Pregnancy Diet Guide and Weight Gain

Recommended pregnancy dietary guide

Weight gain during pregnancy

Tips to prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy

Weight gain during pregnancy is recommended at 0.5kg a week during the second and third trimesters (unless if you were already overweight before your pregnancy). One way to avoid excessive weight gain is to opt for healthier cooking methods such as boiling and steaming.

An expecting mother should have a balanced diet consisting a variety of food from the four food groups such as:

Rice and alternatives
Fruits
Vegetables
Meat and alternatives

The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), a member of the SingHealth group, provides a recommended pregnancy dietary guide and shares more about weight gain during pregnancy.

Recommended pregnancy dietary guide

Food	Recommended Number of Servings	Example of 1 Serving	Remarks
Rice and alternatives	6 - 7	2 slices bread 3 pieces of chappati 1 medium potato 1 cup oats/cereal	Nil
Fruits	2	1 wedge papaya/honeydew 1 small apple/orange/pear	Nil
Vegetables	2	¾ mug (100 g) cooked vegetables	Include at least 1 green leafy vegetable daily
Protein	2	1 medium drumstick 100g (1 palm-sized piece) lean meat/fish 1 egg = 1/3 serving ¾ cup cooked beans/lentils 2 small squares beancurd	Limit egg yolks to 4 a week if you have high cholesterol levels
Milk and alternatives	2 - 4	1 cup milk or high-calcium soybean milk 2 slices cheese 1 small tub yoghurt	Choose low-fat or non-fat dairy products

Weight gain during pregnancy

Mothers should not gain excessive weight during pregnancy. During pregnancy, an additional 300 calories per day is required. You can obtain the additional 300 calories from any one of the following :

2 slices of bread with cheese and margarine
½ extra bowl of rice for lunch and dinner
1 chicken curry bun and 1 bowl beancurd dessert (tauhuay)

It is however not necessary to calculate your calorie intake per day. Use your weight gain as a guide. Pregnant women should aim for an average of 0.5kg a week during the second and third trimesters for a total weight gain of 9 - 13 kg. However, if you were overweight before your pregnancy, you should only gain 6 - 9 kg.

Tips to prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy

To prevent excessive weight gain, you should:

Limit sugary foods such as sweets and sweetened drinks
Reduce fat intake by eating less fried foods, chocolate and kuehs
Reduce fat intake by removing the skin and fat on poultry, removing fat from meat before eating
Opt for soup noodles instead of fried noodles
Select healthier cooking methods such as boiling, steaming or grilling instead of deep frying

Ref: M19

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