The Egg Nutrition Center partnered with Jessica Ivey, RDN, LDN to write this blog post.

During pregnancy, good nutrition is as important as ever, but with the accompanying symptoms (hello fatigue and nausea!), it can be a challenge to prepare and consume nutritious meals throughout the day. Fortunately, eggs are a naturally nutrient-rich food that are convenient and easy to prepare for any meal or snack.

Why Eat Eggs During Pregnancy

Eggs provide eight essential nutrients, including those that are critical during pregnancy like high-quality protein, Vitamin B12, iodine and choline.1 Choline plays a vital role in brain health throughout our lives but it is especially important for pregnant and breastfeeding women.2,3 During pregnancy, choline helps the baby’s brain and spinal cord develop properly and helps to prevent birth defects.4 New research shows that consuming adequate choline during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy can improve measures of brain function in babies and may have lasting benefits on brain development and health.5,6,7 Unfortunately, about 90% of Americans and 92% of pregnant women fail to meet the daily Adequate Intake level for choline.8,9 The daily recommended intake for choline is 450 mg/day for pregnant women and 550 mg/day for breastfeeding women.10 Eggs are one of the most concentrated food sources of choline in the American diet, with two large eggs providing more than half of a pregnant woman’s daily needs.11 In fact, it’s quite difficult to reach the Adequate Intake levels for choline without consuming eggs or taking a supplement.

Egg Food Safety During Pregnancy

Food safety is important for everyone, but it’s especially important for expectant moms.  Cooking eggs until the yolks and whites are firm and cooking egg dishes, like quiche, until the internal temperature reaches 160˚F will kill any possible Salmonella bacteria. Consider enjoying your eggs hard-boiled instead of soft boiled and over hard instead of over-easy during pregnancy. In addition to safe preparation, be sure to wash your hands after handling raw eggs. To enjoy a favorite recipe that calls for raw eggs, like homemade Caesar dressing or raw cookie dough, purchase pasteurized eggs.12

Easy Ways to Enjoy Eggs

Eggs can quickly and easily be prepared in a variety of ways for any snack or meal. Here are some recipe ideas:

One of my favorite ways to make mealtimes easier is to prep in advance. Set aside some time to make one of these recipes to enjoy later:

  • Make-Ahead and Freeze: Frittatas and egg muffins are perfect for making in advance and freezing in individual portions for future meals. These Veggie Frittata Fingers and Veggie and Cheddar Crustless Quiche provide a boost of protein along with colorful vegetables.
  • Begin with Boiled Eggs: Easy-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs are great to have on hand and can be refrigerated in the shell for up to one week. Use them in this Classic Egg Salad, Fresh Arugula and Couscous Salad, or on Easy Egg and Avocado Toast. To make the toast, mash half an avocado with a splash of lemon or lime juice, spread over one slice of whole-grain toast, and top with a sliced hard-boiled egg and a sprinkle of your favorite seasoning – like everything bagel seasoning or crushed red pepper flakes.

Eggs aren’t just for breakfast! Make eggs the star of any meal for a quick and easy protein source.

No matter how you enjoy them, eggs are a nutritious option during pregnancy and beyond. They provide essential nutrients for mom and baby and are affordable and easy to prepare. What more could one want? 

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. 2019; Available from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/index.html.
  2. Wallace, T.C., A Comprehensive Review of Eggs, Choline, and Lutein on Cognition Across the Life-span. J Am Coll Nutr, 2018. 37(4): p. 269-285.Diabetologia.2009;52:1479–1495.
  3. Wallace, T.C., et al., Choline: The Underconsumed and Underappreciated Essential Nutrient. Nutr Today, 2018. 53(6): p. 240-253.
  4. Berg, S. AMA backs global health experts in calling infertility a disease. 2017  May 31, 2019]; Available from: https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/ama-backs-global-health-experts-calling-infertility-disease.
  5. Caudill, M.A., et al., Maternal choline supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy improves infant information processing speed: a randomized, double-blind, controlled feeding study. Faseb j, 2018. 32(4): p. 2172-2180.
  6. Bahnfleth, C., et al., Prenatal Choline Supplementation Improves Child Color-location Memory Task Performance at 7 Y of Age (FS05-01-19). Current Developments in Nutrition, 2019. 3(Supplement_1).
  7. Boeke, C.E., et al., Choline intake during pregnancy and child cognition at age 7 years. Am J Epidemiol, 2013. 177(12): p. 1338-47.
  8. Wallace, T.C. and V.L. Fulgoni, 3rd, Assessment of Total Choline Intakes in the United States. J Am Coll Nutr, 2016. 35(2): p. 108-12.
  9. Wallace, T.C. and V.L. Fulgoni, Usual Choline Intakes Are Associated with Egg and Protein Food Consumption in the United States. Nutrients, 2017. 9(8).
  10. Choline Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. National Institutes of Health website. 2020 July 10. Available from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/.
  11. U.S. Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. 2019; Available from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/index.html.
  12. Food Safety for Pregnant Women. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. 2011 September. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/Food-Safety-for-Pregnant-Women_1.pdf.