The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for carbohydrates while you're pregnant is 175 g, according to the Partnership for Essential Nutrition. This doesn't mean that low-carbohydrate foods don't have a place in your diet plan, because you don't want to go over this amount and gain too much weight. Choose your carbohydrates wisely, and consume about 175 g a day total for the optimal health of both you and your baby.
Fruits and Vegetables
While some vegetables and most fruits are high in carbohydrates, they also contain fiber. This is a good thing in two respects. Fiber content reduces the net carb value of a food, so you're actually getting less than you might think you are. Adequate fiber is also important to your pregnancy because it helps regulate your blood sugar and prevent the pregnancy side effect of constipation. If you're concerned about your carb intake, good fruits include oranges, with 12.9 g net carbs and 3.4 g fiber, and peaches, with 8.9 g net carbs and 2 g fiber. Strawberries, grapes and cherries are also good. Broccoli has 3.4 g net carbs per cup and 4.6 g fiber. A medium-sized carrot has 5.1 g net carbohydrates and 2.2 g fiber.
Dairy
Although many low-carb diet plans tell you to avoid milk, your growing baby needs the calcium. The RDA of calcium for pregnant women over 24 years is 1,200 mg a day, according to Pregnancy.org. Foods that help you toward this requirement without adding unnecessary carbohydrates include almost all cheeses, although you should avoid some soft cheeses such as goat cheese and feta. Cheddar has only 0.2 g carbohydrates per 2 tbsp. and supplies protein and calcium. A cup of plain yogurt has 11.4 g carbs and 8.5 g protein.
Meat and Poultry
Meat, fish and poultry all have negligible carbohydrates while also supplying protein. The key to meat choices is to keep them lean to avoid unnecessary fat. If you focus on too much meat to avoid carbohydrates, you could increase your fat consumption to a point where it's not healthy for either you or your baby. Veal, lamb and prime beef cuts, such as top loin, sirloin and rib eye, are lower in fat and have no carbohydrate content. White poultry meat contains less fat than dark meat. Fish, excluding shellfish, also has zero carbs, but some, such as tuna, may have a high mercury content. Sushi isn't recommended for pregnant women, either.
Grains
Whole grains are necessary to a healthy pregnancy. These products contain "good" complex carbohydrates, not the simple, empty kind that provide very little nutritional value. Whole-grain products also usually have fewer carbohydrates than white bread or pasta. For example, a slice of whole-grain bread or wheat bread contains 10.7 g carbs, compared to 14.2 g in white bread. Grains also contain healthy fiber.
Tips
Watching your carb intake during pregnancy should be a matter of choosing the best ones, not eliminating them entirely. Focus on foods with a low glycemic index, such as vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains. You'll need about 300 extra calories a day while you're pregnant, and you can get this amount without going over 175 g of carbohydrates if you eat sensibly.
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