To maintain a balanced diet throughout your pregnancy, try our sample menu ideas Each menu offers suggestions from breakfast to the evening meal, including snacks ideas and tracking caffeine content; discover why limiting caffeine is important during pregnancy here.
The menus balance the five food groups throughout the day and they can be used a reference to create your own menus! Scroll down to read them of download them and print at home:
- Download or print Menu 1: Standard menu
- Download or print Menu 2: Vegetarian
- Download or print Menu 3: Budget menu
- Download or print Menu 4: Convenience food
Menu 1: Standard menu
| Meal/snack | Food and drinks | Food groups | Caffeine content (mg) |
| Early morning | Mug of tea with milk | 75 | |
| Breakfast | Porridge or wholegrain breakfast cereal and milk with fresh fruit slices or dried fruit Water to drink | 1,2, 3 | |
| Mid-morning | Skinny latte, decaffeinated Banana | 3 2 | 10 |
| Midday meal | Chicken and salad sandwich Bunch of grapes Water to drink | 1, 2, 4, 5 2 | |
| Afternoon snack | Mug of tea with milk Muffin/cake containing dried fruit | 5 Sugary food | 75 |
| Evening meal | Oily fish and potato pie with green beans Fruit salad Yogurt Water to drink | 1, 2, 4 2 3 | |
| Supplements | Folic acid and vitamin D |
This menu has:
Food group 1 – three servings: breakfast cereal, bread, potato
Food group 2 – six servings: fresh fruit slices/dried fruit, banana, salad, grapes, green beans, fruit salad
Food group 3 – three servings: milk on cereal and in tea, skimmed milk in latte, yogurt
Food group 4 – two servings: chicken, fish
Food group 5 – one serving: butter on bread,
Sugary food: one serving: muffin/cake
Caffeine content: 160mg
Download or print menu 1 here
Menu 2: Vegetarian
| Meal/snack | Food and drinks | Food groups | Caffeine content (mg) |
| Early morning | Mug of tea with milk | 75 | |
| Breakfast | Bread/toast/chapatti Boiled eggFresh orange segments Water to drink | 1 4 2 | |
| Mid-morning | Wholegrain crackers with cheese Cup of tea with milk | 1, 3 | 50 |
| Midday meal | Rice and dhal Vegetables including tomatoes Yogurt and figs/dates Water to drink | 1, 4 2 2, 3 | |
| Afternoon snack | Nuts and pineapple chunks Water to drink | 2, 4 | |
| Evening meal | Chickpea and vegetable curry with flatbread Mango slices Lassi to drink | 1, 2, 4, 5 2 3 | |
| Supplements | Folic acid, vitamin D and omega 3 |
This menu has:
Food group 1–four servings: bread/toast/chapatti, crackers, rice, flatbread
Food group 2 – six servings: orange, vegetables with dahl, figs/dates, pineapple, vegetables in curry, mango
Food group 3 – three servings: cheese, yogurt, lassi
Food group 4 – four servings: egg, dahl, nuts, chickpeas with high vitamin C foods to aid iron absorption (orange, tomatoes, kiwi fruit, mango)
Food group 5 – one servings: oil used for frying dhal and curry, Caffeine content: 125mg
Download or print menu 2 here
Learn more about how to have a balanced diet for vegan and vegetarian mums-to-be in our blog
Menu 3: Budget menu
| Meal/snack | Food and drinks | Food groups | Caffeine content (mg) |
| Early morning | Mug of tea with milk | 75 | |
| Breakfast | Two Weetabixtm with milk Banana Water to drink | 1, 3 2 | |
| Mid-morning | 2 clementine’s Cup of tea with milk | 2 | 50 |
| Midday meal | Baked beans on wholemeal toast Carrot and celery sticks Tinned peaches Yogurt Water to drink | 1, 4 2 2 3 | |
| Afternoon snack | Bread/toast with butter and jam Cup of tea with milk | 1, 5 Sugary Foods | 50 |
| Evening meal | Chicken and potato wedges Peas and beans Stewed apple and custard Water to drink | 1, 4, 5 2 2, 3, 5 | |
| Supplements | Folic acid and vitamin D |
This menu has:
Food group 1 – four servings: WeetabixTM, wholemeal toast, bread, potato wedges
Food group 2 – six servings: banana, clementines, carrot and celery sticks, tinned peaches, peas and beans, stewed apple
Food group 3 – three servings: milk on cereal and in tea, yogurt, custard
Food group 4 – two servings: baked beans, chicken
Food group 5 – two servings: butter, oil on potato wedges
Sugary food: one serving: jam
Caffeine content: 175mg
Download or print menu 3 here
Menu 4: Convenience food
| Meal/snack | Food and drinks | Food groups | Caffeine content (mg) |
| Breakfast | Bagel with cream cheese Bunch of grapes Mug of tea with milk | 1, 3 2 | 75 |
| Mid-morning | Decaffeinated latte Currant bun | 3 1 | 10 |
| Midday meal | Hummus and roasted vegetable wrap Fruit yogurt with blueberries Water to drink | 1, 2, 4, 5 2, 3 | |
| Afternoon snack | Small packet of peanuts 2 satsumas Fizzy water to drink | 4 2 | |
| Evening meal | Lasagne and green salad Strawberries and small slice chocolate and walnut cake | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 2, Sugary food | |
| Supplements | Folic acid and vitamin D |
This menu has:
Food group 1 – four servings: bagel, currant bun, tortilla in wrap, pasta in lasagne
Food group 2 – six servings: grapes, roasted vegetables, blueberries, satsumas, green salad, strawberries
Food group 3 – four servings: cream cheese, milk in latte and in tea, plain yogurt, cheese in lasagne
Food group 4 – three servings: hummus, peanuts, meat in lasagne
Food group 5 – two servings: oil on roasted vegetables and in lasagne
Sugary food: one serving: chocolate and walnut cake
Caffeine content: 85mg
Download or print menu 4 here
For easy meal planning download our sample menus ideas for pregnant women:
- Download or print Menu 1:Standard menu
- Download or print Menu 2:Vegetarian
- Download or print Menu 3:Budget menu
- Download or print Menu 4:Convenience food
A healthy lifestyle during pregnancy
1 –Standard menu
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2 –Vegetarian menu
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3 –Budget menu
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4 –Convenience food
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