Healthy eating during pregnancy can be very important to your baby's growth and development. But your baby is not the only beneficiary. Being pregnant is hard work for women as well.

Making smart choices about what you put into your body goes a long way toward helping you maintain your own health and giving you the physical endurance you'll need for your 40-week voyage.

By adding only 300 extra calories per day and maximizing the nutritional value of each calorie, you'll be able to keep yourself and your baby healthy. This doesn't mean you can't enjoy the occasional dessert or other treats; but don't make a habit of eating a whole bag of chips as a meal.

Prenatal Nutrition Tips

While it may be difficult to make every calorie count when you are dealing with morning sickness, just do your best to eat what you can keep down. Once the morning sickness abates, you can add more foods to your pregnancy diet.

Be sure to eat a variety of foods. Fruit and vegetables will give you a lot of nutrients and fiber, both of which are important to stay healthy during pregnancy. The recommended amounts are two to four servings of fruit per day and for or more servings of vegetables per day.

Getting adequate amounts of folic acid is very important for your baby to develop properly. You can find folic acid, or folates, in dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, veal and fortified cereals. Lack of folic acid has been associated with spina bifida, which is a developmental problem of the spine. If you are planning to become pregnant, start eating folic acid foods early so there is no lack of this nutrient in your system.

Those dark leafy greens are also a good source of other nutrients like iron, fiber and other vitamins. Your medical care provider may also suggest a vitamin supplement. Some women have problems keeping prenatal vitamins down, however, so choosing healthy foods is still very important.

If you tend to suffer from low iron levels, try to eat at least three foods that contain iron every day, or look for an herbal iron supplement. Unfortunately, iron supplements are not assimilated easily by the body, and sometimes they can cause constipation.

Dairy products and many green vegetables are a great source of calcium. Be sure and eat enough calcium during pregnancy as it will help your baby to grow strong bones and teeth, keep yours in shape, and help your blood clot normally. Calcium is also useful in your muscles and nerves, as well as extremely important in maintaining a normal heart beat.

It’s important to limit the amount of alcohol and caffeine you ingest during pregnancy. Large amounts of alcohol consumption can lead to premature birth, defects, mental retardation and low birth weight. As for caffeine, try to limit it to no more than 300 mg per day. A typical 8 ounce cup of coffee at home contains about 150 mg of caffeine. Tea and soda contain smaller amounts.

While fish is normally considered a healthy food, limit your intake of species like mackerel, tilefish, shark and swordfish due to the high concentrations of mercury that can be found in them. You’ll also want to stay away from raw seafood. Soft cheeses like feta, Brie, and Camembert should also be avoided due to possible infection with Listeria.

When it comes to pregnancy, the best time to focus on eating healthy is before you get pregnant. Once you get the good news that you’re expecting, make an appointment with your medical care provide to discuss proper prenatal nutrition and then take action!

Choosing to eat well and take good care of yourself during pregnancy is one of the best decisions you can make for your baby.