. 2023 Jul 7;15(13):3071. doi: 10.3390/nu15133071

Table 1.

The Dutch Health Council dietary recommendations for pregnant women [6].

Dietary Recommendations
Healthy and varied food Eat plenty of vegetables (at least 200 g), fruits (at least 200 g), and unsalted nuts (at least 15 g) every day. Eat legumes every week. Substitute refined cereal products with wholemeal products as much as possible. Substitute butter, hard margarine, and cooking fats with soft margarine, liquid cooking fats, and vegetable oils. Limit the consumption of red meat and especially processed meat. Drink as few sugary drinks as possible. Limit the intake of table salt to a maximum of 6 g per day. Weight gain and calorie requirements The committee makes no recommendation on the optimal weight gain during pregnancy. Fish and fish fatty acids Eat fish twice a week, including one serving of fatty fish and one serving of lean fish, picking fish species that do not contain excessively high levels of harmful substances. For women who cannot or do not want to eat this amount of fish, take fish fatty acid supplements containing 250 to 450 mg of DHA per day. Calcium-rich products Eat enough calcium-rich products to reach at least the dietary reference value of calcium. If the intake is consistently too low, take a supplement containing 1000 mg of calcium a day, starting from the 20th week of pregnancy. Iron-rich products Eat enough iron-rich products. Iodine-rich products Eat enough iodine-rich products to meet the dietary reference value of 200 micrograms of iodine per day. If you struggle to consistently consume enough iodine, take a supplement with up to 200 micrograms of iodine. Beverages Avoid alcohol. Do not take more than 200 mg of caffeine per day. Nutrient supplements Take a supplement containing 400 micrograms of folic acid a day, starting from at least four weeks prior to conception up to the 10th week of pregnancy (i.e., 8 weeks after conception). Take a supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day. If the diet appears inadequate on several fronts, multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplements may be practical alternatives. It is important to choose a supplement with dosages that are suitable for pregnancy.

Dietary Recommendations

Healthy and varied food

Eat plenty of vegetables (at least 200 g), fruits (at least 200 g), and unsalted nuts (at least 15 g) every day.
Eat legumes every week.
Substitute refined cereal products with wholemeal products as much as possible.
Substitute butter, hard margarine, and cooking fats with soft margarine, liquid cooking fats, and vegetable oils.
Limit the consumption of red meat and especially processed meat.
Drink as few sugary drinks as possible.
Limit the intake of table salt to a maximum of 6 g per day.

Weight gain and calorie requirements

The committee makes no recommendation on the optimal weight gain during pregnancy.

Fish and fish fatty acids

Eat fish twice a week, including one serving of fatty fish and one serving of lean fish, picking fish species that do not contain excessively high levels of harmful substances. For women who cannot or do not want to eat this amount of fish, take fish fatty acid supplements containing 250 to 450 mg of DHA per day.

Calcium-rich products

Eat enough calcium-rich products to reach at least the dietary reference value of calcium.
If the intake is consistently too low, take a supplement containing 1000 mg of calcium a day, starting from the 20th week of pregnancy.

Iron-rich products

Eat enough iron-rich products.

Iodine-rich products

Eat enough iodine-rich products to meet the dietary reference value of 200 micrograms of iodine per day. If you struggle to consistently consume enough iodine, take a supplement with up to 200 micrograms of iodine.

Beverages

Avoid alcohol.
Do not take more than 200 mg of caffeine per day.

Nutrient supplements

Take a supplement containing 400 micrograms of folic acid a day, starting from at least four weeks prior to conception up to the 10th week of pregnancy (i.e., 8 weeks after conception).
Take a supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day.
If the diet appears inadequate on several fronts, multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplements may be practical alternatives. It is important to choose a supplement with dosages that are suitable for pregnancy.