Remember those days when you’d wake up, bounce out of bed, swig a cuppa joe, and head out the door? Yeah, we barely remember, too. But when you’re pregnant, meals are important — including breakfast. 

"What’s everyone eating for breakfast?" asks What to Expect Community mom Pianokeys92. "I struggle with this but it’s the most important time to get protein so I don’t feel sick all morning until lunch. It’s also hard because I often wake up hungry and get nauseous before I can even eat!"

Aim to start off the day with a plate that’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber that keeps you, well, regular and fills you up with healthy energy.[1] Sound like a tall order? So does assembling a crib, but don't worry — somehow we all get there. Here’s what you need to know to start your day off right.

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Key Takeaways
  • Breakfast is an important meal when you're expecting. Aim for foods with fiber, protein, calcium, whole grains, and iron to support your baby’s growth, keep your energy levels up, and help prevent constipation. Examples include oatmeal, eggs, yogurt, smoothies, whole-grain toast, and fruit.
  • To be safe, avoid certain breakfast foods. Skip unpasteurized dairy, smoked seafood, and raw or runny eggs, and aim to keep caffeine under 200 milligrams per day (that's about two cups of coffee).
  • Eat in a way that works for you. If a full breakfast is hard (especially with morning sickness), try eating smaller snacks. It's also important to stay hydrated and follow good food safety habits like washing your produce and checking expiration dates.

Breakfast foods to eat during pregnancy

A morning meal, or a series of mini snacks depending on how queasy you feel, should star foods that check all of these boxes:[2]

  • Fiber. Foods high in fiber help lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, keep you feeling full for longer, and prevent constipation. Since you need to aim for 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day, it's essential to start at breakfast. Look for ingredients that offer several grams of fiber per serving, such as oats in cereal, chia seeds in smoothies, spinach in omelets, beans in burritos, and high-fiber fruit to pair with yogurt (think raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and guava).
  • Protein. Each of your daily meals should contain protein (aim for at least 75 grams a day), because your baby needs those amino acids to grow strong. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, eggs, peanut butter, omelets with Swiss or cheddar cheese, and smoothies are all solid, tasty options.
  • Calcium. You need about 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day to help your baby’s bones grow and keep yours strong, so start off the morning with calcium-rich yogurt, cheese, fortified orange juice, sesame-seed bread, bean burritos, almonds, figs, or scrambled tofu with spinach.
  • Whole grains. Feel full with these complex carbs, which are loaded with B vitamins, critical nutrients for baby’s growth. They also have healthy doses of fiber, iron, and other minerals. Whole grains are easy to love, especially for those who have a delicate tummy, as they are fairly bland and filling. Try whole-wheat breads, cereals (choose ones with less sugar), oatmeal, granola, and porridge with wheat germ.
  • Iron. As a pregnant mom, you'll need about twice the amount of iron (27 mg a day) as nonpregnant women to supply oxygen to your baby. Iron-rich foods for breakfast include dried fruit, oatmeal, spinach, eggs, tofu, and iron-fortified cereals.

Breakfast foods to avoid during pregnancy

Avoid these, not just in the morning but throughout the day:

  • Too much caffeine. You can drink coffee during pregnancy, but aim to stick to no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day — the equivalent of two cups of brewed coffee. Watch out for caffeine hidden in some decaf coffee and sodas, as well as certain teas and protein bars. Opt instead for decaf lattes, hot cocoa, and herbal teas like peppermint.[3]
  • Unpasteurized dairy. Listeria, salmonella, and other harmful bacteria can be found in raw milk and unpasteurized soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, goat, ricotta, feta, blue, and queso blanco. Listeria exposure during pregnancy, in particular, can cause serious complications.[4]
  • Smoked seafood. Are you a lox and bagel girl? As delicious as smoked salmon is, steer clear of it for now, as it could contain listeria.
  • Sugary foods. Pregnant or not, starting the day off with a sugar-filled cereal, cinnamon bun, super-sweetened yogurt, donuts, or sugary breakfast bars will cause your blood sugar levels to spike and then crash to the floor. Those with gestational diabetes especially need to monitor their sugar intake to prevent complications.
  • Raw eggs. Eggs are a perfect food for moms to be, but only if they’re fully cooked, as raw eggs and runny yolks could contain salmonella. "I do a mushroom, kale, and cheese omelet with whole wheat toast and orange juice followed by milk and cheese string," says What to Expect Community mom Beezoh.

Breakfast food safety tips for expecting moms

As with every meal, it’s important to keep optimum food safety habits:

  • Keep fresh food fresh. Make sure eggs and milk haven’t reached their sell-by date and that foods are properly stored.
  • Wash your produce. Don't forget to rinse your fruits and veggies before you use them, which can help prevent foodborne illness.
  • When in doubt, throw it out. If you have leftover breakfast and you can’t remember when you made it, chuck it — don’t chance it. You don’t know if it is growing bacteria or mold.
  • Wash your hands before you eat. It’s easy to remember to wash your hands during the day, but if you’ve just gotten up from a sleepless night and forget to wash before you reach for that yogurt, stop, wash, and roll.

Healthy eating breakfast tips

Keep these in mind when deciding what to eat in the a.m.:

  • Mastering the morning. If you can’t handle a big breakfast first thing, have it in stages, with liquids first (water is critical all day long). Then eat your first solid food slowly to help with digestion, eating until you feel comfortably sated.
  • Go for five. Whether you’re experiencing morning sickness, have busy days or are just fighting fatigue, eating three full meals plus two small nutrient-packed snacks is the way to get through the day feeling as good as possible.
  • Know and go with your body. If you can’t stomach breakfast, eat foods when you’re ready that you’re craving (unless they’re unsafe for your baby, like unpasteurized cheese or sushi with raw fish). It’s more important to get some nourishment than none.
  • Fat is good. A certain amount of healthy fat (think avocado, nuts, fatty fish like salmon, and olive oil) is important for both you and your baby, enabling vitamin absorption and essential fatty acids to be delivered to your little one. Add them to your breakfast foods by topping toast with avocado, stirring nuts into oatmeal, or sautéeing eggs in olive oil.
  • A banana a day will keep the doctor away. Bananas are a total superfruit: prebiotic, filled with potassium, fiber, protein, and vitamin C, and easy to pack for a snack on-the-go. Throw them in smoothies, cereals, yogurt, in a peanut butter sandwich, or in a fruit salad. "Oatmeal with cinnamon, maple syrup, walnuts, and a sliced banana on top with a cup of kefir was my go-to for first trimester," says What to Expect Community mom gigi3476.

For more pregnancy nutrition tips, open the What to Expect app, your guide to every week of pregnancy, including easy meal ideas that deliver essential nutrients moms-to-be need.

Delicious breakfast recipes for pregnancy

Drinks

Muffins & breads

Pancakes

Eggs

Cereals, bars, parfaits & fruit