nutrients for you and your baby in pregnancy

Planning meals in advance can help ensure you and your family eat a balanced diet. The food pyramid developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture can help you choose what to eat (www.mypyramid.gov) (see Table 1). It takes into account your age, sex, and your amount of daily physical activity and shows the number of servings you should have each day from each of the six food groups:
Grains
Vegetables
Fruit
Oils
Milk
Meat and beans Basic Nutrients
Every diet should include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. To be sure your diet provides you with the right amount of nutrients, you should know which foods are good sources of each.
The RDA—recommended daily allowance—on food labels shows the levels of nutrients you need every day. During pregnancy, the RDAs are higher for most nutrients. Table 2 shows the key nutrients you and your baby will need during your pregnancy.
Extra Nutrients
Pregnant women need extra iron and folic acid, and these are usually prescribed in pill form as supplements. Sometimes a prenatal supplement that contains these two nutrients plus vitamins and minerals is recommended. Ask your doctor or nurse how your needs can be best met.
Women should take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, in addition to a well balanced diet, for at least 1 month before pregnancy and during the first 3 months of pregnancy. This can help prevent neural tube defects, which affect the spine and skull of the fetus.
Women who have had a child with a neural tube defect are more likely to have another child with this problem. These women need much higher doses of folic acid—4 milligrams daily. It should be taken for at least 1 month before pregnancy and during the first 3 months of pregnancy. Women who need 4 milligrams should take folic acid as a separate supplement, not as part of a multivitamin.
Check with your doctor before taking any vitamins, herbs, or other supplements that are not prescribed for you. They might be harmful during pregnancy. Just because a product is natural does not mean it is safe to use during pregnancy.