Healthy Eating

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Foods you need when you are pregnant:

Bread, Rice, and Cereal

  • Eat 6 to 11 servings a day
  • Have vitamins, minerals, and energy you need to grow a healthy baby

Meats, Beans, and Eggs

  • Eat 3 to 4 servings a day
  • Have protein that helps build your baby’s brain, muscles, heart, lungs, and other organs.

Vegetables

  • Eat 3 to 5 servings a day
  • Have vitamins, and minerals that keep you and your baby healthy.

Milk, Cheese, and Yogurt

  • Eat 3 to 4 servings a day
  • Have calcium that helps build your baby’s bones and teeth.

Fruits

  • Eat 2 to 4 servings a day
  • Have vitamins and minerals that keep you and your baby healthy.

Weight Gain During Pregnancy

  • Gain 28 to 40 pounds if you are underweight.
  • Gain 25 to 35 pounds if you are average weight.
  • Gain 15 to 25 pounds if you are overweight.
  • Gain 12 to 20 pounds if you are very overweight.

Talk with your provider about the best weight gain for your body.

Helpful Hints

  • Water is good for you. DRINK 8 OR MORE GLASSES OF FLUID EVERY DAY.
  • Avoid foods like cookies, chips, french fries, donuts, and soda. They fill you up but do not give you the vitamins and minerals you need to grow a healthy baby.
  • Eat small servings of food every 2 to 3 hours. A small amount is 1 cup of cooked rice, 1 piece of fruit, 1 slice of cheese, or a piece of meat the size of the palm of your hand.
  • Get folic acid early in pregnancy from leafy green vegetables, beans, citrus fruits, whole grain breads, and cereals. Folic acid lowers the chance of problems with your baby’s spine.
  • Eat food with iron such as red meat, leafy green vegetables, beans, and cereal. Iron helps your blood carry oxygen to you and your baby.