7-Day Pregnancy Diet Plan — Trimester-Wise Indian Meal Guide

Pregnancy nutrition is not about eating for two adults. It's about eating right for one adult and one rapidly developing human. The extra calorie requirement in the second trimester is only about 300 additional calories per day — roughly one extra roti and a glass of milk. What matters far more than quantity is the specific nutrients that the baby's brain, bones, organs, and blood require at each stage of development.

India has one of the highest rates of anaemia in pregnant women globally — over 50% of pregnant Indian women are anaemic. Iron deficiency during pregnancy increases the risk of premature birth, low birth weight, and postpartum haemorrhage. Folate deficiency in the first trimester is the primary preventable cause of neural tube defects. DHA (omega-3) determines brain architecture. Calcium and vitamin D determine bone density for the child's entire life. None of this is optional or interchangeable.

This plan is structured for the second trimester (~2,100 calories), when appetite typically returns after first-trimester nausea and nutritional demands peak. The notes also cover first-trimester morning sickness adaptations and third-trimester adjustments for smaller stomach capacity and oedema management.

The plan is deliberately built around Indian foods that are high in the specific nutrients most Indian pregnant women are deficient in. Ragi (finger millet) is the richest plant source of calcium available in Indian markets — more than milk per gram. Methi leaves are extraordinarily rich in folate and iron. Rajma gives folate + protein + iron simultaneously. Moringa (drumstick) leaves, used widely in South India, have 17 times the calcium of milk and more iron than spinach. These are not exotic foods — they're traditional Indian cooking ingredients that somehow got dropped from modern urban diets.

The morning sickness section addresses a genuine clinical gap: when nothing stays down in the first trimester, what do you eat? The answer is small, frequent, cold or room-temperature foods (heat increases nausea), ginger in any form, dry toast or plain poha before getting out of bed, and nimbu sharbat with minimal water. The plan includes practical substitutions for every meal for women experiencing severe nausea, so that at minimum the critical folate and iron come in even on bad days.

This plan is for women in any trimester of pregnancy — with specific adjustments detailed for each. It's particularly useful if you've been told your haemoglobin is low, your weight gain is insufficient, or you're not eating well due to nausea. The plan is also for women who want to maximise fetal development outcomes — brain development, birth weight, and immune system competence are all significantly influenced by maternal nutrition in ways that no amount of good parenting post-birth can fully compensate for.

It's also for first-time mothers navigating the overwhelming amount of contradictory advice that comes from family, social media, and well-meaning relatives. This plan sticks to what the evidence says and ignores old wives' tales — while respecting the genuine wisdom in traditional Indian pregnancy foods (like the postpartum gondh ke ladoo, which do have real nutritional value).