It’s always important to eat healthy food – but especially during pregnancy. Find out about healthy food and drink choices, healthy weight gain and food safety during pregnancy.
To keep you and your growing baby healthy and well you need to eat a range of healthy foods from the 4 main food groups every day.
lean meat, chicken, seafood, eggs, legumes (beans, lentils and peas), nuts and seeds - eat at least 2 servings each day.
To find out more, including serving sizes and healthy food choices during pregnancy, see Eating for healthy pregnant women.
Drink when you are thirsty. Try to drink at least 9 cups of fluid each day. Water or reduced- or low-fat milk are the best choices.
You may need more fluid when it’s hot, after you have exercised and if you are vomiting (throwing up) or constipated (when you have 3 or fewer bowel movements [poos/tuutae] in a week). If you are throwing up, fluid may be more easily taken by sucking on ice blocks or having clear soups.
Pregnancy is a time of changes in your body. It’s normal to gain weight during pregnancy due to the growth of the baby, the whenua/afterbirth and fluid around the baby.
While there is no exact healthy weight gain, thin women may need to gain more weight and overweight women less. Talk to your midwife or specialist doctor if you are concerned about your weight gain.
You can expect to eat more food as the pregnancy progresses, but this does not mean that you need to ‘eat for two’. A good appetite and a steady weight gain, especially after the first 3 months, will usually mean that you are eating enough.
Dieting during pregnancy is not recommended because your baby may be less healthy, and it could also affect your health.
To find out how much weight you should gain during your pregnancy, download Healthy Weight Gain in Pregnancy (PDF, 448 KB). You can track your weight gain by downloading and printing this record card (PDF, 279 KB).
In pregnancy your immunity is lower than usual, so you and your unborn baby are more at risk of the kinds of food-borne illnesses that affect everyone.
For more information and the most up-to-date list of high-risk foods to avoid, see the Ministry for Primary Industries’ food safety resource Food safety and pregnancy. You can also call MPI Food Safety on 0800 693 721 or talk to your midwife or specialist doctor.