“Eating for Two”
Posted on November 19, 2013
A common mistake that pregnant women make is following the idea of “eating for two”. Of course the thought of eating whatever you want for nine months sounds great but it is not without consequences. Too much weight gain can put you at risk for gestational diabetes and make it harder for you to return to a healthy weight after the baby is born. As a general guideline if you are currently at a healthy weight you should be gaining 25lbs to 35lbs during pregnancy. If you are currently overweight than limit weight gain to 15lbs to 25lbs. Click here to see what a healthy weight gain is for you using the pregnancy weight gain calculator.
Now that you have figured out how much weight you should expect to gain, how much extra food do you need to eat to get there? For most women in their second and third trimesters an average of 200 to 300 extra calories per day or an extra two to three servings from Canada’s Food Guide should be added. This can easily be done by adding an additional snack to your day (a cup of yogurt or a piece of fruit) or by adding more servings to your main meal (a cup of spinach salad with a hard-boiled egg). Try to choose nutrient rich foods to consume the extra calories each day instead of opting for the high sugar and high fat junk foods. Remember to also try for at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day to help with the healthy weight gain.
Now that you know the facts concerning healthy weight gain during pregnancy change the myth of “eating for two” into “eating two times more healthy” for you and your baby.
