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Healthy
Eating
Physical
Activity
Eating
well can help you have a healthy pregnancy
and a healthy newborn. Being physically
active may help you have a more comfortable
9 months and an easier delivery. Use the
ideas and tips in this booklet to improve
your eating plan and become more physically
active before, during, and after your
pregnancy. Make changes now, and be a
healthy example for your family for a
lifetime. Top
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HEALTHY EATING
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A healthy eating plan for pregnancy
includes a variety of nutrient-rich
foods. In January 2005, the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
jointly released the 2005, Dietary
Guidelines for Americans. These new
guidelines outline recommendations to
promote health and reduce the risk of
chronic disease through nutritious eating
and physical activity. The
recommendations include some of the
nutritional needs of pregnancy. For more
information about food groups and
nutrition values, visit:
www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines. Top
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How
many calories should I eat?
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Eating a variety of foods that provide
enough calories helps you and your baby
gain the proper amount of weight. During
the first 3 months of your pregnancy, you
do not need to change the number of
calories you get from the foods you
eat.
Normal-weight women need an extra 300
calories each day during the last 6
months of pregnancy. This totals about
1,900 to 2,500 calories a day. If you
were underweight, overweight, or obese
before you became pregnant, or if you are
pregnant with more than one baby, you may
need a different number of calories. Talk
to your health care provider about how
much weight you should gain and how many
calories you need.
Each of these healthy
choices has about 300
calories:
- 1 cup of fat-free fruit
yogurt and a medium apple
- 1 piece of whole-wheat toast
spread with 2 tablespoons of
peanut butter
- 1 cup of beef and bean chili
sprinkled with 1/2 ounce of
cheddar cheese (You can also
substitute various vegetables for
the beef.)
- 1 cup of raisin bran cereal
with 1/2 cup of fat-free milk and
a small banana
- 3 ounces of roasted lean ham
or chicken breast and 1/2 cup of
sweet potatoes
- 1 flour tortilla (7-inch),
1/2 cup of refried beans, 1/2 cup
of cooked broccoli, and 1/2 cup
of cooked red pepper
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Top
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Why is gaining a
healthy amount of weight important?
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Gaining a
healthy amount of weight may help you have
a more comfortable pregnancy and delivery.
It also may help you have fewer pregnancy
complications, such as diabetes, high blood
pressure, constipation, and
backaches.
How much
weight should I gain during my
pregnancy?
Talk to your
health care provider about how much
weight you should gain during your
pregnancy. General weight-gain
recommendations listed below refer to
weight before pregnancy and are for
women expecting only one
baby.
If
you are:
underweight
normal
weight
overweight
obese
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You should
gain:
about 28 to
40 pounds
about 25 to
35 pounds
about 15 to
25 pounds
at least 15
pounds
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Gaining too little weight
during your pregnancy makes it hard for
your baby to grow properly. Talk to your
health care provider if you feel you are
not gaining enough weight.
If you gain too much weight, you may have a
longer labor and more difficult delivery.
Also, gaining a lot of extra body fat will
make it harder for you to return to a
healthy weight after you have your baby. If
you feel you are gaining too much weight
during your pregnancy, talk with your
health care provider.
Do not try to lose weight if you
are pregnant. If you do not eat
enough calories or a variety of foods, your
baby will not get the nutrients he or she
needs to grow. Top
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Do I have any special nutrition
needs now that I am pregnant?
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Yes.
During pregnancy, you and your growing baby
need more of several nutrients. By eating
the recommended number of daily servings
from each of the five food groups, you
should get most of the nutrients you
need.
Be sure to include foods high in folate,
such as orange juice, strawberries,
spinach, broccoli, beans, and fortified
breads and breakfast cereals. Or get it in
a vitamin/mineral supplement.
To help prevent birth defects, you must get
enough daily folate before
as well as during
pregnancy. Prenatal supplements contain
folic acid (another form of folate). Look
for a supplement that has at least 400
micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folic
acid.
Although most
health care providers recommend taking a
multi-vitamin/mineral
“prenatal” supplement before
becoming pregnant, during pregnancy, and
while breastfeeding, always talk to your
health care provider before taking any
supplements.
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Can I continue to follow my
vegetarian diet during pregnancy?
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Yes, you can continue a
vegetarian eating plan during pregnancy,
but talk to your health care provider
first.
To make sure you are getting enough
important nutrients, including protein,
iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D, your
health care provider may ask you to meet
with a registered dietitian who can help
you plan meals, and may also recommend that
you take supplements. Top
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Tips for Healthy
Eating
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Meet the needs of your body and help avoid
common discomforts of pregnancy by
following these tips:
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Eat breakfast
every day. If you feel sick to your
stomach in the morning, choose dry
whole-wheat toast or whole-grain
crackers when you first wake
up—even before you get out of
bed. Eat the rest of your breakfast
(fruit, oatmeal, cereal, milk, yogurt,
or other foods) later in the
morning. |
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Eat high-fiber
foods. Eating whole-grain cereals,
vegetables, fruits, beans, whole-wheat
breads, and brown rice, along with
drinking plenty of water and getting
daily physical activity, can help you
prevent the constipation that many
women have during
pregnancy. |
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Keep healthy
foods on hand.A fruit bowl filled
with apples, bananas, peaches, oranges,
and grapes makes it easy to grab a
healthy snack. Fresh, frozen, and
canned fruits and vegetables make
healthy and quick additions to meals,
as do canned beans. |
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If you have
heartburn during your pregnancy, eat
small meals more often, eat slowly,
avoid spicy and fatty foods (such as
hot peppers or fried chicken), drink
beverages between meals instead of with
meals, and do not lie down right after
eating. |
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If you have “morning
sickness,” or hyperemesis, talk
with your health care
provider. You may need to
adjust the way you eat and drink, such
as by eating smaller meals more
frequently and drinking plenty of
fluids. Your health care provider can
help you deal with morning sickness
while keeping your healthy eating
habits on track. |
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What foods should I avoid
during pregnancy?
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There are certain foods
and beverages that can harm your baby if
you eat or drink them while you are
pregnant. Here is a general list of foods
and beverages that you should avoid:
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Alcohol. Instead of wine,
beer, or a mixed drink, enjoy apple
cider, tomato juice, sparkling water,
or other nonalcoholic
beverages. |
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Fish that may have high levels of
methyl-mercury (a substance that can build up in
fish and harm an unborn baby). Do not
eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel,
and tilefish during pregnancy. Eat no
more than 12 ounces of any fish per
week (equal to four 3-ounce
servings—each about the size of a
deck of cards). |
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Soft cheeses such as feta,
Brie, and goat cheese and
ready-to-eat meats including
lunch meats, hot dogs, and deli meats.
These foods may contain bacteria called
listeria that are harmful to unborn
babies. Cooking lunch meats, hot dogs,
and deli meats until steaming hot can
kill the bacteria and make these meats
safe to eat. |
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Raw fish such as sushi,
sashimi, or ceviche and raw or
undercooked meat and poultry. These
foods can contain harmful bacteria.
Cook fish, meat, and poultry thoroughly
before eating. |
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Large amounts of
caffeine-containing beverages. If
you are a heavy coffee, tea, or soda
drinker, talk to your health care
provider about whether you should cut
back on caffeine. Try a decaffeinated
version of your favorite beverage, a
mug of warm low-fat or fat-free milk,
or sparkling mineral water. |
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Anything that is not food.
Some pregnant women may crave something
that is not food, such as laundry
starch or clay. Talk to your health
care provider if you crave something
that is not food. |
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Ask your health care
provider for a complete list of foods
and beverages that you should
avoid. |
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Top
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PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
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Should I be physically
active during my pregnancy?
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Almost all women can and
should be physically active during
pregnancy. Talk to your health care
provider first, particularly if you have
high blood pressure, diabetes, anemia,
bleeding, or other disorders, or if you are
obese or underweight.
Whether or not you were active before you
were pregnant, ask your health care
provider about a level of exercise that is
safe for you. Aim to do at least 30 minutes
of moderate-intensity physical activity
(one that makes you breathe harder but does
not overwork or overheat you) on most, if
not all, days of the week.
Regular,
moderate-intensity physical activity during
pregnancy may:
- Help you and your
baby to gain the proper amounts of
weight.
- Reduce the
discomforts of pregnancy, such as
backaches, leg cramps, constipation,
bloating, and swelling.
- Reduce your risk for
gestational diabetes (diabetes found for
the first time when a woman is
pregnant).
- Improve your mood
and energy level.
- Improve your
sleep.
- Help you have an
easier, shorter labor.
- Help you to recover
from delivery and return to a healthy
weight faster.
Follow these
safety precautions while being active
during your pregnancy:
- Choose moderate
activities that are unlikely to injure
you, such as walking, aqua aerobics,
swimming, yoga, or using a stationary
bike.
- Stop exercising when
you start to feel tired, and never
exercise until you are exhausted or
overheated.
- Drink plenty of
water.
- Wear comfortable
clothing that fits well and supports and
protects your breasts.
- Stop exercising if
you feel dizzy, short of breath, pain in
your back, swelling, numbness, sick to
your stomach, or if your heart is beating
too fast or at an uneven
rate.
Top
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What physical activities
should I avoid during pregnancy?
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For your health and
safety, and for the health of your baby,
there are certain physical activities that
you should not do while you are pregnant.
Some are listed below. Talk to your health
care provider about other physical
activities that you should avoid during
your pregnancy.
- Avoid being active
outside during hot weather.
- Avoid steam rooms,
hot tubs, and saunas.
- Avoid physical
activities, such as certain yoga poses,
that call for you to lie flat on your
back after 20 weeks of
pregnancy.
- Avoid contact
sports, such as football and boxing, and
other activities that might injure you,
such as horseback riding.
- Avoid activities
that make you jump or change directions
quickly, such as tennis or basketball.
During pregnancy, your joints loosen and
you are more likely to hurt yourself when
doing these activities.
- Avoid activities
that can result in a fall, such as
in-line skating or downhill
skiing.
Top
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Tips for Getting Physically
Active
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Get physically active for your health
and the health of your baby by using the
tips below:
- Go for a walk around
the block or through a shopping mall with
your spouse or a friend.
- Sign up for a
prenatal yoga, aqua aerobics, or fitness
class. Make sure you let the instructor
know that you are pregnant before
beginning.
- Rent or buy an
exercise video for pregnant women. Look
for videos at your local library, video
store, health care provider’s
office, hospital, or maternity clothing
store.
- At your gym,
community center, YMCA, or YWCA, sign up
for a session with a fitness trainer who
knows about physical activity during
pregnancy.
- Get up and move
around at least once an hour if you sit
in a chair most of the day; get up and
move around during commercials when
watching TV.
Top
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What habits should I keep up
after my baby is born?
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Following
healthy eating and physical activity habits
after your baby is born may help you return
to a healthy weight more quickly, provide
you with good nutrition (which you
especially need if you are breastfeeding),
and give you the energy you need. You can
also be a good role model for your growing
child. After your baby is born:
- Continue eating
well. Eat a variety of foods from all of
the food groups. If you are not
breastfeeding, you will need about 300
fewer calories per day than you
did while you were pregnant.
- If you are
breastfeeding, you will need to eat about
200 more calories per day than you
did while you were pregnant.
Breastfeeding may help you return to a
healthy weight more easily because it
requires a great deal of energy.
Breastfeeding may also protect your baby
from illnesses, such as ear infections,
colds, and allergies, and may help lower
your risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
If you had gestational diabetes,
breastfeeding for more than 3 months may
help prevent your baby from becoming
overweight.
- When you feel able
and your health care provider says it is
safe, slowly get back to your routine of
regular, moderate-intensity physical
activity. Wait for 4 to 6 weeks after you
have your baby to begin doing higher
levels of physical activity. Doing
physical activity that is too hard, too
soon after delivery, can slow your
healing process. Regular,
moderate-intensity physical activity will
not affect your milk supply if you are
breastfeeding.
- Return to a healthy
weight gradually. Lose no more than 1
pound per week through a sound eating
plan and regular physical activity after
you deliver your baby.
Top
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Why should I try to return to
a healthy weight after delivery?
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After you
deliver your baby, your health will be
better if you try to return to a healthy
weight. Not losing weight after your baby
is born may lead to overweight or obesity
later in life, which may lead to health
problems. Talk to your health care provider
about reaching a weight that is healthy for
you. Top
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Be Good to Yourself
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Pregnancy
and the time after you deliver your baby
can be wonderful, exciting, emotional,
stressful, and tiring—all at once.
Experiencing this whirlwind of feelings may
cause you to overeat, not eat enough, or
lose your drive and energy. Being good to
yourself can help you cope with your
feelings and follow eating and physical
activity habits for a healthy pregnancy, a
healthy baby, and a healthy family after
delivery. Here are some ideas for being
good to yourself:
- Try to get enough
sleep.
- Rent a funny movie
and laugh.
- Take pleasure in the
miracles of pregnancy and
birth.
- Invite people whose
company you enjoy to visit your new
family member.
- Explore groups that
you and your newborn can join, such as
“new moms”
groups.
Remember...
- Talk to your health
care provider about how much weight you
should gain during your
pregnancy.
- Eat foods rich in
folate, iron, calcium, and protein, or
get these nutrients through a prenatal
supplement.
- Talk to your health
care provider before taking any
supplements.
- Eat breakfast every
day.
- Eat high-fiber foods
and drink plenty of water to avoid
constipation.
- Avoid alcohol, raw
fish, fish high in mercury, soft cheeses,
and anything that is not
food.
- Aim to do at least
30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical
activity on most, if not all, days of the
week during your pregnancy. Talk to your
health care provider before you begin if
you have not previously been physically
active.
- After pregnancy,
slowly get back to your routine of
regular, moderate-intensity physical
activity. Make sure you feel able and
your health care provider says it is safe
to be physically active.
- Take pleasure in the
miracles of pregnancy and
birth.
Top
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Resources
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The following
organizations offer information about
pregnancy and health:
American College of Obstetricians
and Gynecologists
Phone: 1–800–762–2264
Internet: www.acog.org
American Dietetic
Association
Phone: 1–800–877–1600
Internet: www.eatright.org
Health
Resources and Services Administration
Information Center
Phone: 1–888–ASK–HRSA
(888–275–4772)
Internet: www.ask.hrsa.gov
March
of Dimes
Phone: 1–888–MODIMES
(888–663–4637)
Internet: www.modimes.org
National Diabetes Education
Program
Phone: 1–800–438–5383
Internet: www.ndep.nih.gov
(Click on the “It’s Never Too
Early to Prevent Diabetes” web
banner.)
National Diabetes Information
Clearinghouse
Phone: 1–800–860–8747
Internet: www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov
National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development
Phone: 1–800–370–2943
Internet: www.nichd.nih.gov
National Women’s Health
Information Center
Phone: 1–800–994–9662
Internet: www.4women.gov
For information
about food safety during pregnancy, contact
the following:
U.S.
Department of Agriculture
Meat and Poultry Hotline
1–888–MPHotline
(888–674–6854)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food Information Line
1–888–SAFE FOOD
(888–723–3366)
U.S.
Government’s Food Safety Web
Site
www.foodsafety.gov Top
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Weight-control Information Network
1 WIN Way
Bethesda, MD 20892–3665
Phone: (202) 828–1025
Toll-free number:
1–877–946–4627
FAX: (202) 828–1028
E-mail: win@info.niddk.nih.gov
Internet: http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov
The Weight-control Information Network
(WIN) is a service of the National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National
Institutes of Health, which is the Federal
Government’s lead agency responsible
for biomedical research on nutrition and
obesity. Authorized by Congress (Public Law
103-43), WIN provides the general public,
health professionals, the media, and
Congress with up-to-date, science-based
health information on weight control,
obesity, physical activity, and related
nutritional issues.
Publications produced by WIN are reviewed
by both NIDDK scientists and outside
experts. This publication was also reviewed
by Denise Sofka, M.P.H., R.D., Health
Resources and Services Administration,
Maternal and Child Health Bureau; and
Katrina Holt, M.P.H., M.S., R.D.,
Georgetown University, National Center for
Education in Maternal and Child Health.
This publication is not copyrighted. WIN
encourages users of this brochure to
duplicate and distribute as many copies as
desired. Top
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NIH
Publication No. 06–5130
December 2002
Updated September 2006
e-text posted: February 2007
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Contact Us
Toll free:
1-877-946-4627 Fax: (202)
828-1028 E-mail: win@info.niddk.nih.gov
Weight-control Information Network, 1 WIN Way, Bethesda,
MD 20892-3665
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