Do I have to eat for two?
Although many people may joke that you are now eating for two, it doesn’t mean you should be consuming twice as many calories. Mamas in the first trimester need to make sure they are getting the variety of vitamins and minerals necessary to support pregnancy and the development of the baby.
Throughout the pregnancy the necessary vitamins and minerals change. For example, in the first trimester, folates and iron are especially important for mother and child. The requirements actually double! Phosphorus and iodine should be increased by 15-20 percent [1]; both of these trace elements are present in fish [2]. 3.5 ounces (100 g) of cod or salmon or 7 ounces (200 g) of shrimp will be enough for you per day.
A menu might look something like this:
Breakfast: whole grain cereal with milk (iodine and calcium).
Lunch: fish soup made with cod or salmon (phosphorus and iodine).
Dinner: stir-fried beef with spinach (iron and folate).
In between the main meals, snack on nuts and apples, adhering to the general rules of healthy eating [3]:
Give preference to seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Avoid trans fats (margarines and spreads). Limit consumption of packaged products containing trans fats (donuts, muffins, pies, cookies and waffles).
Give preference to vegetable fats over animal.
Trim visible fat from meat.
Reduce the use of sugar and sweets to 10% (and ideally down to 5%) of the total calorie intake.
At later stages of pregnancy, of course, you will need to increase the amount you eat by about 200-400 calories per day more [4]. Try to get energy not from fats and sugars, but from proteins and slow carbohydrates. Over time, it makes sense to increase the intake of zinc and magnesium, vitamins A and D - you will certainly find information about this in our application for the corresponding week.
