The ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, once said, “Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food.” This definitely holds true when you’re pregnant. A clean, healthy and wholesome diet will work wonders for you and your baby. We live in a society that is smothered with a plethora of food choices. The hard truth is that the majority of these foods are detrimental to our bodies in the long run.

Additives, preservatives, chemicals, processed foods, junk foods, genetically modified foods, etc. are all part of our diet these days and are wreaking havoc on our health. Obesity has become an epidemic. The numbers of people suffering from diabetes, high cholesterol, digestive issues, etc. have skyrocketed. The main culprit – our diet. Changing one’s diet and eating clean is a Herculean task.

You absolutely can’t do it overnight and don’t even think that willpower will work. You will need to make small changes to your diet gradually till you form the habits of eating right. That is why, it is imperative that you start making these changes 3 months before getting pregnant. You’ll then be able to ease into a healthy diet relatively smoothly and easily.

How many calories should I consume?

Many women wonder about this. They do not want to consume too many calories for fear of putting on weight... but then they have all these sudden food cravings that seemed to pop out of nowhere. The first thing you should note – Do NOT obsess over your calories when you’re pregnant. Now is really not the time to be analyzing and counting your calories. Pregnancy gives you the permission to take 9 months off from the calorie counting and agonizing over the numbers.

That being said, it’s also not a free pass to gorge yourself on whatever food comes your way. Eat sufficient food but eat the proper food. Restricting your calories could potentially harm your baby. Low birth weight, poor fetal development, weakness in the mother, etc. are all often related to not consuming enough food. Always remember, whatever weight you gain can be burnt off after childbirth. A warning though – If you consume too many calories there are problems too.

You will gain too much weight which will put you at risk for diabetes, heart problems, early labor, preeclampsia, etc. It’s all about balance. Eat enough for both you and your baby. Eat healthy and eat in moderation. Before going any further, you will need to calculate your prepregnancy Recommended Daily Caloric Intake. This is actually just your normal caloric requirement if you were not pregnant.

Now we’ll look at the foods that you should be consuming during your pregnancy. Truth be told, healthy foods are healthy foods whether you are pregnant or not. It doesn’t matter if you’re male female, young or old... Good food choices are always beneficial. The only difference is that now, you’re pregnant and it’s even more important to eat right because another life depends and is affected by your food choices. Yup... the pressure is on.

Foods You Must Eat

In the fitness industry, there is a saying, “Calories are not created equal.” That means, you could eat 300 calories from different foods and have a world of different results. For example, if you ate 2 bananas and 2 apples a day, which would roughly, be 300 calories. What if you got all 300 calories from 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream? Would the benefits be the same? Guess which one is going to be better for your baby?

Eat whole foods

Whole foods could also be called single ingredient foods. For example, a broccoli is a single ingredient food. You pick it up... you know what it is... and you know it grew from the ground. Now let’s look at white bread? Most people have no idea how it was made, what ingredients were used... and how in the world did they get the bread so white, anyway? The moment you have no idea what goes into the food, it’s best you avoid it. White bread uses refined flour that is bleached white and all kinds of artificial ingredients go into making a loaf. None of it is doing your body any favors. Avoid processed foods and stick to natural foods.

Eat fruits and veggies

This is common sense. We all know that fruits and vegetables contain a ton of vitamins and minerals that do us good. Be consistent with your diet. You must eat these daily. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. You can’t eat 7 apples on Saturday and expect to get the job done. It doesn’t work that way. Consistency is key.

Make sure you’re only eating good carbs

Carbs have received a bad reputation over the years. The truth is that carbs are essential for us. This is especially so when you’re pregnant. Carbs give you energy and make up a sizeable chunk of your required calories. What matters is that you consume carbs from healthy sources. Fruits vegetables, whole grain breads, potatoes, oats, quinoa, brown rice, etc. are all excellent carb sources. Pizzas, white bread, white flour products, etc. are bad carbs that should be avoided.

Eat enough protein

These are essential too. Get your proteins from lean meats, eggs, beef and beans. Once again, focus on the “single ingredient” requirement. A few cuts of lean chicken breast are good. A chicken nugget is NOT good. A slab of steak is good. A few sausages are NOT good.

Try and keep it organic if possible.

While this can be a little costly, it is highly beneficial. If you can afford to eat organic for the 9 months that you’re pregnant, go for it. Organic foods are free of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. In the event that your budget does not allow you to go completely organic, and then make sure some of the foods that you consume are organic. Foods such as apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries have been found to contain high levels of pesticides. So, try and keep these organic, if you can.

Excerpted from the book Fit To Be Pregnant. This excerpt has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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