Chorevia

Day 110 of 280 · 15 weeks + 5 days

Five portions

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 9 sources · Plain-text version

No need to eat for two, but a real need for fruit and vegetables. Today you count today's portions on your fingers and fill the gap at dinner.

Size this week
about the size of an apple
Length this week
around 10.1 cm from head to bottom
A Latina woman in a loose striped t-shirt at a kitchen counter slicing peppers and oranges onto a wooden board, a bowl of apples beside her, bright afternoon light from the window.

Fifteen weeks and five days. Today is about the plate, not the scales: how much of what's on it is fruit and vegetables, and how little the rest needs to change.

Your baby

A single red apple on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Around 10.1cm from head to bottom, about the size of an apple (NHS). Your baby grows quickly now, protected by the amniotic sac and its fluid, and fed by the placenta (NHS). The placenta keeps growing alongside, providing food and removing waste (NHS), which is why what reaches your plate matters more than how much.

Your body

The NHS's advice for this week is a varied, healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, and there is no need to eat for two (NHS). Its target is 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, with wholegrain, low-fat and low-sugar choices and homemade meals in place of takeaways (NHS). The CDC says the same from the other side of the Atlantic: a balanced diet high in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy, and lean protein, with added sugars and solid fats limited (CDC).

The two disagree slightly on calories. The NHS says no extra calories are needed until the third trimester, from week 28 (NHS); the CDC puts the second trimester at about 340 additional calories a day, after none in the first (CDC). Either way, the gap is a snack, not a second dinner. If you were sick for most of the first trimester, appetite returning now is normal: nausea and fatigue usually ease in the second trimester (OWH).

Try today

  1. The five-portion plate

    Time: 2 minutes now, 10 at dinner

    1. Count on your fingers what you've already eaten today that was fruit or vegetables. One finger per portion.

    2. Subtract from 5; that's the NHS's daily target (NHS).

    3. Fill the gap at dinner: a side of vegetables counts, and so does fruit after.

    4. Put tomorrow's first portion somewhere you'll pass before breakfast: an apple by the kettle, a banana in the bag.

    Make it work:

    Fresh fruit is preferred, but don't skip a portion waiting for the perfect one (MedlinePlus).

Watch for

  • Normal

    a stronger appetite as sickness eases (OWH).

    Call your provider

    or seek care if nausea is severe: unable to drink for more than 8 hours or eat for more than 24 (CDC).

  • Normal

    indigestion and heartburn, often worse after a big meal; small meals help, and so does not lying flat straight after eating (MedlinePlus).

    Call 911

    or go to the emergency room for severe chest pain or shortness of breath that does not go away (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    feeling hot, which is on the NHS's list of common symptoms (NHS).

    Call your provider

    or seek care immediately for a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher (CDC).

For you

If you want a fuller US pattern than "five", MedlinePlus gives one: 9 to 11 servings of grains a day, favoring whole-grain; 4 to 5 of vegetables, at least 2 of them green leafy; 3 to 4 of fruit; 3 of dairy; 3 of protein foods (MedlinePlus). Nobody hits that daily, and "eating for two does not mean eating twice as much food" (MedlinePlus).

The other direction is closed too. The AAP's line is that "this is no time for fad or low-calorie dieting" (AAP). If the plate is making you anxious rather than fed, say so at the next visit.

If you're the partner: the vegetables are yours tonight. Not the whole meal, just the part that counts.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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