Nutrition for Pregnant and Lactating Women: The Latest Recommendations From the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 and Practice Implications

Abstract

The influence of maternal nutrition and dietary intake is intergenerational. In recognizing that diet-related chronic conditions, such as obesity and diabetes, especially during conception and pregnancy, are associated with childhood obesity and diabetes risk, the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 includes an emphasis on lifespan nutrition. Research supports the need to achieve a healthy weight preconception, as women with a high body mass index before pregnancy are at risk for excessive gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes, hypertension, caesarian section delivery, and excessive postpartum weight retention, which sets the stage for subsequent risk in future pregnancies. The Dietary Guidelines committee emphasized that key components to healthy dietary patterns include higher consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, lean meat and seafood, dairy, and unsaturated vegetable oils and lower consumption of processed meat, foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and foods and drinks with added sugar. The guidelines offer health care providers, individuals, and other stakeholders with a framework of strategies that can help individuals achieve optimal health. This framework can be utilized to develop individualized approaches for implementing culturally relevant interventions.