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Calcium and iron are especially important for you and your baby’s development. Combined with balanced meals and other minerals, eating foods that are high in these two nutrients will help you both stay healthy during your pregnancy.
Calcium
Your baby needs calcium to support its growing bones. Without enough of it in your diet, they will use calcium from your own bones to grow. Later in your life, this can cause issues like osteoporosis.
Healthy sources of calcium include:
- Dairy products like cheese, low-fat or nonfat milk products, and yogurt
- Nondairy milk that is fortified with calcium
- Calcium-fortified orange juice
- Almonds
- Chia Seeds
- Broccoli
- Calcium-fortified cereals or oatmeal
- Corn tortillas
- Green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli , cabbage, bok choy and kale
- Tofu that’s fortified with calcium
Iron
Eating plenty of iron-rich foods helps you avoid anemia, a condition that can increase your risk for a low birth weight baby premature, birth, postpartum bleeding and postpartum depression. Foods that are rich in iron include:
- Lean beef, pork, chicken, and turkey
- Eggs
- Dried fruits like apricots, prunes, and raisins
- Green leafy vegetables, like spinach, kale and collards
- Iron-fortified cereals
- Beans and lentils
- Liver and other organ meats in small amounts
- Oysters and other types of shellfish (thoroughly cooked )
- Pumpkin seeds or walnuts
- Cooking in a cast iron skillet (especially high acid foods) can also increase the iron content of food
Making sure that your meals include these types of foods — along with those high in vitamin C — can help your body absorb iron better. Foods that are high in vitamin C include broccoli, tomatoes, citrus, pineapples, strawberries and red or yellow peppers.
It is not uncommon that your prenatal clinician will recommend an iron supplement.
Eating a balanced variety of foods
Eating from a variety of fresh, whole foods each day helps ensure you get the right amount of nutrients that you and your baby need. Follow these tips to make sure you’re eating balanced meals.
- If you eat meat, choose lean meats, such as poultry and fish.
- For dairy products, choose low-fat or nonfat options.
- Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains every day. Be sure these items cover at least 2/3 of your plate.
- Stay away from a lot of sweets like candy, cookies and cake. Try fresh fruit or fruit ices instead.
- Munch on fresh fruits, raw vegetables or nonbuttered popcorn instead of unhealthy snacks.
- Steer clear of fast foods, fried food and sugary drinks like juice and soda
Here are some sample meals to get you started:
Breakfast
1 hard-boiled egg
1 cup nonfat or low-fat milk
2 slices whole-wheat toast
½ cup sliced melon
Lunch
1 bowl of black bean soup
1 cup nonfat or low-fat yogurt
1 cup salad with 1 Tbsp. dressing
1 piece of whole-wheat or whole-grain pita bread
Dinner
3 oz. chicken
1 cup mixed vegetables
½ cup brown rice
Options like whole-wheat or whole-grain crackers, low-fat cheeses, fruits, nuts, and peanut butter can all make great snacks. Just be sure to pay attention to portion size.
And don’t forget, drink lots and lots of water, roughly 64-96 ounces/day. That’s 8 to 12 8oz glasses. If it’s hard for you to drink this much water, try keeping several reusable water bottles around the house for convenience. You can also add a splash of lemon, slice of cucumber or fruit to your water to help make it more enticing.