Surviving and Thriving: Your Ultimate Guide to First Trimester Nutrition
Jan 15, 2025, Updated Feb 01, 2025
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Congratulations! You’re pregnant… Now what?
Well, you’re in for the ride of your life! Parenthood is one of the greatest joys in the world, and for some people, pregnancy is, too!
But if you’re newly pregnant and wondering what in the world you’ve gotten yourself into, you’re not alone. Pregnancy- especially in the first trimester- is challenging for so many people.
If you need a first trimester diet plan, or just someone to (virtually) hold your hand and tell you it’s going to get better- I’m your girl!
First Trimester Diet Plan
The rollercoaster of early pregnancy
The first trimester is from when you find out you’re pregnant until about week 13.
Technically it includes the 2 weeks preconception and the “two week wait” in there before you’re technically pregnant and before you even know you’re pregnant!
Nutrition is really important throughout all of pregnancy- including before you’ve gotten a positive test. So if you’re here and you’re either newly pregnant or want to embark on that journey soon, I’m here to help with the nutrition side of things!
Nutrition in the first trimester
Lots of big developmental things happen, well, throughout all of pregnancy. You are growing a human from scratch, after all! But some of the biggest developments actually happen pretty early on- from around week 6 of pregnancy!
If you’re in the thick of it right now, you probably know what I’m about to say. For many people, the first trimester brings with it a ton of symptoms that can make it really hard to eat like you normally would.
Things like food (and water) aversions, nausea, vomiting, and cravings may all pop up, making mealtimes anything but pleasant.
So what’s the best first trimester diet plan, when you’re feeling lot hot garbage and can only stomach french fries? Let’s talk about it.
Nutritional needs in the first trimester
I want to take a look at what our nutritional needs actually are in the first trimester of pregnancy.
But first, a big fat caveat!
The first trimester (and for some of us, the majority of pregnancy) is purely about survival. I know you have hopes to eat veggies and keep up that current workout regimen. And I sincerely hope you can. But I want you to hear me loud and clear that it’s not always the reality for all of us.
Of course it would be great if we could eat a variety of foods like fish and meat and eggs and vegetables, but sometimes those foods are extremely off-putting during pregnancy.
So as far as a first trimester diet plan, here’s what I want to whittle it down to:
1. Keep an eye on hydration
This one sounds simple, drink water- duh! Not so fast. During both of my pregnancies, I actually struggled to drink plain water. It sounded nauseating. I found a couple tips that helped with hydration during pregnancy.
First of all, I could only drink water if it was ice cold. Cool or room temp? No way.
Second of all, I sometimes added a little flavor with fruit (lemon, strawberry, orange). Or I went for a warm herbal tea, like lemon ginger.
And finally, I occasionally added electrolyte packets to my water. Check with your doctor before adding any supplements like that to your pregnancy regimen!
2. Take your prenatal vitamin
Prenatal vitamins can help cover your bases, especially if you’re feeling like you’re not getting what you normally get from your diet.
When you’re pregnant, you have higher nutrient requirements for certain nutrients like folate, iron, calcium, and choline.
A prenatal vitamin should help you get closer to meeting those needs, but you’ll want to prioritize nutritious foods in your diet, too. (The exception to this is folate. Prenatal vitamins should all meet the minimum requirement for folate in pregnancy, as it is crucial for early pregnancy the development of the fetal central nervous system.)
3. Business as usual (if possible)
In the first trimester, you actually don’t need extra calories yet.
As pregnancy progresses, you need a modest amount more calories than your baseline. But first trimester, if you’re feeling good, you can continue to eat as you normally would (while you also take your prenatal and drink plenty of liquid!).
Focus on nutrient density and variety, and give yourself a ton of grace if the best you can do is peanut butter toast while curled up in a ball on the couch.
How to eat when you’re nauseous
If you’re feeling lousy and nauseous in the mornings- or around the clock- my advice is rely on whatever carbohydrate you can keep down. I promise this won’t last forever (morning sickness or pregnancy), and you’ll one day eat a vegetable again.
If you’re really struggling to find something that sounds good, start as simple as you need to. Plain toast, bagels, or oatmeal might go down okay. Many people find strong tastes and smells really tough at the beginning of pregnancy. Going back to the basics is a good first trimester diet plan.
And…
When you can tolerate it, we can aim a little bit higher! You can make your simple carbs a little more nutritious with a few tips and tricks. I’ll give you some ideas for ways you can do this in the next section.
Pointers for combatting early pregnancy nausea
Eat small meals
If you can’t eat a normal quantity at once, that’s okay! Break it up into smaller meals that you can stomach. Many women find that a few nutrient-dense bites of meals/snacks here and there can actually keep nausea at bay.
Eat frequent meals
Having something in your stomach can help the seasick feeling. I recommend snacking on something about every two hours. As your stomach empties, the nausea tends to ramp back up.
Drink up
Water, coconut water, smoothies, tea, even sparkling water can help you stay hydrated. Take little sips frequently. Keep your emotional support water bottle nearby at all times. I recommend getting one you’re really excited about (and make sure it has a straw) to help you drink up even when you don’t feel like it!
First trimester diet plan
Survival mode: activated. Now, let’s aim a little higher!
Now I want to give you a few simple ways to boost the nutrition of your simple snacks and meals to make them more nutritionally dense. Carbohydrates are usually pretty easy to come by in pregnancy (and not in pregnancy, who am I kidding?). Protein and fat can be a little tougher!
Here are some of my favorite nutrient boosts for pregnancy snacks:
- Add peanut butter or almond butter to saltine crackers or plain toast (and use whole grain toast for a boost of fiber!).
- Add nut butter and a sprinkle of hemp seeds to your plain oatmeal. Or, just some ultra-filtered milk for a protein boost.
- You can actually cook your oatmeal with an egg in it to add a ton of nutrition, and you really can’t tell! Check out my recipe here (yes, it’s in an ‘eggs for toddlers’ post, but it works great for “eggs for pregnant women who can’t stomach eggs!”).
- Add cream cheese, ricotta cheese, hummus, or mashed avocado to your plain bagel. I personally had an obsession with egg salad on bagels while pregnant!
- Smoothies, smoothies, smoothies!
Smoothies are such a good pregnancy staple, because they can be so palatable and nutritious. You can always add in nutritious boosters like high quality Greek yogurt, chia seeds, flax seeds, protein powder, and even vegetables like spinach, frozen cauliflower, or even zucchini.
First, get a really good blender. Then, check out all my other favorite smoothie supplies to streamline your smoothie making! And finally, find a nutritious smoothie that sounds good to you and blend away!
Here is my personal favorite anti-nausea smoothie– loaded with ginger so it’s easy on your stomach!
If bean and cheese burritos are your jam (anyone else? Just me?), you can them top with Greek yogurt for a great sour cream alternative with more protein.
And if they start to sound tolerable, you can incorporate plain proteins like chicken breast or salmon, eat them with rice to start and maybe add some veggies and sauce down the line!
First trimester diet plan: things to avoid
There are a few things to mention when we’re talking about what to avoid eating and drinking during pregnancy.
- Alcohol. There’s no level of alcohol that’s known to be safe during pregnancy, so most experts advise avoiding it entirely.
- Raw/undercooked fish/meat. You want to be careful with raw fish (like sushi) and undercooked meats. The risk is that they can harbor the bacteria that causes listeria- which can be extremely dangerous during pregnancy.
- Deli meat. If you do choose to eat deli meat, I recommend heating it to 165 F first. That can help mitigate the risk of bacteria that causes listeria.
- Raw sprouts. Listeria risk!
- Unpasteurized items. This includes things like unpasteurized milk, juice, or cheeses. Pasteurization is a safety process where items are heated to a certain temperature for a short period of time to ensure that harmful bacteria is killed.
Because pregnant people are more immunosuppressed and therefore more susceptible to certain disease-causing organisms, I like to err on the side of caution and make sure no harmful bacteria is contaminating our foods.
Here’s to the journey
Pregnancy is long, but it’s also…short! I don’t know how to explain it! The days of nausea and fatigue can drag on and on, but when you look back in a few years, it’ll feel like it flew by. If you’re in the thick of the hard part right now, I feel for you.
I hope you take some comfort in knowing it’s not forever. And I hope some of these tips and tricks can help you cope with the array of uncomfortable things we have to deal with in the first trimester (and beyond). And if you’re a little further along, check out my post on the #1 food to eat in your third trimester!
Take good care of yourself, you’re doing one of the most amazing and important things a person can do! I’m proud of you!