If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, a healthy diet is important. It will help your baby develop and grow.
You do not need to go on a special diet, but it’s important to eat a variety of different foods to get the right balance of nutrients for you and your baby.
It’s best to get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat, but when you’re pregnant you need to take a folic acid supplement as well, to make sure you get everything you need.
Read more about vitamins and supplements in pregnancy.
There’s no need to ‘eat for 2’
You will probably find you are more hungry than usual, but you do not need to ‘eat for 2’ – even if you are expecting twins or triplets.
Try to have a healthy breakfast every day, because this can help you to avoid snacking on foods that are high in fat and sugar.
Eating healthily often means changing the amounts of different foods you eat, so that your diet is varied, rather than cutting out all your favourites.
- Eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. These provide vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre, which helps digestion and can prevent constipation.
- Starchy foods like bread, potatoes, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta, and oats, are an important source of energy. They should make up just over a third of the food you eat.
- Eat protein-rich foods like beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat, poultry, and nuts, every day.
- Dairy foods such as milk, cheese, fromage frais, and yoghurt are important in pregnancy because they contain calcium and other nutrients you and your baby need.
There are also certain foods that should be avoided in pregnancy.
