Healthy eating during pregnancy

Eating well during pregnancy is simple. In fact, most women won’t need to make any significant dietary changes when they conceive. However, some adjustments are recommended. Read on to learn more.

Why is diet important during pregnancy?

It’s important to eat well when pregnant, because energy and nutritional needs are greater during this time.

A pregnant woman’s body provides the baby-to-be with all the building blocks they need to develop properly: proteins, healthy fats, sugars, vitamins, and minerals. Eating well also increases the likelihood of delivering a healthy baby.

A healthy diet is essential for the mother-to-be as well. Pregnant women who get adequate nutrition tend to experience less fatigue and have fewer energy crashes. In general, they are healthier, which means their pregnancy goes more smoothly. They are also less likely to develop gestational diabetes, and manage it better if they do.

In addition, women who eat well find it easier to gain the recommended amount of weight and more easily return to their pre-pregnancy weight. For more information, read our Weight gain during pregnancy fact sheet.

Tips for eating well during pregnancy

Here are some tips to help you meet your dietary needs and those of your unborn baby:

• Eat three meals a day and listen to your body’s hunger cues. Plan your meals according to the plate illustrated in Canada’s food guide.
• Have two or three snacks a day if you feel hungry. A snack could be a piece of fruit, a small bowl of yogurt or applesauce, a glass of milk, or a handful of almonds. A snack can also be a combination of two foods (e.g., fruit and nuts, a muffin and a glass of milk, or applesauce and yogurt).
• Eat a balanced diet that includes vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and protein-rich foods. Make sure the food on your plate is varied and colourful over the course of several days.
• Eat regularly. Eating at regular intervals prevents your energy levels from dropping during the day, as your blood sugar (also called glucose) levels are kept stable. Avoid long periods (more than 12 hours) without eating.
• Avoid unnecessary deprivation and dieting. It might hinder your baby’s development and make you tired.
• Eat as few highly processed foods as possible (frozen fish fingers or breaded chicken fillets, frozen pizza, packets of seasoned pasta, sugary drinks, etc.). They tend to be too high in fat, sugar, and salt.
• Drink water when you feel thirsty.
• Follow precautionary measures to avoid foodborne infections such as listeriosis and toxoplasmosis. To learn more about these two infections, consult our Pregnancy and food infections: Listeriosis and toxoplasmosis fact sheet.

Do you need to eat for two during pregnancy?

When you’re pregnant, “eating for two” is less about eating twice as much and more about eating twice as well. Although your calorie requirements increase during pregnancy, the difference is not massive.

Above all, you need to pay attention to the quality of the food you eat. Every meal should be varied and colourful.

Pregnant women need more calories at the end of their pregnancy than at the beginning. Daily calorie requirements increase by up to 100 calories in the first trimester, 340 calories in the second trimester, and 450 calories in the third trimester.

Since calorie requirements increase very little at first, you may not feel the need to eat more until you’ve been pregnant for several weeks. Don’t force yourself to eat more. The important thing is to choose foods that are varied and as fresh as possible.

However, your vitamin and mineral requirements are very high in early pregnancy. In fact, “making a baby” requires at least 50 nutrients, including iron, folic acid, calcium, and vitamin B12. Yet another reason why a healthy diet is so important!

What and how much to eat during pregnancy

Canada’s food guide provides basic guidelines on healthy eating. It’s easy to use, as it clearly illustrates what a balanced meal looks like. The food guide plate is divided into three parts, one for each major food category: fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and proteins.

It does not recommend any specific amounts or serving sizes. Rather, it emphasizes that each person must learn to recognize when they feel hungry and full to know how much food to eat.

It’s a good guide to follow before, during, and after pregnancy.

For advice specific to pregnant women, consult Health Canada’s Your Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy.

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables should account for about half of the food you eat each day. This is because they are packed with essential nutrients (e.g., minerals, vitamins, fibre) and water.

Plus, fruits and vegetables add colour, flavour, and crunch to your meals. During pregnancy, these low-calorie foods help expectant mothers gain the recommended amount of weight without exceeding it.

Ideally, eat a rainbow of vegetables over the course of several days: green (broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce, green beans), orange (carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes), purple (beets, eggplant), white or beige (mushrooms, parsnips, potatoes), etc. For the vegetables that you don’t eat raw, steam or bake them, or sauté them in a little olive or canola oil to preserve their nutritional value.

Thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables by scrubbing them with a brush under running water to rinse away pesticides and microorganisms that may be present.

Save money by opting for seasonal and local produce. You can also buy frozen or canned (without added salt) produce. Choose whole fruits over juices, which contain too much sugar and little fibre. Juices are also not very filling.

If your current diet doesn’t include many fruits or vegetables, start by eating one more fruit or vegetable a day. Setting a realistic goal and breaking it down into small steps makes it easier to adopt a new habit than changing too much at once, which can be discouraging.

Whole-grain foods

Whole-grain foods include grains and grain products, such as bread, pasta, rice, quinoa, oatmeal, homemade muffins, and so on. They should take up about a quarter of your plate at meals.

Try to choose whole-grain products more often, as they provide more energy and are rich in vitamins and minerals. What’s more, their fibre content aids digestion, fills you up, helps prevent constipation, and feeds the good bacteria in your digestive system.

Cookies and pastries are also grain products, but they contain a lot of fat and sugar, and are usually made with white flour. For this reason, you should eat cookies and pastries in moderation. You can also make healthier versions of these treats at home, so you control the quality and quantity of their ingredients.

Proteins

This food group includes: legumes like chickpeas and lentils, tofu, eggs, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, meats like beef and chicken, fish like salmon and sardines, milk, soy milk, cheese, and yogurt.

These should make up about a quarter of your plate at each meal. Choose plant-based options, such as legumes, more often. Dried legumes are the least expensive, but canned versions are still very affordable and quick-and-easy to use. Choose versions with no added salt whenever possible.

This food group provides protein, healthy fats (in fish) and many vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12.

Oils and fats

To integrate different types of fat into your diet, use at least two different oils when you cook. For example, use olive oil in salad dressings and canola oil when you sauté food. You can also use butter in moderation.

Fish and mercury: Recommendations

Most fish available in grocery stores does not pose a health risk to pregnant women. However, certain types of fish may contain contaminants like mercury, which can cause damage to a baby’s brain.

Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant and those who are breastfeeding should therefore limit their consumption of the following:

• Fresh or frozen tuna, shark, swordfish, and marlin (up to 150 g per month)
• Canned albacore tuna (up to 300 g or about two 170 g cans per week) Note that this information doesn’t apply to canned light tuna, which is of a different variety and safe for pregnant women.

The following fish and seafood can be safely consumed without restriction during pregnancy: Trout (except lake trout), haddock, canned light tuna, sole, mackerel, sardines, char, herring, salmon, plaice, smelt, anchovies, pollock, tilapia, cooked oysters, mussels, clams, scallops, crab, shrimp, and lobster.

If you eat freshwater sport fish, consult the Government of Quebec’s guide to eating freshwater sport fish (link in French). Certain species may contain contaminants.

What foods should pregnant women avoid?

Eating certain foods during pregnancy can pose risks for the expectant mother and her unborn baby (e.g., miscarriage, preterm birth, infections). If you’re pregnant, it’s best to avoid the following foods:

• Raw or undercooked eggs, and any foods containing those ingredients (e.g., homemade Caesar dressing)
• Unpasteurized dairy products (e.g., raw milk, cheese made from raw milk)
• Soft cheeses (e.g., Brie, Camembert, bocconcini) and semi-soft cheeses (e.g., Saint-Paulin, Havarti), as well as blue, feta, and creamy goat cheeses, even if they’re made from pasteurized milk, as they can also spread listeriosis
• Unwashed fresh fruit and vegetables, and uncooked frozen vegetables
• Raw fish and seafood, including shellfish and molluscs (e.g., oysters, clams) Sushi, sashimi, tartare, and ceviche made from raw fish should be avoided, as well as smoked fish that hasn’t been cooked or reheated (e.g., smoked salmon)
• Undercooked meat, poultry, fish, and seafood, including unheated hot dogs and smoked sausages
• Non-dried charcuterie, sliced deli meats (e.g., ham for sandwiches), and refrigerated pâtés and meat spreads
• Raw sprouts, such as alfalfa and bean sprouts
• Ready-to-eat foods prepared and displayed in a grocery store (e.g., pasta salads, cooked chicken)
• Unpasteurized fruit or vegetable juices (e.g., apple cider), unless they’re freshly squeezed by hand or made with an extractor and consumed immediately
• Kombucha
• Sauerkraut, kimchi, and other lacto-fermented vegetables, as their safety during pregnancy is difficult to assess; if you want to eat these foods, choose pasteurized products sold in grocery stores, which are safer than those prepared at home
• Liver, as it contains too much retinol, a form of vitamin A that can increase the risk of malformations in babies when consumed in large quantities. After 14 weeks of pregnancy, eating one portion (75 g) of chicken liver per week is considered safe. Other animal livers and cod liver oil should be avoided throughout pregnancy, as they contain too much retinol.
• Alcohol: To learn more, see our Alcohol use during pregnancy fact sheet

For information on restrictions for coffee, tea, herbal teas, soft drinks, and energy drinks, see our Pregnancy: Coffee, tea, and herbal teas fact sheet.

Diet products and sugar substitutes

Sugar substitutes make foods taste sweeter without adding calories. Pregnant women need energy from calories and don’t need to replace sugar with sweeteners unless they have diabetes or their nutritionist recommends it.

Sugar substitutes added to low-fat products and diet soft drinks are harmless in small quantities. These include sucralose (Splenda™), aspartame (NutraSweet™, Equal™) and acesulfame potassium, also called Ace-K (Sunett™). However, they’re generally added to foods with poor nutritional value that have few dietary benefits, so it’s best to limit your intake of these products.

Sweeteners in powder or tablet form, such as cyclamates, which were once to be avoided, are now considered safe in small quantities (e.g., Sucaryl™, Sugar Twin™, Sweet’N Low™, Weight Watchers Table Top Sweetener™). However, a little regular sugar, honey, or maple syrup in coffee or tea is preferable to these sweeteners.

Vegetarianism and veganism during pregnancy

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you can maintain your usual diet throughout your pregnancy. However, for your health and the health of your unborn baby, pay special attention to your intake of iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, and omega-3. Don’t hesitate to consult a nutritionist to help you plan your vegetarian or vegan diet.

Since vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in foods of animal origin, make sure you eat foods that are rich in vitamin B12 every day, such as eggs, dairy products, and fortified foods (meat alternatives or fortified soy beverages). If you’re vegan, discuss your diet with your prenatal care provider. They may prescribe a supplement to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency.

During pregnancy, you need to consume more iron than usual, and your risk of anemia is also higher. Be aware, however, that the iron in meat is absorbed more easily than the iron in vegetables and fortified foods (e.g., legumes, cereal, pasta, spinach).

To make it easier for your body to absorb iron, eat a vitamin C-richfood (e.g., citrus fruits, broccoli, strawberries, melons, peppers) at each meal. For example, you can add peppers to a spinach and white bean salad and have a kiwi for dessert. For breakfast, you can have peanut butter on toast and an orange. If possible, wait at least 2 hours after a meal before drinking tea or coffee, as they interfere with iron absorption.

To avoid deficiencies, your health care provider may prescribe an iron supplement for the second and third trimesters. Discuss this option with them.

What to do if you don’t have an appetite

You may have less of an appetite than usual during pregnancy. Lack of appetite may be triggered by fatigue or hormones, but the most common cause is nausea.

When you don’t have much appetite, pay attention to your hunger cues to know when and how much to eat. Don’t force yourself to eat unless you experience prolonged appetite loss.

If you’re hungry but don’t have an appetite because you’ve developed a heightened sense of smell or food aversion, simply eat whatever nutritious foods are appetizing. When in doubt, consult Canada’s food guide for ideas. Don’t worry—missing one meal or fasting for a day won’t put you or your baby’s health at risk.

Financial difficulties during pregnancy

If you have a low income, you may be eligible for a food assistance program. Don’t hesitate to contact your local CLSC.

Thanks to the OLO program, underprivileged pregnant women can receive essential food (eggs, milk, and frozen vegetables) for free. These foods are sufficient to meet many of the unborn baby’s needs in terms of protein, calcium, and vitamins C and D. The program also offers daily multivitamin supplements.

Alima Perinatal Social Nutrition Centre also helps women in financially precarious situations. The organization offers underprivileged pregnant women in Montreal regular follow-ups with a nutritionist to increase their chances of giving birth to a healthy baby. The women also receive free personalized food assistance.

Things to keep in mind

• Eating well during pregnancy is important for both the mother and her baby.
• During pregnancy, you should eat a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and protein-rich foods while respecting your hunger cues.
• Some foods should be eaten in moderation during pregnancy, while others should be avoided altogether.

Scientific review: Stéphanie Côté, M.Sc., nutritionist Research and copywriting:The Naître et grandir team Updated: May 2025

Photos : GettyImages/Drazen_, mihailomilovanovic, Jorn Georg Tomter, Dejan_Dundjerski et Barcin