Eating healthily is especially important during pregnancy because the proper growth and development of your baby depends on you eating foods that contain enough nutrients for both your needs and those of your baby. Not getting enough of some nutrients or getting too much of other nutrients could cause birth defects in your baby.
Calorie Needs
One part of a healthy diet is eating the proper amount of food. Eating too little could cause your body to break down your own tissue to provide enough nutrients for you and your baby, and eating too much could put you at higher risk for complications, such as gestational diabetes, according to the National Women's Health Information Center. In general, a woman needs approximately 300 calories more per day, but only in the last two trimesters of her pregnancy. However, the exact amount of calories you should consume will vary based on your pre-pregnancy weight.
Vitamin and Mineral Needs
Pregnant women need more of certain vitamins and minerals than those who are not pregnant. Nutrients with higher recommendations during pregnancy include iron and folic acid. Eating a varied and healthy diet will help you to meet these needs, but most doctors will prescribe a prenatal vitamin as well as added insurance, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Considerations
Should you not get sufficient amounts of any vitamins or minerals during pregnancy, your body will use up your stores to meet the needs of the baby, possibly causing you to be deficient.
Get your extra calories from healthy foods, rather than eating junk food, recommends the March of Dimes, to help meet your increased nutrient needs while consuming the right amount of calories each day.
Warning
Some foods are not safe during pregnancy. These include unpasteurized juice or milk, undercooked poultry or meat, deli meats and hot dogs that haven't been heated, soft cheeses, refrigerated smoked seafood, fish likely to be high in mercury and alcoholic beverages. These should be avoided.
Expert Insight
Try to get most of your nutrients through food, not supplements, because vitamin supplements cannot make up for not eating a healthy diet, according to MyPyramid.gov. Choosing foods that are low in extra fat and sugar and high in the nutrients that are especially important during pregnancy can make this easier to do.
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