Following a Healthy Pregnancy Diet Plan

Once you decide that you would like to get pregnant, you should start to eat more healthily in order to ensure that you have enough of the most important nutrients available to the baby in the first trimester. And of course, you need to continue to follow a healthy pregnancy diet plan throughout the pregnancy.

A healthy pregnancy diet plan includes a selection of foods from all four food groups. This diet is not really all that different from a healthy diet during any other time in your life, it is just more important that you actually follow it during pregnancy. You should include dairy products, whole grains, fruits and vegetables (especially those high in vitamin C and vitamin A), and lean protein. Try to keep the fat content down, and to make as much of the fats you eat healthy fats such as Omega 3 fatty acids.

What you do not eat during pregnancy is as much a part of any pregnancy diet plan as what you do eat. You want to avoid any unpasteurized cheeses, milks, or juices. You also should avoid fish and seafood that is high in mercury (while still eating those types of fish that are not). Alcohol is best avoided, and caffeine should be limited. Another thing to be careful of is processed meats. If you do eat these meats, be sure to cook them until they are very hot to avoid the possibility of listeriosis. Junk food should be limited as well since it takes up a lot of calories without providing much nutrition.

Now that you know what to eat and what not to eat, you need to know how much to eat. During the first trimester you should contine to eat about the same amount of calories that you consumed before becoming pregnant. You are not expected to gain weight during this trimester. After the first trimester, you should gain about three to four pounds per month, which translates into an increase of between 100 and 300 calories per day. This really isn’t all that much, so be sure not to fall into the trap of thinking that you are eating for two and pigging out on lots of junk food. Get the Complete Pregnancy Nutrition Diet Plan Guide here!

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