Discuss the energy needs and energy-yielding nutrient needs for a pregnant woman.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The enhanced work of pregnancy raises the woman’s basal metabolic rate dramatically and demands extra energy, but the woman does not typically need any extra energy during the first trimester. After the first trimester, energy needs of pregnant women are greater than those of nonpregnant women—an additional 340 kcalories per day during the second trimester and an extra 450 kcalories per day during the third trimester. A woman can easily get these added kcalories with nutrient-dense selections from the five food groups.
Ample carbohydrate (ideally, 175 grams or more per day and certainly no less than 135 grams) is necessary to fuel the fetal brain. Sufficient carbohydrate also ensures that the protein needed for growth will not be broken down and used to make glucose.
The protein RDA for pregnancy is an additional 25 grams per day higher than for nonpregnant women. Pregnant women can easily meet their protein needs by selecting meats, milk products, and protein-containing plant foods such as legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Because use of high-protein supplements during pregnancy may be harmful to the infant’s development, it is discouraged unless medically prescribed and carefully monitored to treat fetal growth problems.
The high nutrient requirements of pregnancy leave little room in the diet for excess fat, but the essential long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are particularly important to the growth and development of the fetus. The brain is largely made of lipid material, and it depends heavily on the long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for its growth, function, and structure.