Staying healthy during pregnancy benefits you and your unborn child. This includes eating a healthy diet throughout your pregnancy. Your baby is totally reliant on you for nutrients, and whatever you put in your body will transfer over to the baby. There are guidelines for a healthy diet, as well as for optimizing those healthy choices during pregnancy.
Whole Grains
Eating foods from the whole grain category of the food pyramid provides iron and folic acid, nutrients that are essential during pregnancy. Folic acid is needed to produce red blood cells, and is necessary during pregnancy to protect the baby from a condition called spina bifida. Spina bifida causes the spine to form and develop outside of the body. Iron also carries oxygen through the bloodstream. You also need vitamin C to improve iron absorption. Good choices of whole grains are whole wheat flour, bulgur, oatmeal, brown rice and whole cornmeal.
Fruit and Vegetables
Fruit and vegetables provide you with vitamins and minerals. Consuming a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables lowers blood pressure and heart disease risk, and reduces the risk of developing cancer and digestive problems. The recommended dietary allowance is five to nine serving of fruit and vegetables per day. They should ideally be a variety of colors. Good sources of nutritious fruits and vegetables are peppers, spinach, tomatoes, carrots and blackberries.
Dairy
Dairy products contain calcium, the mineral needed to produce healthy bones and teeth. Dairy products are the best sources of calcium, although pregnant women should not consume unpasteurized dairy products. Unpasteurized dairy such as soft cheeses or unpasteurized milk can cause food-borne illnesses, which are dangerous to both mother and baby. Good dairy choices for mothers-to-be are skim milk, yogurt and cottage cheese.
Legumes
Legumes include beans, peas, lentils and soybeans. Legumes contain protein and dietary fiber. Protein is needed to promote the baby's growth, especially during the second and third trimesters. You should consume 71 grams of protein a day when pregnant. Dietary fiber is also important as it regulates the blood pressure, blood cholesterol and digestion. Lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans are all good sources of fiber.
