Pregnancy isn’t the time to diet. What you eat feeds your baby, so choose healthy foods and skip the junk. You need about 300 extra calories each day. Be sure to include the following in your daily diet:
•·Three to four servings of milk or dairy products
•·Five to ten servings of vegetables and fruit
•·Five to twelve servings of breads, cereals, rice or pasta
•·Two to three servings of meat, fish, poultry, dried beans, eggs or nuts
•·At least six to eight glasses of liquids.
You can get all the nutrients you need through what you eat. But your doctor may suggest taking prenatal mineral and vitamin pills that include iron to help protect you against anemia, calcium to help keep your bones strong and folic acid, especially early in pregnancy (even before you get pregnant), to help prevent your baby from having neural tube defects (serious problems with the brain and spinal cord).
There are programs to help women access financial help during pregnancy to ensure a good diet. Talk to your family doctor about what’s available in your area.