Nutrition During Pregnancy
Healthy Eating for You and Your Baby

Eating well during pregnancy is one of the most important things you can do for you and your baby. A healthy, balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, protein, grains and lots of hydrating fluids will provide you and your baby with the nutrients you will need.

Key nutrients for you and your baby include protein, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, and fat. You may need extra nutrients because you are pregnant. Your doctor may prescribe prenatal vitamins containing iron, folic acid, and calcium. If you are a vegetarian you may need to take supplements of vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

Eating healthy also means avoiding things that may be harmful. This includes avoiding tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs. Caffeine and alcohol actually prevent absorption of folic acid and iron and pull calcium out of your bones, not to mention that they also directly affect the fetus and can have long-term developmental effects. It's also important that pregnant women not overdo their intake of fats, oils, and sweets. Avoiding junk food completely is the best approach, and will help deter problems with indigestion and excessive weight gain.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises pregnant women, women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children not to eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. These fish may contain high levels of a form of mercury called methyl mercury that may harm an unborn baby's developing nervous system.

Because seafood is beneficial in meeting dietary requirements for pregnant women, the FDA advises these women to select a variety of other kinds of fish; including shellfish, canned fish, smaller ocean fish or farm-raised fish. In addition, 12 ounces per week of cooked fish can safely be eaten with a typical serving size ranging from 3 to 6 ounces.

During pregnancy you will need about 300 calories more a day than you would normally consume. A healthy weight gain for most women is between 24 and 35 pounds. Your doctor can tell you the amount of weight you can expect to gain based on your weight before pregnancy.

The "I Love My Baby Diet", see page 25, is an easy way to ensure healthy eating during your pregnancy. Make several copies and hang a new one on your refrigerator every week. Circle number when a serving is eaten.

It sounds obvious, but a little planning can go a long way. Plan your menus a week at a time, and then shop for all the ingredients in one trip. Load up on easy-to-eat, healthful snacks like cut-up vegetables, fresh fruit, cheese, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, whole-grain bread, and nuts, and store in serving size portions. Prepackaged salads can add a second course to a healthy pasta dinner: Look for the exotic kinds that have lots of dark green leaves.

Making healthy, well-balanced food choices is a great beginning for your baby. Eating right before, during, and after the pregnancy is also the best thing you can do for yourself.

Recommended Foods with serving amounts

Milk Servings 1 oz. cheese, 1 cup yogurt, 2 cups ice cream, 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup custard Meat Servings 4 oz. fish, poultry, or lean meat, 2 pieces chicken, ½ cup peanuts, 6 Tbsp. Peanut butter, 1-1/8 cup chili and beans, 2 eggs, 3/8 cheese pizza Bread Servings ¾ cup cold cereal, 6 round crackers, 5 saltine crackers, 2 graham crackers, 1 cup popcorn, ½ hamburger or hot dog bun, 1 small muffin, 1 bagel, 1 corn tortilla, ½ cup macaroni, noodles, rice or spaghetti. Folic Acid Green, leafy vegetables; dark yellow fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts Calcium Milk, cheese yogurt, sardines, spinach

Vitamin A Foods Carrots; dark, leafy greens; sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, pumpkin, apricots, broccoli, squash, tomato, watermelon Vitamin C Foods Broccoli, citrus fruit, tomatoes, greens, strawberries, cantaloupe Iron Lean red meat, spinach, whole-grain breads and cereals Vitamin B6 Beef liver, pork, ham, whole-grain cereals; bananas Vitamin B12 Liver, meat, fish, poultry (vegetarians should take a supplement) Fat Meat, dairy products, nuts, peanut butter, margarine, dressings, vegetable oils

Editorial provided by Peggy Weimar RNC, CCE, IBCLC - Director, OB/GYN Services at Montgomery Hospital Medical Center in Norristown, PA.

Resources:

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, 2006. Nutrition During Pregnancy.
• "I Love My Baby Diet", developed by Margery Simchak, RN, Health Educator (Updated 2006)
• Pregnancy Diet Don'ts - Foods to Avoid While You're Expecting by Dr. Aneema Van Groenou. 2006.