins in the unborn child.
Raw milk, sushi and salami
Pregnancy is sometimes accompanied by complications such as premature birth or malformations. This can be caused by foodborne infections (toxoplasma, listeria, salmonella). These germs are mainly found on raw animal foods, which should therefore not be consumed during pregnancy. Specifically, it is primarily about:
- undercooked meat
- raw, brine-marinated or cold-smoked fish (salted herrings, trout fillets, smoked salmon, sushi)
- Raw milk
It is also not advisable to eat raw ham, tea sausage, minced meat and salami during pregnancy. Do not eat cheese made from raw milk either. The same applies to dishes made with raw eggs (such as mayonnaise or tiramisu). To be on the safe side, you should also always wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating them.
Cola during pregnancy
Like coffee, cola contains the stimulant caffeine. This inhibits iron absorption and increases blood pressure. The caffeine also reaches the unborn child via the placenta and is also effective there. You should therefore only drink small amounts of caffeinated drinks such as coffee, green tea, black tea or cola during pregnancy. Pregnant women are advised not to drink energy drinks containing caffeine at all.
The high sugar content of cola also speaks against excessive consumption.
Licorice during pregnancy
Pregnancy: be careful with spices?
Some herbs and spices can trigger contractions in large quantities, for example cloves, parsley and cinnamon. However, there is no danger with normal amounts used to season food.
There is another reason why cinnamon should not be consumed in large quantities. Cassia cinnamon in particular contains a lot of coumarin – a flavoring agent that can cause liver damage in sensitive people, even in small quantities. There is less coumarin in (more expensive) Ceylon cinnamon.
Pregnancy: a ban on liver and liver sausage?
Pregnancy is often accompanied by cravings for certain foods. Fresh liver should not be one of them, as it contains a lot of vitamin A. This can be harmful to the child, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Liver sausage, on the other hand, contains significantly less vitamin A and can be eaten occasionally. It is also a cooked meat product and not a raw sausage, which must always be avoided during pregnancy (e.g. tea sausage or salami).
Sweetening pregnancy with honey?
In connection with honey, the sometimes high contamination with pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) is also repeatedly discussed. But don’t worry too much about this: honey from Central or South America is particularly contaminated, whereas European honey is less so.
Pregnancy: harmful substances in mushrooms, offal and tuna
Pregnancy is a phase in which contaminated food should be avoided even more than usual – for the benefit of the child, but of course also for the mother. You can keep your intake of harmful substances low by:
- Always wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly or even peel them
- Eating wild mushrooms only in small quantities (cadmium, mercury, radionucleotides!)
- Consume offal – especially from wild animals – only rarely (heavy metals!)
- Do not consume more than 20 grams of linseed per day (cadmium!)
- Only rarely eat tuna and other predatory fish during pregnancy (mercury!)
Pregnancy: Are poppy seeds harmful?
The BfR advises against excessive consumption of foods containing poppy seeds. The reason for this is the sometimes high content of alkaloids such as morphine and codeine, which are used medically to relieve severe pain. In foods rich in poppy seeds, the amount of morphine can sometimes be in the therapeutic range. However, there is no risk with a poppy seed roll, for example.
Nutrition during pregnancy: preventing allergies in the child?
Changing your diet during pregnancy and avoiding certain foods will not prevent possible allergies in your child. However, regular consumption of oily sea fish is said to prevent allergies. You can also reduce your child’s risk of allergies by eating as balanced and varied a diet as possible during pregnancy.
