Pregnancy Nutrition for Healthy Babies

Nutrient Needs

Now that you know how much weight you will need to gain, let’s talk about the kinds of foods you should eat. Healthy foods will help your baby grow to be healthy and strong!

Here is a table of nutrients that you will need to have during your pregnancy.

What You Need	Why You Need It	Where to Get It
Folic Acid	Helps prevent birth defects	Spinach, kale, collard and turnip greens
Iron	Helps your baby grow	Meat, spinach, kale, whole grains, beans
Calcium	Helps your baby have strong bones and teeth	Broccoli, kale, milk, cheese
Vitamin C	Helps your body use iron	Oranges, peaches, kiwi fruit
Vitamin B-6	Helps your baby grow	Chickpeas, potato, fish, meat, tomatoes
Vitamin D	Helps your body use calcium	Be in the sun for 10-15 minutes each day
Vitamin B-12	Helps your baby form blood and nerves	Eggs, crab, fish, meat
Fatty Acids	Helps your baby have healthy eyes and nerves	Soybeans, seeds, walnuts
Zinc	Helps your baby develop	Nuts, beans, meat, tofu
Iodine	Helps your baby develop	Meat, seaweed, iodized salt
Protein	Helps your baby grow strong	Tofu, eggs, cottage cheese

Click Here to Print a Copy of this Table

You can go to your local grocery store to buy some of the foods listed. Every time you buy and eat a food on this list, reward yourself! (But do not make it a big piece of chocolate cake…we need to keep eating healthy for you and your baby!)

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American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2011). Nutrition during pregnancy. Available at http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp001.cfm

Craig, W. J., & Mangels, A. R. (2009). Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(7), 1266-1282. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.05.027

Kaiser, L. L., & Allen, L. (2008). Position of the American Dietetic Association: Nutrition and lifestyle for healthy pregnancy outcomes. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 108, 553-561. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.01.030

Penney, D. S., & Miller, K. G. (2008). Nutritional counseling for vegetarians during pregnancy and lactation. Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, 53(1), 37-44. doi: 10.1016/j.jmwh.2007.07.003

U.S. Department of Agriculture (2010). USDA national nutrient database for standard reference, release 22. Nutrient lists. Retrieved from http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=18877

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 7th Edition, Washington, DC.

This page was last updated on: November 21, 2011.