Nearly all pregnant women can benefit from a nutritional diet. This diet includes a wide variety of foods from all groups such as whole grain, cereals, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, fish and dairy products. Here are some basic guidelines that you can follow:

• Consume approximately 2,300 to 2,500 calories during pregnancy to ensure a well balanced diet. The nutrient break-up of your caloric intake must be 60% carbohydrates from whole grains, 25% protein (dairy products, pulses, poultry and fish) and 15% fats (oils, nuts and oilseeds).
• Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water to meet your fluid requirements.
• Include at least 2 to 3 servings of fruits and 4-5 servings of vegetables daily.
• Intake of folic acid helps to reduce the risk of congenital birth defects like low birth weight infants and neural tube defects. Folic acid is found in green leafy vegetables, nuts like almonds, walnuts, whole grains and whole pulses.
• Iron deficiency anaemia is a major risk among pregnant women. The iron requirements increase due to an increase in maternal blood volume and additional demands of the fetus. To meet this additional iron requirement, take iron supplements and consume iron rich foods like beans, liver, leafy vegetables, eggs, fish and ragi.

[Via. Hindustan Times – HT City]