How To Healthy Meal Planning During Pregnancy 2025

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Healthy Meal Plans Trimester By Trimester

Hey, so glad you landed here because you are about to go down the rabbit hole of getting healthy meal plans during pregnancy for every trimester, every day and because you are making it a habit to eat healthy during your pregnancy – you are going to have an awesome recovery if you continue to eat healthy during your postpartum too.

Yay, doesn’t that sound amazing.

But before we jump in – you should know that I have a free 7-day Healthy Meal Plan For Your Pregnancy!

This post may contain affiliate links. For my full disclosure see here.

What Is A Good Meal Plan For Pregnant Women?

You may be wondering what makes a good meal plan for you during this changing time. You need to eat enough calories for you and your baby but it is not all a calorie game. We want you to be healthy and to do that you need a meal plan that is healthy.

This is a list of items to include in each of your plates while you eat during pregnancy.

Grains

You need to eat about 6 ounces of grain in the first trimester, 7 ounces of grain in the second, and about 8 ounces of grain in the third trimester.

Veggies

You also need 2.5 cups of vegetables/day in the first trimester and about 3 cups during the second and third trimester.

Fruits

For fruits, you need about 1.5 – 2 cups in the first trimester and 2 cups in the second and third trimester.

Milk

Each trimester you will need about 3 cups of milk products. That includes, skim milk, cheese, yogurts.

Proteins

You will need about 5 ounces in the first trimester of proteins and 6-7.5 ounces in the second and third trimester.

What Foods Should I Avoid Eating During Pregnancy

Food containing alcohols, high in mercury, and not cooked all the way can harm you and your baby during pregnancy. See our list below.

High Mercury Fish
Under cooked meats
Raw Eggs
Shellfish
Cold Deli Meats
Soft Cheese
Alcohol

Pregnancy Diet

You may start hearing the term pregnancy diet when you are on your search for healthy meals and healthy meal planning. What you need to know is that you are not going to be restricting your eating or trying to lose weight during your pregnancy diet.

All it means is that you are going to eat healthier more nutritious meals as part of a healthy pregnancy diet.

Yummy, healthier meals in less time than you’re spending now.

We all know healthy eating is important. We want to serve our families delicious, nourishing meals. Plus, we want to achieve our personal goals of staying healthy, feeling amazing, and loving the way we look especially during this changing time.

Do you know what else is important? Our sanity! And after a long day of work, kiddos, and chores, getting a healthy, home-cooked meal on the table can feel like a fairy tale.

But it doesn’t have to anymore. With over 1,000 recipes you will find the meal plan that works for you in the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle.

What’s Kind Of Recipes Can I Find In The Healthy Meal Planning Bundle

The Healthy Meal Planning Bundle is amazing because it curates the Internet’s top chefs and food bloggers and puts their best meal planning ideas, recipes, and cookbooks in this bundle.

Here is an overview of all the recipes included.

Baked Goods (87 recipes)
Breakfast (124 recipes)
Dinner: Celebrations & Holiday Meals (54 recipes)
Dinner: Everyday (93 recipes)
Dinner: Freezer Meals (65 recipes)
Dinner: One-Dish Wonders (72 recipes)
Dinner: Quick & Easy (85 recipes)
Dinner: Slow Cooker / Instant Pot (96 recipes)
Light Meals (76 recipes)
Salads & Sides (122 recipes)
Snacks (97 recipes)
Soups (101 recipes)

That’s 1,072 different meals from top chefs and food bloggers I know you’ll find something that is perfect for you. See the full courses, meal planner, and cookbooks in the bundle.

They have a whole section dedicated to freezer meals (hello easy postpartum recovery) and another for breastfeeding mothers (that means you can use this during, after, and for your baby too!

First Trimester Meal Plans

If you are in the first trimester you are going to want a few meals that give you energy and that are bite-sized so you can eat them throughout the day and avoid feeling morning sickness (or all-day sickness).

Here is a great list of food ideas included in the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle that can help you during the first trimester.

Instant Pot Pot Roast (by Nancy Lapp)
Sunday Morning Eggs and Green Biscuits (by Lee Holmes)
Vegan Green Smoothie Bowl (by Shawna Clapper)
Lamb Stew (by Jennifer West)

You can see the mouth-watering recipes here down below!

Those are just a few of my favorites – you can see the full recipes and meal planning guide to get your appetite soaring in the first trimester.

How Many Calories Do I Need To Eat In The First Trimester?

During the first trimester, you do not need to add any extra calories to your diet. You can just eat normally.

Many women actually lose a few pounds during the first trimester because of morning sickness or nausea. However, a few either gain 0-5 pounds in the first three months.

Are you in the first trimester? Make sure you are doing these things while in the first trimester.

*If you are carrying multiples you will need to add 300 extra calories to the ones mentioned!

Second / Third Trimester Meal Planning

How Many Calories Do I Need To Eat In The Second Trimester?

You need an additional 300 calories per day in the second trimester to make sure you are eating enough healthy foods for you and your baby.

Here is a little list of great meal ideas you can try during the second trimester to remain healthy.

Lentil soup
Cooked salmon w/ veggies
Fruit Smoothies (made at that moment)
Eggs (cooked all the way) with veggies, turkey and greens
Short ribs, roast beef stew, chicken stew

Maybe you are wondering what can I eat to grow a healthy baby during the second trimester? I have you covered. Here is what you can do.

You can increase your fruits, protein, fibers and start adding things like nutritious milk-inducing smoothies, easy-to-digest meals, and keep taking your prenatal vitamin.

Need help finding these types of foods? Look no further than the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle.

During the third trimester, your body is going into baby mode and you may be nesting and getting your home ready for the baby. Because of that, you are going to have to increase the number of calories you eat daily during the third trimester.

You Will Need An Extra 500 Calories A Day During The Third Trimester

Wondering what type of meals are 500 calories that you can add every day for a healthy pregnancy?

Easy, you can do a variation of these things:

Eating an extra meal like a smoothie, a cheeseburger (with loaded veggies).
Eating ( 5 ) 100 calorie snacks throughout the day to give you that added energy

A Day Of Healthy Meal Planning For Pregnancy

In this meal plan, you will find the first day of my free 7-day meal planner for pregnancy. (you can get the full week of meals at the end of this post) Each day includes breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner. With options to increase calories by trimester.

Monday Meal

Breakfast: Hard-Boiled Egg, Slice of Toast, Half Of Avocado (calories: 388)

Snack 1: 1/2 cup Cottage Cheese, 1 cup Apricot (calories: 156)

Lunch: 1 Cup Shredded Chicken, half of the avocado (mashed into the chicken), 3 Cups salad greens, 1 tbsp shredded cheese, balsamic and olive oil dressing (calories: 635)

Snack 2: 1 cup homemade Popcorn (calories: 65), 1/8 cup raw almonds (calories: 103)

Dinner: 1.5 Cups of Beef stew, with 1 Cup Brown Rice (calories: 578)

If you thought that one-day meal plan was easy – make sure you sign up and get our full 7-day meal plan for pregnancy healthy eating down below.

In conclusion, you have the tools you need to eat healthier, smarter, and easier – if only you want this change then you will take advantage of the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle.

How To Healthy Meal Planning During Pregnancy