Foods to Include, Limit, and Avoid During Pregnancy

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Variety is the spice of life. Keep your diet interesting. There are so many wonderful options out there, that you could literally not eat the same meal twice for your entire pregnancy with a little imagination and good grocer. Eat from all five food groups, being sure to include 64 ounces of water and a prenatal vitamin every day. There's room in everyone's diet to indulge cravings, because as you know, it's all about moderation.

How much of a good thing is enough? How much is too little? How much is too much?

Dairy: 4 - 6 servings a day
Carbohydrates: 6 - 11 servings per day
Fruits: 4 servings a day/1 should be vitamin C rich
Vegetables: 5 servings a day
Lean Meats and other Proteins: 3 - 4 servings a day
Fats (butter, gravy, etc.): No more than 30% of your caloric intake for the day

What constitutes a serving?

Dairy serving: one cup milk or yogurt; 2 ounces of cheese; 2/3 cup cottage cheese
Carbohydrate serving: one slice of bread, one cup of pasta
Fruit serving: one whole apple/orange/etc; ½ cup berries or grapes; ½ cup chopped fruit
Vegetable serving: ½ cup raw or cooked vegetable
Lean Meats/Proteins serving: 3 ounces chicken, turkey, lean beef, lamb, pork, veal; 5 ounces tofu; 3.5 ounces fish; 2 eggs

Foods you should work hard to include your diet You've got your favorites, I'm sure. Eat them, because food is meant to be enjoyed. In addition to your favorites, make room for these always healthy, but particularly pregnancy supportive, foods.

Apricots
Artichokes
Beets
Broccoli
Brown rice
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Chick peas
Collard Greens
Endive
Escarole
Kale
Kidney Beans
Lean beef
Lentils
Lima beans
Low fat milk (or soy or rice milk)
Mango
Oatmeal
Oranges/orange Juice
Papaya
Peas
Peaches
Rutabagas
Soy beans
Spinach
Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Tofu
Turnip Greens
Whole Grain Breads
Whole grain cereals
Yogurt

Foods you should limit
Do not avoid sweets or other cravings (unless listed below) entirely, or you may just end up binging on them. Cakes, cookies, ice cream, chips, even fast food items are okay once in a while. They're treats rather than everyday indulgences. In addition to limiting those goodies, there are a few more foods to limit, of which you may not be aware.

Limit consumption of the following foods to once a week: Canned tuna
Cod
High Sodium foods
Liver (some scientist question the Retinol A)
Mahi Mahi
Shark

Foods you should avoid
There are some foods which should be put on hold until after baby is born and weaned from the breast. These include:

Caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea. Go for decaf instead.
Frozen Diet Entrees
Hollandaise sauce
Pâté
Peanuts (if there's a family history of allergy, baby may be sensitive, too)
Raw eggs
Raw/undercooked meats
Shark
Sushi
Swordfish
Tuna
Unpasteurized dairy products
Unpasteurized juices

Eating well is part of your job now, for pregnancy and beyond. You're a mom before anything else, so nourish yourself accordingly. Your baby's health and your own depend on it.

Looking for some easy and delicious meals and snacks for you, Dad-to-be, and those you love to eat? They're so wonderful you'll wonder why fast food is as popular as it is. Make this pregnancy an invitation for everyone to eat well. After all, baby needs more than healthy parents to make his life complete. He wants healthy grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings...