To make sure you ingest the right protein and vitamin rich foods, keep the following on your weekly list: fish, meat and poultry, cheese, yoghurt and milk, beans, peas and eggs.

Spinach and leafy green vegetables, broccoli, asparagus, strawberries and tomatoes, as well as cereals, are a good source of folic acid.

Pregnant Women

Iron is contained in red meat, fish and chicken, liver and kidneys, green vegetables, beans, fortified cereals as well as whole-grain bread.

The secret is eating a wide variety of foods of the kind mentioned above, because every single food on the list will contribute to your and your baby’s health by providing one or more essential nutrients.

If the doctor advises, when the necessary quantity of nutrients is not assimilated by simply eating these foods, a pregnant woman can take dietary supplements, but only under a specialist’s supervision.

pregnant-woman-food

There are also substances that are to be avoided completely under the circumstances. Drugs, alcoholic drinks and tobacco are top of the list. Even medicines must be checked because most of them are known to give side effects. A pregnant woman should not treat herself at home, not even for ordinary flu. What seems harmless to her may damage the baby.

Coffee should be limited to one or two cups a day. All foods should be very well cooked before eating. Special attention ought to be paid to meat, fish, shellfish and eggs, as well as types of cheese which have not been pasteurized. Even fresh fruit and vegetables can be dangerous as they may be a source of bacteria.