Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy

Your body goes through lots of physical and hormonal changes during pregnancy – plus you are fueling your baby’s growth. To nourish yourself and your growing baby you’ll need to make sure you get the nutrition you need from a variety of healthy foods, and your prenatal supplement.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet will help you feel good and support the extra nutrition and calories needed during pregnancy. You will need more calories and nutrients to support the growth and development of your baby – but you need to make sure those extra calories count. The Dietary Guidelines for pregnant women stress the importance of nutrient dense foods – foods that provide vitamin and minerals without excess added sugars, saturated fat and sodium. These are foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, eggs, beans, low-fat dairy, and unsalted nuts and seeds. Your doctor may also recommend a  prenatal supplement in addition to a healthy diet, to make sure you get enough key nutrients like folic acid, vitamin D, iron and iodine. Here are some key nutrients that support a healthy pregnancy and where to find them!

• Protein — The building block for so many things from enzymes to antibodies, and from muscles to collagen. During pregnancy, your protein needs increase from about 50 grams to 71 grams per day. Lean meats, low-fat dairy, eggs, beans, nuts and seeds are great ways to get protein.
• Healthy Fats & DHA — To limit saturated fat and get healthy fats in your diet – think nuts, seeds, fatty fish and olive oil.  Critical for brain and eye development, omega-3 fatty acids—particularly DHA plays a key nutritional role in your baby’s brain and vision development. Experts say that pregnant women should get 200-300 mg of DHA each day. Talk to your OB (obstetrician) about taking a DHA supplement.
• Fiber & Fluids— Getting enough fiber and staying hydrated can help with constipation, a common complaint during  pregnancy. Whole grains, veggies, fruits and beans provide fiber.
• Carbohydrates — Carbs are the primary fuel for you and your baby. Choose whole grains, fruits and vegetables which provide fiber and other important nutrients. Avoid carbohydrates with added sugar, such as sugary drinks.
• Calcium & Vitamin D — Together, they’re the foundation for healthy bones and teeth. To help guard against your bones being depleted and to provide what your baby needs, get enough Calcium and vitamin D in your diet. Your doctor may recommend supplements, a good idea for most pregnant women.
• Folic Acid (Folate) — This B vitamin is essential for baby’s developing spine and brain, Talk to your doctor about folic acid when you are thinking about becoming pregnant and make sure your prenatal supplement contains Folic Acid.
• Iron — A key mineral that supports your growing baby’s development. Preventing anemia, an iron deficiency, for yourself is also a watch-out during pregnancy. Iron rich foods include lean red meat, eggs, beans and some dark green veggies.
• Iodine — The requirement for Iodine increases during pregnancy so making sure your prenatal supplement contains iodine is a good idea.
• Choline — An essential nutrient that can help support brain development. Talk to your OB about taking a supplement containing this important nutrient.
• Zinc — A mineral that helps build a healthy immune system, cell growth and brain development. Zinc may be in short supply in vegetarian diets.