The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends:
Maintaining a healthy pregnancy by taking ~300 extra calories each day
Maintaining key components of healthy lifestyle:
● A balanced diet
● Regular exercise
● Appropriate weight gain
● Appropriate and timely vitamin and mineral supplementation

Vegetables

Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, spinach

Benefits

➢ Vitamin A: Essential for the normal development of the baby
➢ Potassium: Maintains mother's blood pressure and fluid volume

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Dairy

Skim or 1% milk; soy milk: fat-free, low-fat yogurt

Benefits

➢ Source of vitamin A and potassium
➢ vitamin D: Strong bones and teeth development in baby and prevention of preeclampsia in mothers

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Proteins

Beans and peas, nuts and seeds, poultry, lamb, salmon

Benefits

➢ Amino acids for development, survival, immunity, and birth weight in the baby
➢ vitamin D: Strong bones and teeth development in baby and prevention of preeclampsia in mothers

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Fruits

bananas, mangoes, oranges, prunes

Benefits

➢ Potassium

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Grains

Ready-to-eat and cooked cereal

Benefits

➢ Iron and folic acid: Essential for the baby's growth, brain development and to avoid any birth defects

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Foods to avoid

➢ Unpasteurized milk and its product such as cheese
➢ Raw sprouts
➢ Raw or undercooked meat or seafood
➢ Store-made salads or unpasteurized juices

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Fluids

➢ Drink several glasses of water each day
➢ Additionally, drink juices and soups
➢ Restrict intake of caffeine and artificial sweeteners
➢ Avoid alcohol

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Vitamins and mineral supplements

➢ Folic acids
➢ Iron
➢ Calcium
➢ Vitamin D

Myth

Pregnant mothers should eat for two!

Fact

• You only need about 300 calories more energy.
• Eat a nutritious and well-balanced diet.
• Improve the quality of food and not the quantity!

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Myth

Reduce the amount of weight during the pregnancy, which will make the delivery easy!

Fact

Mothers with less weight gain during pregnancy may put the baby at the risk of severe complications such as premature birth.

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Myth

Pregnant women will crave foods that are appropriate for their bodies!

Fact

Craving should not be the sole indicator of the nutritional needs of the pregnant mother. One should eat a well-balanced nutritious diet.

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Myth

If you gain the right amount of weight during pregnancy, none of it will be fat gain.

Fact

The excess weight gained during pregnancy will be stored as fat, which will be converted into energy during labor and breastfeeding