Nutrition · Pregnancy

Why eating small frequent meals is best during pregnancy

Salad topped with Salmon fish on white plate

It’s important that you gain enough weight to help your body go through all the changes needed during pregnancy.  During the last 2 trimesters your body needs extra energy and nutrients to help your baby grow.

As a result, you might find that you are hungry all the time.  This is usually caused by the fact that you will feel full more quickly and with much less food than you are used to eating at a time.  So eating smaller frequent meals and snacks will help you get what your body needs without overloading your stomach.

How do you keep up with the extra energy need?

  • Follow your appetite; eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full
  • Take your time when eating to prevent feeling full for a long time
  • Carry snacks wherever you go
  • Split your lunch in half and eat it in two separate sittings
  • Choose high energy and high protein snacks
  • Eat solid foods first before drinking fluids
  • Drink fluids separate from your meals

Don’t forget to limit foods and drinks that have high amounts of calories, fat or sugar and are low in nutrients.  Examples of these are cakes, cookies, muffins, chips and sugary drinks. This can lead to unnecessary weight gain during pregnancy, and may bring negative effects to you and your baby.

If you can only remember one thing, then remember the number 3 – aim to have 3 meals and 3 snacks by eating every 3 hours.

frequent meals when pregnant

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