Healthy Meals To Eat While Pregnant

You are what you eat--the saying applies to people of all ages, but it holds especially true for pregnant women. Your baby's ability to grow in the womb depends on your healthy eating habits. Educate yourself about what does--and what doesn't--constitute a healthy meal, so you can give your baby the best possible start in life.

The Facts

According to Dr. W. Allen Walker, director of the division of nutrition at Harvard Medical School and author of "The Harvard Medical School's Guide to Healthy Eating During Pregnancy," a pregnant woman should aim to consume each day six to 11 servings of grains, three to four servings of vegetables, three to four servings of meats and beans, two to three servings of fruits, and four to five servings of dairy products. Aim for every meal to include at least three different food groups, rotating the groups each meal to ensure that you consume enough servings from each group to meet your daily nutritional needs. For example, at breakfast, you might eat one serving each of fruit, grains and milk, followed by a fruit snack, then a lunchtime menu that includes a vegetable, meat and milk.

Identification

Dr. Walker advises that you focus on getting plenty of protein, folate, iron and vitamin C. Try to meet your nutritional needs by mixing different colors when choosing fruits and vegetables, especially brightly colored vitamin C-rich foods--like bell peppers, tomatoes and broccoli--and dark green leafy vegetables--like spinach and romaine lettuce. Choose lean meats or fish, whole grains and low-fat milk products over their fat-heavy, calorie-rich alternatives. Make your calories count by limiting sweets, high-fat foods and caffeine.

Considerations

Exercise common sense with your portion sizes during pregnancy. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) points out that you don't need to consume any additional calories during the first trimester of your pregnancy; during the second and third trimesters, if you're a healthy woman carrying a single baby, you need a mere 300 additional calories each day. Stick with water, pure fruit juice and skim milk so that your drinks can do double duty--keeping you hydrated while providing nutrients essential to a healthy pregnancy, such as calcium and protein.

Size

In general, eating five or six smaller meals tends to work better for many pregnant women that two or three larger meals. During the first trimester of pregnancy, nausea and bouts of morning sickness often decrease the desire for food; eating smaller amounts of bland foods throughout the day may help settle your stomach as you get through this challenging stage. As your uterus expands with the growing baby during the second and third trimesters, consuming multiple smaller meals keeps you energized without having to stuff your space-challenged stomach with food.

Selection and Preparation

Opt for whole fruits and vegetables whenever possible to minimize unnecessary sodium and sugar in your diet. On the rare occasion that you do choose to fry foods, do so using unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, instead of unhealthy saturated fats. Preparing fruit snacks ahead of time and storing them in the refrigerator in zipper bags or plastic storage containers also makes healthy eating easier.