Are pregnancy calorie needs safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about pregnancy calorie needs during pregnancy?

1. The estimated energy requirement adds no extra calories in the first trimester, 340 additional calories a day in the second trimester, and 452 additional calories a day in the third. 1
2. Protein needs rise to 1.1 grams per kilogram of body weight a day, so the added calories are expected to arrive attached to nutrients rather than as extra energy on its own. 1
3. Most pregnant people in the United States already exceed protein requirements, averaging 82 to 88 grams a day against a 71 gram target, so quantity of food is rarely the limiting factor. 2
4. Micronutrient shortfalls are widespread even where calories are plentiful: 83.8 percent of pregnant women fall short on iron from diet, 92.3 percent on choline, 53.3 percent on magnesium, and 35.8 percent on folate. 3
5. Each additional 12-ounce sugar-sweetened drink a day was associated with 124 more calories and a measurably lower diet quality score among pregnant women, which is how extra calories arrive without extra nutrition. 4

Is pregnancy calorie needs safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. No additional calories are built into the reference values for this trimester. That surprises people, but the fetus is still tiny. If nausea means you are eating less than usual right now, that is common and worth raising rather than force-feeding.
• Second trimester. This is where the extra 340 calories a day begins. In practical terms that is a yogurt with fruit and nuts, or a peanut butter sandwich, not an extra meal.
• Third trimester. The step up is to about 452 extra calories a day. Stomach capacity is shrinking at the same time, so several smaller additions usually work better than one large one.