Food swaps to help you eat well in pregnancy
This advice is for you if your BMI was in or above the recommended range before pregnancy. If you are underweight, have had or are in recovery from disordered eating, the information on this page may be more helpful for you.
In pregnancy, it is important to eat well. Swapping some foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat will be good for you and your baby.
On this page
Cutting down on processed meat and fish dishes
Vegetable and cream-based sauces
Eating well in pregnancy
Eating well in pregnancy means trying to eat a range of different, healthy foods every day. This will help you and your growing baby get all the nutrients you need to stay well. A balanced diet will also help manage gestational diabetes and high blood pressure.
Foods that are heavily processed, high in sugar, salt and fat are not so good for you and your baby. But you can still enjoy these occasionally as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Sometimes, sugar, salt and fat are hidden in the foods we eat every day, especially food that comes ready prepared. This means we may be eating a lot more of it than we realise. Food labels can help you understand which foods are high in sugar, salt and fat.
It is also important to be aware of some things that you should avoid eating and drinking completely when pregnant and some foods that need to be prepared in a certain way.
These food swaps will provide you and your baby healthy nutrients. They’ll still be tasty while cutting back on sugar, salt and fat.
Switching to wholegrain
Swapping white bread, toast, bagels, pitta bread, chapati or rolls with wholegrain or wholemeal versions is an easy way to get more fibre and vitamins. These foods will make you feel fuller for longer so can stop you reaching for snacks that are high in sugar, salt and fat. They also help digestion, which can ease constipation.
Cutting down on sugary snacks
If you are looking for a sweet treat, try these:
- unsweetened peanut butter on wholemeal toast with slices of banana
- a handful of unsalted nuts, seeds and dried fruit
- natural yoghurt with tinned or fresh fruit
- a slice of malt loaf or a toasted teacake.
Avoiding sugary cereals
Cereals can appear to be a healthy breakfast option when they are not the best. It can be helpful to learn to read food labels to look for things like hidden sugar. If a cereal has more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g that’s nearly a quarter of the cereal. The packaging will be labelled as high in sugar.
Try swapping sugary cereals for:
- porridge with fruit
- wholegrain cereals such as wheat biscuit and shredded wheat type cereals
- muesli with no added sugar.
Cutting down on processed meat and fish dishes
Processed meats include:
- sausages
- burgers
- chicken nuggets
- kebabs
- meat pies
- fish fingers or fish cakes.
These foods are often high in salt.
It is quick and easy (and can be cheaper) to cook meat and fish if you buy it in its ‘natural state’. For example, it can be quicker to cook slices of chicken breast or fish in a non-stick pan than to cook chicken nuggets in the oven.
Find out more about how to eat well on a budget.
Note: always take care when preparing raw meat at home and check out our tips for preparing food safely.
We also have some ideas for some healthy meals you can make at home including homemade fish fingers.
Choosing nutritious sides
Try to eat fried chips and potatoes, yams or plantains cooked in lots of oil or fat less regularly. Use these options for day-to-day:
- boiled or mashed potatoes or yams - leave the skin on for extra fibre
- baked potato in its skin (you can do this in a microwave)
- home-made sweet potato wedges cooked in the oven or air fryer
- oven-baked plantain in the oven instead of fried.
Vegetable and cream-based sauces
Tomato and vegetable-based sauces for pasta or curries can help you reach your 5-a-day and don't have as much fat as cream-based sauces. For pasta, you can also try pesto sauces, which are easy to make at home. Add herbs, vegetables and ingredients you enjoy to them.
If you want to get that creamy texture, try:
- light coconut cream
- milk or plant-based milks
- blitzed up vegetables like avocado, cauliflower and squash
- cream cheese.
Changing up your drinks
It is important to stay hydrated through pregnancy, but it’s easy to drink too much extra sugar. A bottle of water contains no sugar, while the same amount of fizzy drink can contain more than 35g. That’s about 28 jelly beans.
Water is best but if you want a change now and then, there are lots of things you can try.
- Fruit tea can help keep you hydrated without adding caffeine, which should be limited. Just check on the label that it does not contain caffeine and is safe for pregnancy.
- Sparkling water, or water with ice and slices of fruit added to it can make a refreshing change from plain tap water.
- 1 glass of fresh fruit juice a day can be a good source of vitamin C. But it also contains sugars and acid. Try diluting with water and drink it at meal times to help protect your teeth.
- If you like drinking squash, dilute it as much as possible so it is less concentrated and contains less sugar.
Remember, when it comes to drinking fruit juice, eating the whole fruit is a healthier option. If you eat a whole fruit you get the benefit of the juice as well as fibre and minerals. It will also help you feel fuller for longer.
Other simple swaps
- full fat milk, semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, or unsweetened milk alternative
- streaky bacon or smoked bacon, unsmoked back bacon with fat cut off
- full-fat hard cheese, such as Cheddar, half-fat or reduced-fat cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese or a smaller amount of stronger cheese in recipes
- lard or hard spreads (like butter) in cooking a small amounts of vegetable, olive or rapeseed oil
- red meat, white meat or fish.
You might also be tempted to swap sugar for sweetener but it’s better to cut down the amount you use. It may help you have less of a taste for sweet things. You’d be surprised how quickly you can get used to hot drinks and breakfast cereal without adding sugar.
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