Because pregnant women need more energy and nutrients, we often hear they must ‘eat for two’. This doesn’t mean you should eat twice as much. It just means you should adapt your diet to serve your changing needs, because of the growth of your breasts, uterus, increase of blood volume, fat storage and your baby’s essential needs for growth and development.
Your body will need increased amounts of specific minerals, iron and vitamins, which can be covered with a healthy, varied and normally well-balanced diet.
The ‘ideal’ weight gain will depend on each individual, but typically a woman doesn’t need extra calories during the first 3 months of pregnancy. But she will need about 300 extra calories each day during the last 6 months of pregnancy.
Knowing how to eat balanced and healthily, this extra need can be easily covered, for example, with a slice of whole grain bread and a slice of cheese or with one plain yoghurt, two tablespoons of muesli and an apple.