What 'Eating For Two' During Pregnancy Really Means

Pregnant women may be technically "eating for two" as the commonly used expression goes, but research warns against them actually doubling their caloric intake.

According to a breakdown of research shown in a video by Discovery News, women should eat 1.15 times more food than usual when they're expecting.

In other words, "Eating for two" should really mean that pregnant women consume more vitamins and nutrients than when not pregnant -- as opposed to eating twice as much food, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends.

And while an increase of calories -- and therefore weight gain -- is needed during pregnancy, the HHS reports that women's weight gain should be determined by their body mass index (BMI) prior to pregnancy.

The bottom line is that expectant mamas should do what's right for them and their bodies, with the guidance of their healthcare providers.

H/T: BabyCenter Blog

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