Your Healthy Pregnancy Diet
Most pregnant women need 300 extra calories per day to support a baby’s growth. So a good pregnancy diet involves eating smart and making healthy food choices. Try to eat foods from each of the five food groups every day. They provide important nutrients that you and your baby need.
Be sure to watch your serving sizes; you may be eating more than you need to.
Remember: Fatty foods (like doughnuts and chips) and sweets (like sodas, cookies and candy) don’t give your baby enough of what he needs to grow.
Follow These Guidelines
Grains: 6 Ounces per Day
1 ounce of grains is equal to:
- 1 slice bread
- 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal
- 1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta or cereal
- 1 small pancake (4 1/2” in diameter)
- 1 small tortilla (6” in diameter)
Vegetables: 2 1/2 Cups per Day
1 cup of vegetables is equal to:
- 1 cup raw or cooked vegetables
- 1 cup vegetable juice
- 2 cups raw, leafy greens
- 1 medium baked potato (2 1/2” to 3” in diameter; go easy on the butter, bacon bits and sour cream)
Fruits: 1 1/2 to 2 Cups per Day
1/2 cup of fruit is equal to:
- 1/2 cup 100% fruit juice
- 1/2 cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit
- 1/2 a fruit (small orange, apple or banana)
- 1/4 cup dried fruit
- 16 grapes
Milk Products: 3 Cups per Day
1 cup of milk products is equal to:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 1/2 ounces natural cheese (examples: cheddar, parmesan)
- 2 ounces processed cheese (example: American)
Proteins: 5 to 5 1/2 Ounces per Day
1 ounce of protein is equal to:
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1/4 cup cooked dried beans
- 1 ounce lean meat, poultry or fish
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup nuts (12 almonds, 24 pistachios)
Take Folic Acid
Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord (called neural tube defects). All women of childbearing age should take a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid every day before pregnancy and during early pregnancy, as part of a healthy pregnancy diet.
