The Evidence on Nutrition and Trending Diets During Pregnancy

Pregnancy Podcast

Vanessa Merten

Newborn, Parent, Homebirth, Vbac, Kids & Family, Doula, Firsttimemom, Midwife, Pregnancy, Doctor, Parenting, Pregnant, Vanessamerten, Physician, Csection, Prenatalcare, Breastfeeding, Naturalbirth, Nursing, Birthcenter, Family, Baby, Hospitalbirth, Health, Obgyn, Research, Trimester, Expecting, Labor, Mom, Diet, Dad, Birth

4.5 • 948 Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Whatever your long-term health or weight goals, your top priority during pregnancy is keeping yourself and your baby healthy. Nutrition plays a key role, but with so many diets and opinions, it can be overwhelming to know what’s best. While research provides insights, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to diet during pregnancy. This episode explores the evidence on trending diets, whether they are safe to continue or start while pregnant, and their potential risks and benefits. Learn more about caloric restriction, low glycemic, keto, plant-based, carnivore, paleo, low fat, the Louwen diet, and intermittent fasting to make informed choices about your nutrition.

Thank you to our sponsors

Zahler goes above and beyond to use high-quality bioavailable ingredients like the active form of folate, bioavailable iron, and omega 3s. The Zahler Prenatal +DHA is my #1 recommendation for a high-quality prenatal vitamin. In March 2025, you can save 30% off the Zahler Prenatal +DHA on Amazon with the code PREPOD30. Plus, if you email your order number and mailing address to [email protected] you will get a free silicon baby bib. You can always see the current promo code for the Zahler prenatal vitamin by clicking here.

10% off at Momcozy.com with the promo code PREGNANCYPODCAST. The Momcozy Air 1 Ultra-Slim Breast Pump is the thinnest portable breast pump on the market and a game-changer for pumping. It fits discreetly inside your bra, giving you the privacy and comfort you deserve without compromising powerful suction. The wireless charging case provides up to 15 sessions per charge and doubles as a storage unit, making it super easy to keep everything organized and clean. Seamlessly sync with the Momcozy app to enable hands-free control, switch between pumping modes, and track milk volume in real-time. Check out the Momcozy Air1 at momcozy.com and use the promo code PREGNANCYPODCAST to save 10% off all products on the Momcozy website.

The VTech V-Hush Stroller Rocker is a portable device that features a mechanical rocking mechanism to gently rock your baby’s crib or stroller to promote better sleep on the go. Plus it has a built-in amber night light, a rechargeable battery, soothing sounds, white noise, and sweet lullabies. Soothe your baby to sleep anywhere with the VTech V-Hush Stroller Rocker. The VTech V-Hush Stroller Rocker is available at Walmart.

Read the full article and resources that accompany this episode.

Join Pregnancy Podcast Premium to access the entire back catalog, listen to all episodes ad-free, get a copy of the Your Birth Plan Book, and more.

Check out the 40 Weeks podcast to learn how your baby grows each week and what is happening in your body. Plus, get a heads up on what to expect at your prenatal appointments and a tip for dads and partners.

For more evidence-based information, visit the Pregnancy Podcast website.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You are listening to the pregnancy podcast with Vanessa Merton.
0:09.8	Hello, thank you for tuning into the pregnancy podcast. In today's episode, we're talking about
0:16.5	nutrition, and we're going to get into the evidence on some popular diets during pregnancy.
0:22.5	Whatever your long-term goals are for your weight or for your health, when you're pregnant,
0:27.2	you have one priority, and that's to ensure that you and your baby are healthy.
0:31.9	And what you eat plays a significant role in this.
0:35.6	Now, while there's a lot of research available, there's no definitive
0:39.5	evidence that supports one ideal diet for everyone. And there are so many varying opinions on diet,
0:46.1	nutrition is so individualized. In today's episode, we're going to overview popular diets
0:52.4	and get into some considerations for either continuing
0:55.7	or starting these diets during your pregnancy. We're going to talk about the risks and
1:01.1	benefits of diets that have caloric restriction, low glycemic, keto, plant-based, carnivore,
1:08.1	paleo, low-fat diets, intermittent fasting, and we're also going to
1:12.4	discuss a diet that's purported to make for an easier birth. You can find the complete article
1:18.5	and all of the resources for this episode at Pregnancypodcast.com slash diet.
1:26.1	You are listening to the public feed of the podcast, which gives you access to the last year of
1:31.9	episodes.
1:33.3	Become a pregnancy podcast premium member, and you will get every single episode add free,
1:40.6	the whole back catalog, which includes hundreds of episodes on every topic for your
1:46.2	pregnancy and planning for your birth. Your support as a premium member allows me to spend
1:52.5	many hours researching, digging through all the evidence, going down all the rabbit holes
1:58.5	so that you don't have to. Unlock every single episode of the pregnancy podcast and all ad-free content when you
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vanessa Merten, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vanessa Merten and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.