Eating for two during pregnancy: Fact or fiction?

Mandy Sacher

Child nutrition expert and mother of two, Mandy Sacher, is a Paediatric Nutritionist and SOS Feeding Consultant. Her private practice focuses on prenatal and childhood nutrition, helping parents and mums-to-be feed their children healthy, nourishing foods right from the start. Mandy’s philosophy is simple: train children’s taste buds to enjoy nourishing, nutritionally beneficial foods early as possible to ensure optimal development and establishment of lifelong healthy eating behaviours. After the birth of her first child in 2010, Mandy became increasingly aware of the lack of nutritionally sound information available to first-time parents. She was alarmed at the amount of baby and toddler foods marketed as ‘healthy’ when the sugar, salt and preservative contents were overly high. Mandy realised the journey to junk food can begin with the squeezie yoghurts we are fed or the teething rusks given to us. Mandy’s career in children’s health spans more than a decade – in 2006, she, along with other paediatric experts, founded the MEND Programme, an independent, not-for-profit organisation established to research and prevent obesity in children. Mandy and her colleagues at MEND developed one of the world’s only proven weight-loss treatments for obese children, now based on ten years of research and clinical trials. For the past five years Mandy has consulted to daycares on implementing more nutritious whole food menu plans and also privately to parents with children of all ages. Wholesome Child’s nutritional workshops are held at preschools, mother’s groups, non-profit organisations and medical practices.

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Updated on Jun 14, 2024 · 2 mins read

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Eating for two during pregnancy: Fact or fiction?

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When you start talking with your friends about pregnancy, the jokes about how much you can now eat come up. The idea that you can finally pack on a few extra pounds because they’ll be hidden by your growing belly is exciting. All of the junk food you can imagine, what could be better? But when it’s time to face reality though, you realise that this isn’t really the truth. The common term of “now you’re eating for two” is an old myth. There is no need for this and during the first 3 months, your daily intake does not need to be more than before you were pregnant (how disappointing).

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So, why is this false?

Sadly, your cravings can’t be indulged in as much as you might have thought. A pregnant woman only needs to consume about 300 calories more per day.

It is, however, important to make sure that your diet is nutrient-dense and packed with nourishing foods that will support you and your baby’s development throughout the pregnancy.

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What are the problems with eating too much?

Gaining too much weight too quickly can be damaging to your and your baby’s health. Here are some of the increased risks:

Gestational diabetes
High blood pressure
Backaches
The need for a c-section
More health risks for your little one

On top of that, the more weight you gain during pregnancy, the harder it is to lose afterwards. No matter how much you’re craving those biscuits, try to reach for some fruit instead.

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15Weeks baby

20Weeks baby

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How much should I be eating while pregnant then?

The amount of food you need to eat during pregnancy is more based on your weight before pregnancy and how active you are. If healthy eating hasn’t been a habit of yours up until now, this is the perfect time to start. A good rule of thumb is to eat around 1,800 calories during the first trimester and increase this to 2,200 in the second.

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