Healthy Prenatal Diet Associated with Lower Risk of Excessive Gestational Weight Gain in a Predominantly Latina Sample

Background/Objectives: More than half of all pregnant women in the United States exceed gestational weight gain (GWG) recommendations, which is associated with negative maternal and child health outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between prenatal diet quality, measured with the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2020, and odds of excessive GWG among a predominantly Latina sample living in the US. Methods: This was a secondary data analysis from a longitudinal study and included 118 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 45. Logistic regression models were used to investigate if higher scores of the HEI components were associated with a reduced risk for excessive GWG. Results: About 17% of the sample was classified with inadequate GWG, 22% with adequate GWG, and 61% with excessive GWG. The mean total HEI score for the total sample was 54.1 out of 100. (Higher total HEI scores suggest better dietary quality.) When compared with the scores of the inadequate and excessive GWG groups, the adequate GWG group had significantly higher total HEI scores (58.4) (p < 0.05), as well as specific HEI component scores: Greens and Beans (3.5) and Seafood and Plant Proteins (3.5) (p < 0.01). A higher score on these HEI components was associated with a lower risk of excessive GWG. Conclusions: Meeting the recommended daily servings of greens and beans, as well as seafood and plant proteins, may help reduce the risk of excessive GWG.