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Healthy Eating During Pregnancy

A positive pregnancy test changes your world in an instant!  It’s likely that soon after you discovered your news, you started reading everything you can find to determine what is healthy for you and the little one growing inside of you. 

Weight Gain

The recommended amount of weight gain for a woman at a healthy pre-pregnancy weight is 25-35 pounds.  On average, an increase of 300 calories per day during the second and third trimesters is sufficient for healthy weight gain during pregnancy.  This would be equivalent to an eight-ounce glass of low-fat milk and a half of a peanut butter sandwich, or one ounce of cheddar cheese, five wheat crackers, and an apple. 

Nutritional Choices

It is important to choose foods high in nutrients to ensure you and your baby get the protein, vitamins, and minerals needed for growth.  The following guidelines can help you achieve optimum balance in your diet:

• Eat seven servings of fruits and vegetables per day in order to get the vitamins and minerals you and your baby need for digestion, iron absorption, and healthy gums and tissues. These fruits and vegetables can include fresh, dried, or canned fruit, raw, canned, or frozen vegetables, or 100% fruit or vegetable juice. 

• Consume a minimum of three servings of dairy per day in order to build your baby’s bones and teeth, and maintain your own calcium stores to prevent osteoporosis.  Stick with low-fat dairy products such as skim or 1% milk or calcium-fortified soy milk, yogurt, and hard cheeses. 
• Choose three servings of lean protein in order to get the iron your body needs.  This can include lean meat, poultry, fish (avoid shark, mackerel, swordfish, or tilefish and limit tuna), eggs, dried beans, or peanut butter.
• Eat nine to eleven servings of grains per day for energy.  Try to get a bulk of these servings from whole grains such as brown rice, whole wheat bread and pasta, whole grain cereals, and couscous.
• Moderate your intake of sweets and high-fat foods.  These foods add lots of calories but little nutrients needed for your baby’s growth. 

To learn more about having a healthy pregnancy, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/bd/abc.htm, and the March of Dimes at www.marchofdimes.com.

Source:  The Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.com