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Maintaining healthy weight gain during pregnancy

Pregnancy is definitely a time to spoil and treat yourself, but not necessarily in the calorific sense.  Although in some ways you are “eating for two” because your baby will share what you eat that doesn’t mean you can eat for two whole people! Overeating may lead to higher levels of pregnancy weight gain and increase the risk of complications down the line e.g. diabetes risk.

So, how many extra calories should you be eating? Well, your body doesn’t actually need many more calories until later on in your final trimester of pregnancy, once the baby really starts to grow! (also see third trimester tips).  In the earlier stages of pregnancy your baby needs quality nutrition rather than quantity, so focus on that.

Always, ask your healthcare practitioner for guidance when it comes to ‘how much’ weight should be gained during pregnancy but the Institute of Medicine recommend that normal weight women (with a body mass index between 19 and 25) weight gain should be between 11.5-16kg in pregnancy.

So, if you are feeling hungry go for the good stuff – foods that are packed with nutrients, rather than empty calories.