Pregnancy Diet - Healthy Eating During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a huge life changing event in any womans life and it can take it's toll on your body. This is a time when you really need to start looking after yourself and most importantly your diet. What you eat is so important when you are pregnant to make sure that you are getting enough essential vitamins and minerals to help your baby develop.

Eating well will not only benefit your growing baby but it will help to prepare your body for labor, delivery and the months after. You need to keep your body fit and healthy to make sure you have energy for when you need it most.

Following a pregnancy diet does not have to be hard work, as long as you know the pregnancy food pyramid and how much you are allowed from each food group you will be able to portion your food accordingly and you should still be able to enjoy the foods you love in moderation.

Eating a balanced diet improves the chances of having a healthy baby, decreases the chances of your baby having a low birth weight and can also make your pregnancy easier. Some pregnancy complications such as anemia are more common in women who have a poor diet and eating well during pregnancy can decrease the common pregnancy symptoms of morning sickness, tiredness, constipation and mood swings.

Unlike other diet plans, a pregnancy diet is not about losing weight, it's about eating the right foods to help your baby grow and keep your body healthy for pregnancy. Unless you are suffering from extreme morning sickness (in which case you should consult your doctor) you should be able to adapt your diet to fit in with the pregancy diet plan without missing out on the foods you like.

Eating Well During Pregnancy

Planning what you are going to eat over the next few months is important when you are pregnant for many reasons but there are some things that you should know before you start planning.

• Aviod empty calories

• Don't Skip Meals

• Eat fresh food's when possible

• Drink plenty of fluids

You should always try and vary your diet, below are all the different food groups and how many portions of each you should be eating daily.

The pregnancy diet food pyramid is a good guide to what you should be eating when you are pregnant. You can vary the types of foods that you eat in each group. Below are some of the choices in each food group.

Protein Rich Food for Pregnancy

You should try and include around three portions of protein rich food in your diet each day. This can include any of the following:

• Milk
• Cheese
• plain yogurt
• egg white
• whole eggs
• fish
• white meat

Dairy Foods and Calcium Rich Foods

Try and include four portions each day.

• milk
• cheddar cheese
• orange juice with calcium
• sesame seeds
• broccoli
• corn tortillas
• frozen yoghurt
• mackerel

Foods Rich in Vitamin C

Three portions per day

• fresh orange juice
• grapefruit juice
• mango
• strawberries
• blackberries and raspberries
• red or green pepper
• cantaloupe
• cauliflower
• tomato juice
• shredded raw cabbage

Fruit and Vegetables

Another two portions of any of the fruit or vegetables below

• apple
• banana
• blueberries
• cherries
• pineapple
• potato
• courgettes
• green beans
• pear
• peach
• grapes
• parsnips
• mushrooms

Foods Rich in Iron

Try and eat some iron rich foods, iron can be found in other foods but the ones in the list below are considered high in iron, you don't need any specific portion amount but include these in your pregnancy diet when you can

• beef
• sardines
• potatoes in skins
• pumpkin
• dried fruits
• duck without skin

Wholegrain Foods

It is recommended to eat six to eleven portions a day.

• wholegrain bread
• cooked brown rice
• wholegrain cereal
• wheat germ
• beans
• peas