Nutrition For Two

Everything you eat or don't eat while pregnant can make a big difference in your infant's health, as well as your own. A balanced diet provides all the nutrients needed for your baby's optimal growth and development. It also helps you get into peak condition for a safe, comfortable pregnancy and speedier recovery if complications arise. Not consuming enough nutrients or calories can be harmful and may cause your baby to be underweight at birth. Low-birth-weight babies face a higher risk of childhood ailments and require more extensive medical care than normal-weight babies. Making nutritious food choices now is the best way to ensure your baby will be born at a healthy weight.

The first two to eight weeks after conception is a critical growth period in which most of your baby's major organs are formed. If you're planning to have a baby, try to improve your eating habits before you become pregnant, because you can't be certain when conception will take place.

This guide will help you:

Become familiar with nutritional guidelines for optimal health during pregnancy.

Assess your diet to determine your personal nutrition needs.

Take steps to improve your diet.

The Food Guide Pyramid is your guide to healthful eating throughout your pregnancy. Using the Pyramid will help you to choose what and how much to eat from the five food groups. Each group provides some, but not all, of the nutrients you need. Choose a variety of foods daily from each food group.

Recall everything you ate yesterday. Determine the appropriate food category for each item provided on the food pyramid. Be sure to include all meals, snacks and beverages.

Count the total number of servings you ate from each food category and record them on the chart below. For mixed foods, do your best to estimate the food group servings of the main ingredients.

Compare the total number of servings you ate to the amount of servings recommended for pregnancy. Enter them on the chart below. Are there foods you need to add or limit to better meet your nutrition needs?

About 50 different nutrients are required for good health. Eating a variety of foods is the best way of getting all the nutrients you and your baby need. The following nutrients are especially important to help support your baby's growth and to help maintain your own health:

Iron. During pregnancy your blood volume increases by about 50 percent. So, you'll need extra iron to form red blood cells. Choose foods such as lean meats, poultry, fish, enriched or fortified cereal, whole grains, dried fruits (such as apricots, raisins, prunes), dry beans, and an iron supplement.

Protein. Protein helps to build cells, muscle and tissue. During pregnancy, your daily need for protein increases by 10 grams. You can easily meet this increased requirement for protein through diet. Choose foods such as lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, low-fat milk products, whole grains and dry beans.

Calcium. You will need extra calcium to support the growth of baby's bones without depleting your own stores. Adequate calcium also can help to decrease risk of pregnancy-induced high blood pressure. The best sources of calcium are low-fat milk, yogurt or ice milk, low-fat cheese, and water-packed salmon or sardines (with bones). Other sources include broccoli, collard or turnip greens.

Folic acid. This B vitamin helps you protect your growing baby against birth defects of the spine and brain, such as spina bifida. It can be found in green leafy vegetables, asparagus, citrus fruit, whole-grain foods, and liver.

Calories. It takes about 80,000 extra calories to build a healthy baby, so you'll need about 300 extra calories per day. Try to get your extra calories from foods that are also a good source of nutrients, such as bread, milk, yogurt, fruit and vegetables.

It's generally recommended that you try to maintain a steady weight gain throughout pregnancy of about 25 to 35 pounds. Pregnancy is never a time to try to lose weight. A low weight gain can retard the growth of your baby. However, gaining more than 35 pounds can make it difficult to get back in shape after delivery. Individuals vary, so be sure to ask your health-care provider to determine a weight gain that is healthy for you.

During pregnancy, your need for folic acid increases and your need for iron nearly doubles. It's difficult for most women to get enough iron and folic acid from diet alone. Your health-care provider may prescribe a prenatal supplement to help you meet your nutrition needs. Your multivitamin mineral supplement should provide you with:

Experts vary in their opinion on the safety of caffeine during pregnancy. Caffeine may aggravate mood swings during pregnancy and interfere with rest. It is recommended that you limit caffeine to no more than two cups of coffee, tea, or cola a day.

The safety of aspartame (NutraSweet) or saccharin during pregnancy is uncertain. Aspartame may be harmful to the fetus of an undiagnosed carrier of PKU (phenylketonuria), a condition where the body cannot metabolize the amino acid, phenylalanine. It is recommended that you avoid the use of artificially sweetened foods and beverages. If you drink diet soft drinks, limit your consumption to no more than two 12-ounce servings per day.

Alcohol use during pregnancy has been linked to birth defects. If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, abstain from drinking alcohol entirely.

When it comes to improving your health, goal-setting skills are the key to making positive changes you can live with. You can set yourself up for success or be doomed to failure depending on how you shape your goals. "SMART" goals are:

Timely. Decide on a time schedule that is specific but comfortable for you to sustain to achieve your goal.