Pregnancy comes with its fair share of first trimester nausea, food aversions and exhaustion but it is possible to eat healthy pregnancy meals to help you feel your best during all three trimesters!
Sometimes new moms complicate pregnancy meals and think they need to be eating insanely “clean” and get every single nutrient they possibly can but only gain the minimum amount of pregnancy weight.
But in reality, creating healthy pregnancy meals doesn’t need to be hard or complicated. And if you were already eating healthy, well balanced meals then you are already 95% ahead of the game.
After reading this post, you will have a solid understanding of all the pregnancy foods you should eat, which pregnancy foods to avoid and the exact steps to create healthy pregnancy meals. Plus you will get some insanely delicious pregnancy snack ideas as well as specific pregnancy snacks for nausea.
This post is all about the exact steps to make healthy pregnancy meals that you will actually eat.
Steps To Plan Healthy Pregnancy Meals
1. Recognize What Trimester You’re In
The thing about planning meals during pregnancy is it all depends on what trimester you are in. In the initial twelve or so weeks of pregnancy, most women have some type of pregnancy food aversion or first trimester nausea that is new and can come on very suddenly. For that reason, first trimester meals can look waaay different than what you would like them to.
First trimester meals tend to be carb heavy and many women can’t stomach meat. But by the second trimester, it is common for pregnant women to start feeling better and be open to cooking and eating more meat and protein.
My biggest piece of advice is to go with the flow and have no expectations. You may have a pregnancy filled with nausea or it might only be two weeks worth. Above all, you are growing a tiny human and you need to eat to survive in the first trimester.
Related: Everything You Need To Know About Pregnancy Meals In Each Trimester
2. Create Well Balanced Meals
When you’re not dealing with first trimester nausea, it is always in your best interest to create healthy pregnancy meals that include a protein, vegetable, carbohydrate and healthy fat. This isn’t always easy and pregnancy cravings can be strong but it’s a good goal to strive for.
Don’t confuse this with only eating grilled chicken, brown rice and broccoli though!
Healthy meals, pregnant or not, don’t ever have to be boring. My favorite dinners include:
Lasagna
- Protein = meat sauce
- Vegetable = zucchini & squash (or whatever I make on the side)
- Carbohydrate = lasagna noodles
- Healthy fat = cheese
Burger
- Protein = turkey burger
- Vegetable = green beans
- Carbohydrate = bun
- Healthy fat = cheese
Chicken Pasta
- Protein = chicken (diced or shredded)
- Vegetable = broccoli
- Carbohydrate = pasta
- Healthy fat = light olive oil & cheese
These meals are delicious – and they’re meals I make pregnant or not!
3. Plan Ahead
This can be a little tricky when a pregnancy craving strikes but planning ahead is a lifesaver!
Before you leave your house for the grocery store, I recommend deciding on 4-5 dinner recipes and making a shopping list with all the items you need. This will keep you focused in the store and buying only what you need. It will also help you avoid coming home with a bunch of groceries and having to decide what to do with them every night.
Having a sort of “blueprint” for the week not only keeps your husband from nagging you about what’s for dinner (or at least in my house it does) but it takes the pressure off of you too.
4. Eat What You Like
I’m sooo passionate about this. Whether you are planning healthy pregnancy meals or just healthy, well balanced meals, it is so so so important to eat what you like and not what you think you should be eating.
If you don’t like salads or broccoli, then eat different veggies.
If you don’t like sweet potatoes and oatmeal, then pick a different carbohydrate.
Healthy pregnancy meals shouldn’t be restrictive. Once you plan and eat foods that you actually like, you will be surprised at how easy “healthy” eating is. And you will feel more satisfied too!
5. Batch Cook
I think there is a time and a place for meal prepping but pregnancy is the perfect time to incorporate a little bit of it. Mainly because it saves you having to cook every single night after work.
I’m not saying you spend hours in the kitchen every Sunday but I recommend doubling (or tripling) what you are making for dinner. This will give you leftovers that can either be eaten for lunch the next day or another dinner. This was a total game changer for my family when we started doing it!
Another option would be prepping just your protein sources but cooking vegetables and carbs fresh each day. This could look like grilling up a batch of chicken so you have it to use all week or putting chicken or pork in the crockpot.
Then you can use the meat for quesadillas, tacos, wraps, salads and so much more!
6. Have A Back Up Plan
I recommend having a few plan b meals in your freezer or pantry for the days you really don’t feel like making what you planned. This is bound to happen during pregnancy but it doesn’t mean you need to suffer through a meal you’re not excited about or spend money on takeout (although that’s an option).
My favorite Plan B meals include:
- Tomato soup with grilled cheese
- Soup
- Chicken pot pie
- Pizza (guilty haha)
- Breakfast for dinner
- Kodiak cakes pancake mix
- Turkey burgers
7. You’re Not Eating For Two
This may or may not be new information for you but for the majority of your pregnancy your baby is teeny tiny. People joke that they’re eating for two and can use it as an excuse to eat whatever the heck they want, but the truth is that it’s really unnecessary.
You will have days and weeks of feeling ravenous though and by all means you should eat when you’re hungry.
First Trimester of Pregnancy: Doesn’t require any extra calories during the first trimester.
Second Trimester of Pregnancy: Requires an additional ~340 calories/day.
Third Trimester of Pregnancy: Requires an additional ~450 calories/day.
This is not intended to serve as medical advice or encourage calorie counting/restricting. Please consult your doctor for any questions regarding how much you should be eating.
Pregnancy Foods To Eat
Some of the top foods to incorporate into your healthy pregnancy meals are listed below along with the many reasons why they are so good for your pregnant body:
- Oatmeal– complex carbs, folic acid, iron, fiber, satisfies hunger longer, helps you stay regular
- Bananas– potassium, gives you energy, helps fight fatigue
- Avocado– omega 3’s, vitamin B, promotes baby’s brain development
- Berries– vitamin C, fiber, promotes good urinary tract health
- Eggs– amino acids, choline, protein, encourages baby’s brain growth
- Beans/Lentils– protein, fiber, iron, zinc, helps ward off nausea
- Yogurt– probiotics, calcium, supports mom and baby’s bones
- Nuts– omega 3’s, vegetarian protein, easy on the go snack
- Dark leafy greens– vitamin E, magnesium, beta carotene, promotes eye, bone, skin and cell growth
- Red meat– zinc, protein, iron, supports collagen, tissues, blood and bones
- Seafood– full of DHA and EPA, omega 3 fatty acids, good for fetal brain and nervous system development
Pregnancy Foods to Avoid
There are also several pregnancy foods to avoid for a variety of reasons. I always recommend you speak with your doctor about what is best for you and your situation but the list below are the general pregnancy foods to avoid.
- Alcohol
- High amounts of caffeine (over 200mg)
- High mercury fish (swordfish, shark, king mackerel, big eye tuna, etc)
- Raw eggs
- Raw meat
- Raw seafood and sushi
- Deli meat (this is controversial between doctors)
- Unpasteurized/soft cheeses
- Pre-prepared foods
This post goes into detail about why you should be avoiding these foods during pregnancy.
Sample Week of Healthy Pregnancy Meals
Here is a sample week’s worth of meals to give you an idea of not only the variety of meals but how you can re-use leftovers for lunch the next day. Another really great resource for healthy pregnancy meals is this Meal Plan and Cookbook. I really loved it throughout my pregnancy!
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| Breakfast | Oatmeal with peanut butter, berries and chia seeds | 2 eggs with 2 slices avocado toast | Slice of ham & cheese quiche | 2 eggs with 2 slices avocado toast | Slice of ham & cheese quiche |
| Snack #1 | Slice of ham & cheese quiche | Greek yogurt with granola and fresh fruit | Slice of ham & cheese quiche | Greek yogurt with granola and fresh fruit | Protein bar and fresh fruit |
| Lunch | Chicken sandwich with side salad | Grilled chicken, zucchini/squash and jasmine rice (leftovers) | Taco salad (leftovers) with chips & salsa | Grilled chicken with rice zucchini/squash (leftovers) | Pork chops, broccoli and crescent rolls (leftovers) |
| Snack #2 | Greek yogurt with handful of nuts | 2 hard boiled eggs & fruit | Greek yogurt with handful of nuts | 2 hard boiled eggs & fruit | Greek yogurt and english muffins & peanut butter |
| Dinner | Grilled chicken, zucchini & squash and jasmine rice | Ground turkey tacos | Grilled chicken quesadillas (with leftover chicken) | Pork chops, broccoli and crescent rolls | Homemade pizza |
| Dessert | Cereal | Ice cream | Peanut butter toast | Ice cream | Popcorn (and a movie!) |
This post was all about the exact steps to make healthy pregnancy meals that you will actually eat.