While the dietary reference intake (DRI) for women is 28 grams of dietary fiber daily, most women actually get less than half of this recommended amount, which might lead to constipation during pregnancy. Eating fibre-rich foods is an important part of maintaining your digestive health, especially when you are pregnant.

Fibre helps keep pregnancy weight gain under control

While you should be gaining weight throughout your pregnancy, you don’t want to gain too much weight. High-fibre foods are a great way to help you feel fuller for longer, with fewer calories. This, in turn, will help you manage your pregnancy weight gain more effectively. In fact, National Institutes of Health studies have shown that people with high-fibre diets typically eat about 10% fewer calories.

Fibre helps regulate your blood sugar during pregnancy

Getting the right amount of fibre in your daily diet can slow the absorption of food, helping to prevent blood sugar from rising too quickly. This can help lower the risk of developing diabetes.

Fibre helps reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease

Certain types of fibre help lower low-density cholesterol (the bad type) by trapping cholesterol-rich bile acids in the digestive system, which helps prevent this cholesterol from being absorbed. This can reduce your risk for developing high blood pressure, as well as coronary artery disease or stroke.

How to add fibre to your diet and prevent constipation

It’s best to increase your fibre intake gradually, so your body can adjust. Add fibre slowly and throughout six small meals or snacks a day. Experts say that the type of fibre you eat is less important than making sure you get enough overall. However, getting fibre from natural food sources is always best. Try eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes to add a mix of various fibre, as well as a wide range of nutrients to your diet. Such nutrition may help relieve constipation during pregnancy.

Include plenty of fluids in your diet as you increase the fibre content. This will help keep the bowels more regular and render the stool soft. Meet your daily fluid needs with water and a variety of nourishing beverages such as milk, juice, and soup.