Complete Pregnancy Nutrition Course

What you will be able to do

• build balanced meals for pregnancy using the Canada's Food Guide plate, without 'eating for two'.
• follow Health Canada advice on a daily multivitamin with folic acid and iron, and know which supplements to avoid.
• choose foods confidently using Health Canada's list of foods to avoid, heat first or limit, including mercury limits for fish.
• keep caffeine below 300 mg a day and explain why the safest choice for alcohol is none.
• manage common symptoms such as nausea, heartburn and constipation through everyday eating habits, and know when to get help.
• include iron, calcium and other key nutrients in your meals, including on vegetarian, vegan or budget diets.
• plan safe, regular activity in line with the Canadian guideline for physical activity in pregnancy, including pelvic floor exercises.
• prepare questions for your prenatal visits and plan your eating for the first weeks after birth.

1. 1Eating well in pregnancy, the basics

   See what a healthy pregnancy diet looks like using Canada's Food Guide, why 'eating for two' is a myth, and which nutrients matter most for you and your baby.

   • Your pregnancy plate
   • Eating for two? Energy, appetite and weight
   • Key nutrients for you and your baby

   Pregnancy grocery lists

2. 2Supplements: what you need and what to avoid

   Understand Health Canada's advice on a daily multivitamin with folic acid and iron, which supplements to avoid, and where to find help with costs.

   • Folic acid: the most important early step
   • Iron, vitamin D and what to avoid

   Supplement and daily basics tracker

3. 3Food safety: foods to avoid and kitchen habits

   Learn which foods to avoid, heat first or limit in pregnancy and why, how to enjoy fish within Health Canada's mercury limits, and the kitchen habits that protect you from listeria, toxoplasmosis and salmonella.

   • Foods to avoid and why
   • Fish in pregnancy: the right amounts
   • Kitchen habits that protect you

   Fridge door list: safe, take care, avoid

4. 4Caffeine, alcohol and what to drink

   Learn how to stay below the 300 mg caffeine limit, why the safest choice is no alcohol, and how to keep hydrated through pregnancy.

   • Caffeine: staying below 300 mg a day
   • Alcohol, herbal teas and staying hydrated

   Supplement and daily basics tracker

5. 5First trimester: nausea, tiredness and eating when you can

   Practical ways to eat well when you feel sick or tired in the first 12 weeks, how to cope with aversions and cravings, and when nausea and vomiting need medical help.

   • Nausea and vomiting: what can help
   • Aversions, cravings and tiredness

   First trimester meal planner (weeks 1 to 12)

6. 6Second trimester: building iron, calcium and good habits

   As your appetite returns, learn how to get enough iron and calcium, why blood tests matter, and how to plan balanced meals for the middle months.

   • Iron: why it matters and how to get enough
   • Calcium, vitamin D and omega-3 for growing bones

   Second trimester meal planner (weeks 13 to 27)Pregnancy grocery lists

7. 7Third trimester: comfort, energy and getting ready

   Manage heartburn and constipation with smaller meals and fibre, understand your energy needs and glucose checks, and prepare food for the weeks after your baby arrives.

   • Heartburn, constipation and smaller meals
   • Energy, glucose checks and the last few weeks

   Third trimester meal planner (week 28 to birth)

8. 8Staying active in pregnancy

   Learn what the Canadian guideline for physical activity in pregnancy recommends, which activities are safest, and how to look after your pelvic floor.

   • What the Canadian guideline says
   • Staying safe, and your pelvic floor

   Pregnancy activity planner

9. 9Your food, your life: special diets, budgets and your prenatal visits

   Adapt the advice to vegetarian, vegan and cultural ways of eating, eat well on a budget and at work, and get the most from your prenatal visits.

   • Vegetarian, vegan and cultural diets
   • Eating well on a budget and at work
   • Making the most of your prenatal visits

   Prenatal visit question sheetPregnancy grocery lists

10. 10After the birth: your postpartum nutrition starter

    Look after yourself in the weeks after birth with simple meals, the right supplements, and Health Canada advice on eating while breastfeeding or formula feeding.

    • Eating well in the early weeks
    • Breastfeeding, recovery and looking after yourself

    Postpartum nutrition starter guide

• PlannerFirst trimester meal planner (weeks 1 to 12)Plan a week of simple, gentle meals and snacks that are easier to manage when you feel sick or tired, while still covering the basics of the Canada's Food Guide plate.
• PlannerSecond trimester meal planner (weeks 13 to 27)Plan a week of balanced meals as your appetite returns, with a focus on iron, calcium, fibre and fish low in mercury.
• PlannerThird trimester meal planner (week 28 to birth)Plan smaller, more frequent meals that are easier on heartburn and constipation, and batch-cook some meals for the freezer before your baby arrives.
• ListFridge door list: safe, take care, avoidA printable list of common foods sorted by Health Canada's pregnancy advice, to stick on your fridge and check at a glance.
• TrackerSupplement and daily basics trackerTick off your prenatal multivitamin each day, along with fluids and iron-rich and calcium-rich foods, so the daily basics become a habit.
• PlannerPregnancy activity plannerPlan a week of safe activity towards the Canadian pregnancy guideline of at least 150 minutes of moderate activity over at least 3 days, with strength work and daily pelvic floor exercises.
• ListPregnancy grocery listsReady-made grocery lists built around Canada's Food Guide and the key pregnancy nutrients, with nausea-friendly and budget sections you can tick and edit.
• TemplatePrenatal visit question sheetPrepare for your prenatal visits by noting your questions about food, supplements, symptoms and activity, so nothing gets forgotten.
• CardsPostpartum nutrition starter guidePrintable cards with simple, Health Canada-based eating tips for the first weeks after birth, whether you breastfeed, formula feed or both.