Pregnancy Macronutrients

As I was preparing for my pregnancy I knew that nutrition was very important and a key component to growing a healthy baby. As I dove into my research and reading I learned that the baby pulls from your nutrient stores along with pulling from what you eat each day for the nutrients it needs and to grow strong and healthy. If your not intaking enough nutrients and the baby has to pull from your nutrient stores you are left depleted after giving birth and that leads to a longer postpartum recovery. I heard from a lot of women that during my first trimester I would feel nauseas and not be able to eat or keep anything down, with this in mind I made sure I was eating nutrient dense foods before pregnancy and I was taking my prenatal vitamins 3 months prior to getting pregnant.

Here are the Essential macronutrients your body needs to run optimally and stay healthy and that your baby needs to grow.

Protein: All of our cells are made up of protein; we need protein to maintain healthy cells and to create new cells, during pregnancy we are creating a lot of new cells and so high quality protein is essential during pregnancy. Protein is made up of amino acids and we need a variety of different amino acids to facilitate different functions in our bodies.

During pregnancy we need to intake extra glycine which facilitates the formation of fetal DNA, internal organs, connective tissue, bones, blood vessels, skin and joints. Also to help our growing uterus, placenta and our belly which is constantly stretching and getting bigger for the next 10 months. So how much protein do we need to consume each day for a healthy pregnancy? For early pregnancy you should consume around 1.22g/kg body weight in early pregnancy and 1.52g/kg body weight in late pregnancy. Its optimal to consume enough high quality complete protein to get the amino acids your body and baby needs. My daily intake during pregnancy is sitting around 150g.

Studies show that inadequate protein intake during pregnancy can lead to the child’s increased risk of developing heart diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure. So what proteins should you be consuming? Wild caught Salmon, herring, anchovies, sardines, grass-fed beef and lamb, pasture raised poultry, eggs and organ meats are incredibly nutrient dense, nuts, bone broths. Legumes and Lentils and peas are a source of protein but they are incomplete proteins so you will need to consume a variety of these to get all your essential amino acids.

Fat: Omega-3 fatty acids are extremely important for our brains and hormones and also extremely important for our babies developing brain. DHA and Cholesterol which are types of Omega-3 is crucial for the babies brain and vision development. Along with the need for quality fat intake the needs for Fat Soluble Vitamins increase during pregnancy. Vitamins like Choline is essential for the babies brain development, memory, and learning that lasts into adulthood. Vitamin A is essential for lung and liver development and if you are getting inadequate amounts it can lead to birth defects, low birth weight and other complications.

You can find these fats in Pasture raised whole eggs, that means eating the yolks, organ meats, fatty fishes like Wild caught salmon, anchovies, sardines, herring, grass-fed beef, tallow, grass-fed butter, avocados, coconuts, olive oil, nuts, seeds, ghee, chicken skin. There is no recommended amount for fat because you don’t want to limit the amount of healthy fat you intake and its hard to over due it. This is such a crucial nutrient for you and your babies development. My daily intake during pregnancy is sitting around 100g.

Another form of fat is called Omega-6, this particular fat is inflammatory and you want to limit the intake of this fat in your daily nutrition but especially during pregnancy. You find Omega-6’s in cooking oils like corn, cottonseed, soy and safflower oil and anything that says Partially hydrogenated. Omega-6’s inhibit the synthesis of DHA and can lead to abnormal fetal brain development, anxiety later in life and development delays.

Vegetables: Veggies are considered Nutrient Powerhouses, most veggies are called non-starchy veggies because they are high in fiber and don’t raise your blood sugar. You will want to consume a wide variety and as much as you can of these veggies to insure you are getting a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for you and the baby. A lot of the vitamins in veggies are fat soluble so you will want to consume them with fat, You can do this by cooking your veggies in butter, olive oil or coconut oil. Vegetables which are called Prebiotics act as fuel for your intestinal bacteria which are called Probiotics. Our digestive system have a hard time breaking down raw vegetables and during pregnancy we have an even harder time with this so it is important to cook your vegetables before consuming.

You don’t want to limit the amount of non-starchy veggies you eat each day and try to fill half your plate with a variety at each sitting. Ensuring you get a diverse variety of vegetables each day also helps your baby and their food choices when they are starting to eat solid foods. Your baby tastes everything that you eat through the placenta and this will help so you don’t have a picky eater on your hands.

These vegetables have around 15g of carbs per cup at most and so if you struggle with your blood sugar rising than this will be important to consume a lot to help maintain a proper blood sugar level.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are not considered an Essential macro and when you consume them they raise your blood sugar as your body breaks them down. Studies have shown that elevated blood sugar levels can lead to higher risk of congenital heart defects and higher risk of nueral tube defects. During pregnancy our blood sugar is more sensitive and at a higher risk for gestational diabetes, preeclampsia (high blood pressure), gall bladder disease (gall stones), impaired lung development for the baby and more likely to catch life threatening lung infections and have metabolic problems later in life like diabetes and heart disease.

Not all carbs are bad but the amounts you consume should be minimally processed carbs and paired with other foods like fat which help slow the rise of your blood sugar as your body breaks them down. Now lets talk about how much carbs should you be eating each day; the conventional guidelines recommend around 45-65% of your daily intake be carbohydrates but looking at the fact that gestational diabetes is such a big problem nowadays then that it stands that these numbers are way too high. A study looked at traditional hunter-gatherer tribes and their intake is around 16-22% of their daily intake, that is significantly lower. I myself eat around 75grams of carbs on my high day during my pregnancy.

Its very important to you and your growing baby to make sure you get optimal amounts of Protein, Fats and Vegetables each day. In my next post I will talk about the essential micronutrients needed during pregnancy. Some of the information cited came from Lily Nichols Real Food for Pregnancy, this book is amazing and if you are pregnant or planning on getting pregnant I highly recommend you reading it.