Eating Healthy During Pregnancy

Starting your pregnancy with a healthy diet is the best thing you do for yourself and your baby. During the first trimester you may find it more difficult to maintain a balanced diet due to the effects of morning sickness. Nausea may become a frequent occurrence making it difficult to keep food down which could cause some weight loss.

To prevent malnutrition and dehydration you should have frequent mini-meals of fruit and dairy products, drink water, juice, and liquids with electrolytes, such as Gatorade.

When you are pregnant, you will need to consume about 300 extra calories everyday for nourishment and healthy growth of your baby. When you are feeling hungry its best to have several smaller meals with a variety of whole grain foods, vegetables, and fruit. If you are not gaining enough weight you can slightly increase the fat in your meals.

You should not skip meals or engage in fad diets during this time. Your doctor will monitor your progress and suggest the best method to maintain a healthy weight for each trimester of your pregnancy.

During the second trimester, you will need to increase your intake of calcium for the bones and teeth of the baby and yourself. Since this amounts to nearly a quart of milk, you can include yogurt and other dairy products to get your daily supply of much needed calcium.

You may need extra fiber to prevent constipation which may be a problem for some expectant mothers. The fiber in whole grains, fruits and vegetables should be sufficient, however, for healthy snacks add ground flaxseed or whole grain cereal to muffin or cookie recipes for a delicious way to add fiber to your diet.

Getting sufficient protein should not be a problem for most women, lean meat, fish, and chicken, are healthy sources of protein. Inform your doctor if you are a strict vegetarian, to get suggestions for the best sources of meatless protein.

It's common for some women to start their pregnancy with a deficiency in iron. Good sources of dietary iron are, red meat, liver, eggs, raisins and dark leafy vegetables. Avoid iron supplements unless prescribed by your doctor.

If you maintain a balanced diet you should get most of the vitamins needed, however your doctor may prescribe prenatal vitamins to assure that you are getting the adequate amount of Foliate, Vitamin C, and other essential vitamins.