Hungry Runner? Subscribe to get your Hunger Scale for Runners

These healthy breakfast ideas for pregnancy are nutritionally balanced to help you feel your best, while nourishing you and your growing baby.

this Post!

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. You can read more here on our Disclaimer and Privacy Page.

Nutrition is an important part of pregnancy. It’s how you, your body and your baby stay nourished, and I credit my nutrition to part of the process in preparing for homebirth.

As I finish up my third pregnancy, I’m still hyperfocused on eating a good breakfast, since that’s how my day starts.

And, as a dietitian, I’m full of breakfast ideas for pregnant moms, since it almost comes naturally to me to consume these kinds of foods. Nutrition and exercise definitely contributed to my positive birth story.

And best of all, many of these can be made in advance as meal prep for baby, too, or even postpartum freezer meals.

Of course, taking a well-balanced prenatal vitamin is also very important as a back up, but food comes first and will be better absorbed and utilized.

What To Look For In Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Pregnancy

When compiling pregnancy breakfast ideas, I want something with staying power. This usually translates to a mixture of complex carbohydrates, protein, and fiber, such as fruits and/or vegetables.

Many of these healthy breakfast ideas for pregnancy are my go-to’s. Some you can prep ahead of time for you and your kids, and others come together quickly that morning.

These breakfast ideas during pregnancy are all family-friendly, so share with your partner and/or kids.

Check out these healthy baby breakfast ideas for a place to start that you can add to your own plate!

While I think a well-balanced diet with many foods is great for pregnant women, I understand that not everyone includes meat, dairy, grains etc.

Here are some ideas for vegan breakfast meal prep to consider as well. Many of the same principles will still apply.

And if you’re trying to work on your relationship with food, or becoming more comfortable adding more and different foods to your plate, try my hunger ebook that delves into the intuitive eating principles and your relationship with food.

STRUGGLING WITH YOUR HUNGER AND FULLNESS?

Grab Our Intuitive Eating Guide to Help You Achieve Food Freedom!

---

---

Breakfast Ideas for Pregnant Women

I know you’re probably wondering, what should I eat for breakfast while pregnant?

The typical options that I recommend to pregnant women and clients include:

• oatmeal (you can meal prep oatmeal in so many ways)
• eggs
• sweet potatoes or potatoes
• greek yogurt or cottage cheese
• dairy milks, or soy or pea milk
• fruit
• cheese
• nuts

For a healthy pregnancy breakfast on the go, high protein overnight oats, egg muffins with veggie and sausauge, or zucchini almond flour muffins are all great options.

These work well as breakfast ideas for pregnant moms too, since they are all kid friendly.

For moms and pregnant women alike, the most important part is getting a balance of different macro and micronutrients.

For example, you want to be eating enough carbohydrates for energy, protein for muscle building and maintenance, fiber for digestion, and fats for hormonal balance.

With that being said, try not to have one of these groups listed above in isolation.

It’s best if you can form a complete breakfast recipe for pregnancy that include all of the food groups, like the recipes listed below.

Let’s review.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the building block of energy in our cells. As a pregnant woman, you are not only supporting yourself, but a growing baby as well.

You want to be eating enough carbohydrates for energy, protein for muscle building and maintenance, fiber for digestion, and fats for hormonal balance.

Carbohydrates are extra important since they are the main sources of fiber in our diets.

Grains, cereals, fruits and veggies, breads, pasta are all great sources for healthy breakfast ideas for pregnancy. Then, pair them with protein and fiber.

Protein

Lily Nichols, a pioneer in the womens health, pregnancy nutrition field, has a blog on her site all about womens’ protein needs being higher during pregnancy.

Much of this is due to the building of new cells and tissue. Hence, a high protein breakfast for pregnancy is important and can help with managing blood sugar and nausea as well.

How much protein should a pregnant woman be eating?

The current recommended daily amount for pregnancy is 1.1 g per kg of body weight after the first trimester, or about 10-35% of overall calories.

It actually gets similar to protein needs for athletes, since labor is like running a marathon.

However, know that the dietary guidelines don’t take pregnant women into account, for the most part.

A 2016 study that tried to directly measure protein needs in pregnant women found that true protein needs were 39% higher in early pregnancy and 73% higher in late pregnancy compared to the estimated average requirement. 

They found the estimated average requirement (EAR) should be set at 1.22 g/kg in early pregnancy and 1.52 g/kg in late pregnancy.

Clearly, it’s hard to give one blanket protein recommendation since needs change from beginning to late stage gestation. Aiming to eat 25-30 grams per meal is a great saving grace to ensure you are getting enough.

You can get protein through:

• meal and poultry
• eggs
• seafood
• beans and legumes
• whole grains (we love making high protein granola as a snack)
• protein powder
• dairy products (lots of greek yogurt smoothies or even lactation smoothies!)

Eggs were my savior for figuring out what to eat for breakfast when pregnant and nauseous. They went down easily for me and provided protein, choline and tons of other nutrients.

I get alot of questions about protein powders and I recommend Naked Protein (with no additives) or Orgain – whey or plant-based!

Women may fear all seafood for its mercury content, however, the American Pregnancy Association and the FDA now recommend that women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan on becoming pregnant consume more fish.

Seafood is a great protein source to include when you can include it.

The recommendation for pregnancy still stands at two servings/week. We love these zucchini salmon fritters for a quick, easy 15 minute meal or Wednesday night dinner.

However, pregnant women will want to avoid or limit high mercury options, such as swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel.

Fiber

Many women tend to deal with constipation during pregnancy. Some of this may be due to food aversions, cravings for more high palatable foods and less fibrous foods, or just being less active in general.

Hormones play a big role as well.

Making sure you’re eating enough fiber can help with this, as well as providing healthy antioxidants to your baby. Many fruits and veggies are not only high in fiber, but provide necessary nutrients, like B-vitamins, Vitamins A and C.

Beans, legumes and whole grains are also great sources of fiber to add to your diet. Nuts and seeds (chia seeds) are also great additions to any dietary pattern.

One of my favorite high fiber bowls is this tempeh buddha bowl with tahini dressing. It’s such a tasty combo of flavors.

Hydration

Adequate hydration can’t be overstated in pregnancy. Many of these homemade electrolyte drinks for pregnancy can help provide necessary pregnancy electrolytes to aid in your fluid balance.

During pregnancy (and postpartum), your fluid needs are much higher since you have amniotic fluid and a baby inside. If you’re breastfeeding, they are skyhigh!

Healthy Pregnancy Breakfast on the Go

Here are some ideas for creating a healthy pregnancy breakfast on the go, if you have little time.

These have carbohydrates, protein and fat, for a sustaining breakfast!

• 2 hard boiled eggs with fruit
• Lemon blueberry overnight oats – I double or triple the recipe!
• greek yogurt parfait or individual cup with granola or berries
• slice of chocolate baked oatmeal with peanut butter and yogurt on top
• overnight oats in a majon jar
• turkey sausage breakfast casserole

More pregnancy posts:

• Tips for running in the third trimester
• Running and breastfeeding
• Running Postpartum
• Gentle Nutrition during the first trimester