Daily Food Guide During Pregnancy

The average weight gain during pregnancy is 25 to 45 pounds. You should not diet during pregnancy. It is best to follow the guidelines below. Because you need extra calories and nutrients to help your baby’s growth and development, you should have at least the number of servings shown.

FOOD GROUP	EXAMPLES	SERVINGS	ONE SERVING EQUALS
GRAINS	Whole wheat bread, cereal, brown rice, pasta	6 to 11	One slice of bread, one cup cooked rice, one cup cooked pasta
FRUITS	Apples, oranges, pears, nectarines, bananas, etc.	2	One whole raw fruit or ½ cup cooked or chopped fruit	Include a juice or fruit rich in vitamin C (for example, orange juice)
VEGETABLES	Lettuce, carrots, tomato, avocado	3	One cup of raw, leafy vegetables	Choose a variety, such as dark-green leafy, yellow, starchy, and legumes (beans)
PROTEIN	Meat, fish, and dried beans	3 to 4	2 to 3 ounces lean meat, poultry or fish, or one egg	If you are vegetarian, eat eggs, tofu, other soy products, dried beans and nuts
MILK	Low-fat milk, yogurt, or cheese	3 to 4	One cup of milk or yogurt or two 1-inch cubes of cheese	Choose low fat, skim items if possible. You need 1,200 mg of Calcium daily from diet or calcium supplements.

• Drink 6 to 8 cups of fluids (mainly water, but some juice is OK) daily.
• No need to avoid but, Limit:
• The amount of fat to less than 30% of your daily calories
• High-fat foods (butter, sour cream, salad dressing)
• Sweets
• Caffeine-containing beverages – coffee, tea, and colas
• Avoid:
• Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood
• Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, and fresh tuna (due to high mercury content)
• Canned albacore (“white”) tuna
• Unpasteurized milk products and unpasteurized juices
• Soft cheese (Feta, queso blanco, queso fresco, Brie, Camembert) unless it is labeled as “MADE WITH PASTEURIZED MILK.”
• Refrigerated pate, meat spreads from a meat counter, or smoked seafood found in the refrigerated section of the store.
• Salads made in the store (that is, chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad, or seafood salad)
• Herbal supplements
• Reheat hot dogs, deli meats until steaming hot (to prevent listeriosis)