All information contained here is meant for informational purposes only. Always consult your health practitioner if you have any questions.

If there is only one thing you'll explore on this topic, please open Healthy Pregnancy Diet and Supplements (Kasia's picks).

This document - Suggested Foods for Nutritional Balance - will give you lists of foods that include a particular nutrient: magnesium, iron, calcium, iodine, etc.

In terms of eating, higher level of protein intake and generally healthy diet are key. Remember, protein cannot be stored in the body and needs to be consumed every day!

This post has tips on healthy pregnancy snacks. Eating healthy snacks is key, and it is often where people make less healthy choices.  Rather than reaching for celery and peanut butter, they grab a bag of chips. Changing those habits is imperative to maximizing nutrients and healthy proteins.

Here is another link with healthy snacks.

And here is a great recipe! Bone Broth is extremely healthy and has gut healing properties. It's an excellent nourishing food for anyone, but especially pregnant and nursing women and babies once they're ready for it.

This one has an entire day mapped out with non-meat protein for those who are vegetarian or just having a difficult time with meats. And more on Vegan Pregnancy Information.

This link from “Midwifery Today” has numerous articles on the importance of healthy eating during pregnancy.

This is something I find extremely interesting to know. The supplement folic acid is commonly recommended, but there is substantial difference between folic acid (the synthetic form) and folate (the natural form). This article explains the difference in detail. 

And a bit more about healthy diet and various supplements.

Numerous pregnancy health coaches are inspired by Tom Brewer's research. More info here.

Also Institute for Integrative Nutrition is a great resource.

Nutrition impacts the way you'll feel and the way your body might be able to handle the growing within you baby.

This document describes a few discomforts than can be treated or diminished thanks to well-balanced nutrition.

REMEMBER, all this healthy eating are playing a huge role in preventing this major conditions:

  • pre-eclampsia
  • gestational diabetes (This article provides some general overview on how gestational diabetes affects the baby)
  • anemia
  • Group B Strep (Tested between 35th and 37th week)

All of the above can largely affect your labor and birth.

RESEARCH

This is a full article discussing anemia and iron deficiency in pregnancy and the impact on the fetus.                                                                                                                

This full article discusses the impact of maternal diet in early pregnancy and its impact on the size of the infant and growth restriction.

This study discusses how milk consumption makes for larger babies and lowers the risk of small for gestational age babies.

Here is a link concerning anemia.