FOODS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN

Healthy nutrition is important for everyday life, but with pregnancy a mother has to provide nutritional foods for two. Pregnant women require nutritional foods for healthy growth of fetus, but also for overall health of their own bodies. Many foods are nutritional and beneficial to eat while pregnant.

Fresh fruits and vegetables
Fresh fruits and vegetables contain a variety of vitamins a pregnant woman can benefit from, and that she can pass to her growing baby. Vitamin C found in fresh fruits and vegetables helps to build a baby's skeleton.

Iron
During pregnancy, woman's body pumps more blood and supplies it to the fetus. Due to the increased blood volume, a pregnant woman requires additional iron. Iron can be found in foods such as dried fruits, spinach, liver and dark green leafy vegetables.

Calcium

The recommended intake for calcium is 1,200 mg per day. Calcium is needed for baby's bones and teeth, but it also provides calcium for mother's bones. A fetus will draw calcium from mother's bones if not enough calcium is being supplied.

Folic acid

Folic acid can be found in foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, whole grains, liver, dried beans and peas, peanut butter and asparagus.

Protein

Protein helps build baby's body tissues, skeleton and the placenta, and can be found in meat, fish, poultry and eggs, beans, lentils and nuts. Protein foods are recommended at three 2- to 3-oz. servings a day.

Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins are important to take throughout the pregnancy. Vitamins such as folic acid, vitamins B-6, C and D, and calcium, copper, iron and zinc are in prenatal vitamins and are essential to healthy fetus growth.