It kind of goes without saying that during pregnancy, the body goes through a lot of changes, and that means that our nutritional demands evolve, too. It’s why doctors and other maternal health experts tend to recommend that you not only adopt healthy eating habits during pregnancy, but also incorporate appropriate supplementation to help support nutrient gaps.*
But what does that actually look like in practice? Let’s take some of the guesswork out of supporting pregnancy nutrition.
1. Start with a balanced diet.
“A healthy diet becomes really important during pregnancy,” says Dr. Mastaneh Sharafi, PhD, RD, and Ritual’s VP of Scientific Affairs. “Whatever is happening to you right now isn’t just impacting you.”
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), eating well is one of the best ways to support the body during this time. You may have heard of the phrase “eating for two”, and while it’s true that pregnant women† need to consume extra calories in order to support baby’s growth—the Institute of Medicine recommends women gain anywhere between 11-40 pounds, depending on BMI—it may be more helpful to reframe the maxim as eating twice as healthy, instead.* (5, 7)