Eating Small Meals During Pregnancy

Your doctor probably suggested eating smaller meals to help you deal with morning sickness, nausea or heartburn, or perhaps to help you maintain an even blood-glucose level throughout the day. When dealing with nausea you may find that you feel best when your stomach is not too full or too empty.

When eating smaller meals, it's important to remember to eat a balanced diet with the adequate calories, protein, vitamins and minerals. Just divide the food you eat into five to six small meals rather than three larger meals.

Here's an example:

Breakfast
One cup fortified, whole-grain cereal with one cup low-fat milk, served with a large banana or one cup of berries.

Mid-morning snack/meal
One sandwich (on two slices of whole wheat bread) with either two tablespoons of peanut butter or two ounces lean meat and one and a half ounces of hard cheese, served with a glass of low-fat milk.

Lunch
A two-ounce serving (a little smaller than a deck of cards) of chicken, beef, pork, or tuna, served with five to six whole-wheat crackers, a small salad, and a serving of fruit.

Mid-afternoon snack/meal
One and a half ounces of cheese served with three cups of popcorn.

Dinner
Three ounces of meat or meat substitute (chicken, beef, pork, seafood or tofu) served with two kinds of vegetables. I recommend one cup of vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, spinach, asparagus, bell pepper, cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, eggplant or cucumber, in addition to one cup of starchy vegetables like potatoes, lima beans, sweet potatoes, corn or green peas.

Evening snack
One cup of low-fat milk and three graham crackers.

Some other ideas for small meals include:

A sandwich; a cup of yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit or crackers; a slice of veggie/cheese pizza; a cup of stir-fried veggies with chicken or other meat; small veggie/cheese omelet; a cup of soup with crackers; a small serving of pasta with sauce; a small serving of macaroni and cheese; one or two tacos; a milkshake; one cup of rice and beans; hummus and pita (or pita chips).