Hospitals and Centers

Guidelines for Eating

Eat small, frequent meals. Try to eat every three to four hours:

Have a good source of protein at every meal and snack. High-protein foods are meat, chicken, fish, low-fat cheese, nuts, peanut butter, cottage cheese, eggs, turkey and tofu.
It is important to pay attention to portion size rather than the type of food.
High-sugar foods tend to have less nutritional value.
While you are pregnant, your body and growing baby need an additional 300 calories a day during the second and third trimester.
Make sure that the additional 300 calories come from foods high in vitamins and nutrients.
Do not save food from one meal and eat more than your meal plan allows at the next meal.
Measure your portion sizes of carbohydrates with measuring cups.
If you are hungry, it is better to eat more protein than carbohydrates.
Condiments and foods that contain 5 grams of carbohydrates and are under 20 calories are considered free foods and do not have to be added to your total daily carbohydrate count.
Read labels. Be mindful of the grams of total carbohydrates instead of grams of sugar.
Chinese food should be ordered steamed, with any rice and sauce on the side.
Try to include two servings of fruit and three to four servings of vegetables throughout the day for added vitamins, fiber and antioxidants.
Non-starchy vegetables contain only small amounts of carbohydrate and can be added as desired (lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and broccoli).
Include mild/fortified soy milk, if tolerated, as a good source of calcium or incorporate other calcium-containing foods into your plan.
By monitoring your blood glucose results, you will discover your own sensitivity to the amounts of carbohydrate you eat. Your meal plan can be adjusted depending on your results.