Maintaining a healthy diet during pregnancy is very important.
During this time, your body needs additional nutrients, vitamins, and minerals
In fact, you may need 350–500 extra calories each day during the second and third trimesters.
A diet lacking in key nutrients may negatively affect the baby’s development.
Poor eating habits and excess weight gain may also increase your risk of gestational diabetes and pregnancy or birth complications.
Put simply, choosing healthy, nutritious foods will help ensure the health of you and your baby.
It will also make it a lot easier to lose the pregnancy weight after you’ve given birth.
These foods are high in the nutrients you need during pregnancy. Keep them on hand so you can eat them for snacks as well as meals.
Food | Main nutrients | Tips |
Baked potato and sweet potato | Vitamin C (sweet potatoes are high in vitamins A and C) | Eat the skin and top with yogurt instead of sour cream and butter. |
Bran cereals | Fiber | Bran is one of the best sources of fiber. |
Bran muffin | Fiber, B vitamins, and folic acid | Bran is a better choice than a blueberry or other fruit muffin. |
Broccoli | Vitamins A, C, and folic acid | Dip raw broccoli in a yogurt-based dip as a snack. |
Cantaloupe | Vitamins A and C | Cut half a small melon into cubes and eat it as a snack. |
Chicken and turkey | Low-fat protein and iron | Remove the skin. Dark meat has more iron than light meat. |
Fish | Low-fat protein | Have it broiled rather than fried. Learn how to choose fish wisely in food safety. |
Fortified cooked cereals | Iron | Fortified cooked cereals have more iron than oatmeal. |
Fortified ready-to-eat cereals | Fiber, iron, calcium, and folate | Look for a whole grain cereal. Some can be eaten dry as a snack. |
Green and red peppers | Vitamins A, C, and folic acid | Add to pizza or eat raw as a snack. |
Low-fat milk and yogurt | Calcium and protein | Make your own smoothie by blending fruit, milk, and yogurt. |
Orange juice | Vitamin C | Just six ounces gives you a day's requirement of Vitamin C. |
Pizza | Calcium, protein, and vitamins | Add a lot of veggies, skip the pepperoni and sausage, and get a whole-wheat crust. |
Popcorn | Fiber | Go easy on the butter and salt. |
Spinach and romaine lettuce | Vitamins A, C, and folic acid | These have more vitamins and minerals than iceberg lettuce. |
Tomatoes | Vitamins A and C | Eat raw or as tomato sauce on pizza or pasta. |
Tomato-vegetable juice | Vitamins A and C | The juice is high in sodium, so limit this to one serving a day. |
Whole wheat bread | Fiber, B vitamins, and folic acid | Any whole-grain bread with at least two grams of fiber is a good choice. |