Is Pasta safe during pregnancy?

Grains & cereals

Part of a healthy pregnancy diet

The NHS lists pasta among starchy foods and suggests wholewheat pasta; the US FDA names enriched pasta as a source of folic acid.[1,2]

What official sources say

NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy

  • Starchy foods include bread, potatoes, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, maize, millet, oats, yams and cornmeal.[1]
  • Choose wholegrain or higher-fibre starchy foods over refined white ones, for example wholewheat pasta, brown rice, or potatoes with the skins left on.[1]

US FDA: Dietary Advice Before and During Pregnancy

  • Folic acid is sometimes added to staple foods to help people meet their daily needs, including: Enriched breads, pasta, rice, and breakfast cereals[2]

Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)

Energy371 kcal
Protein13.04 g
Fibre3.2 g
Sugars2.67 g
Iron3.3 mg
Calcium21 mg
Folate (DFE)391 µg
Folate, total237 µg
Vitamin A (RAE)0 µg
Vitamin C0 mg
Vitamin D0 µg
Vitamin B120 µg
Choline15.1 mg
DHA (omega-3)0 g
EPA (omega-3)0 g
Caffeine0 mg
Sodium6 mg

USDA FoodData Central: Pasta, dry, enriched (FDC ID 169736), per 100 g. Public domain. Values describe that USDA record; composition varies with variety and preparation.

Sources

  1. NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
  2. US FDA: Dietary Advice Before and During Pregnancy · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.

Sources checked 26 September 2026.

Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.

Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.