Eating Healthy

Growing a healthy baby requires about 300 extra calories per day assuming normal activity and more for women who exercise. In those extra calories, the pregnant woman needs up to 50 percent more of most vitamins and minerals and an additional 10 grams of protein a day for fetal and placental growth, expanded maternal extra cellular fluid, breasts, and uterus.

This additional caloric intake should be sufficient to attain a weight gain of approximately 22 to 28 pounds in women of normal weight. If you're underweight before you become pregnant, a 30 to 35 pound weight gain is appropriate.

Wonder where all that weight is going? 


Baby	7-8 lbs.
Placenta	1-2 lbs.
Uterus	2 lbs.
Amniotic Fluid	1.5 - 2 lbs.
Breasts	1 lb.
Blood Volume	2.5 - 3 lbs.
Fat	5 lbs.
Tissue, Fluid	4-7 lbs.
Total	24 - 30 lbs.

1. From the meat, fish, poultry, and egg group: Choose approximately three two- to three-ounce servings of fish, poultry, lean meat, eggs, beans, lentils, nut butters (i.e. peanut, almond, cashew, tahini, soy nut), seeds, and nuts.

2. From the dairy group: Choose approximately four one-cup servings of milk or the equivalent (i.e., one ounce of cheese, one cup plain yogurt, or 1½ cups of cottage cheese).

3. From the vegetable and fruit group: This group is divided into two main categories—those that contain large amounts of vitamin C and those that contain large amounts of beta carotene, which can be converted to vitamin A as the body needs it. You should get one to two half-cup servings of fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C.

Rich in Vitamin C
Vegetables	Fruits
Broccoli	Cantaloupe
Brussels Sprout	Honeydew Melon
Cauliflower	Lemon
Collard Greens	Orange
Green Pepper	Papaya
Mustard Greens	Strawberry
Potato	Watermelon
Spinach

To meet your vitamin A requirement each day, have two half-cup servings from the beta carotene-rich fruits and vegetables. To this list add one more serving of a vegetable of your choice.

Rich in Beta Carotene
Vegetables	Fruits
Broccoli	Apricot
Cabbage	Cantaloupe
Carrots	Nectarine
Chard	Papaya
Kale	Peach
Sweet Potatoes	Watermelon
Spinach	Pumpkin
	Winter Squash

4. From the bread, cereal, dried beans, peas, and legumes group: Select six to 11 servings. A serving means one slice of bread, or ¼ cup cooked dried beans, peas, or legumes. A dry cereal serving should measure ¾ of a cup, and cooked cereal should measure ½ cup.

Information from babyzone.com