Pregnancy Nutrition: Extra Calories During Pregnancy
Now that I'm pregnant, everyone says that I'm "eating for two." What exactly does that mean? Should I be consuming twice as many calories as usual?
A fetus is not the size of an adult, or even a small child, and therefore the caloric requirements of the fetus are definitely not equal to those of the mother. Therefore, I definitely don't recommend "eating for two."
Instead, I suggest that women gradually increase their caloric intake as the fetus grows. Start out by adding 100 calories per day and gradually increase that amount to 400 calories a day. For example, a pregnant woman who exercises a moderate amount should consume, on average, about 2,400 calories per day. If you don't exercise at all, you should reduce that to 2,200 calories, and if you are very active, you should eat about 2,600-2,800 calories per day. This should help support good pregnancy nutrition.
Instead, I suggest that women gradually increase their caloric intake as the fetus grows. Start out by adding 100 calories per day and gradually increase that amount to 400 calories a day. For example, a pregnant woman who exercises a moderate amount should consume, on average, about 2,400 calories per day. If you don't exercise at all, you should reduce that to 2,200 calories, and if you are very active, you should eat about 2,600-2,800 calories per day. This should help support good pregnancy nutrition.
Answered by
Dr. Wendy Wilcox
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