What are healthy and unhealthy foods to eat while pregnant?

Answer 1

You only need an extra 300 calories a day in the third trimester, so don’t overdo it. Have small, frequent meals, and to get the range of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients you need, include these foods:
Complex carbs keep blood sugar stable and provide useful fibre (fiber) which can improve digestion and help prevent constipation: wholegrain bread and cereals, pulses, fresh vegetables.
Protein is vital in pregnancy to nourish your growing baby. Choose lean meat and poultry, preferably organic, beans and lentils, fish, dairy products (low fat versions) and freerange eggs.
Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and herrings, seeds, pulses, beans and nuts contain unsaturated fats which are essential for your developing baby’s brain and eyes.
Have five or more portions of fruit and veg every day, and select from a range of colours. This is a good way to ensure that you get enough of the antioxidant vitamins C and E, which may reduce the risk of eclampsia.
Get a good supply of iron from leafy green veg like spinach, pulses and seeds, dried fruits, and iron-enriched breakfast cereals. Absorption of iron is improved if you eat these along with foods high in vitamin C, like fresh fruit.
For calcium, eat low fat dairy products, dried prunes and fortified soya milk.
Pregnant women need 400mcg of folate each day, to lower risk of miscarriage and birth defects. It’s hard to consume this much through diet alone, so health professionals recommend you take a folic acid supplement pre-conception and during the first trimester.
As well as following these guidelines for eating healthy while pregnant, make sure you read on, for a list of what foods to avoid, for a really healthy diet in pregnancy.

EATING HEALTHY WHILE PREGNANT: WHAT TO AVOID

Some foods have been shown to be potentially harmful to your baby during pregnancy. Here’s what to cut out:
Unwashed veg and salads – listeria, E-coli
Blue cheeses and varieties made from unpasteurised milk
Dishes made with raw or undercooked eggs - salmonella risk
Tuna and swordfish (no more than twice a week) – may contain mercury
Liver and liver pate - high vitamin A which could harm the foetus.
Raw or very rare meat, and raw fish or shellfish - toxoplasmosis or salmonella
Alcohol – can affect foetal development. Some experts recommend cutting it ou completely to be safe. The Food Standards Agency (UK) suggests having no more than 1-2 units of alcohol (one glass of wine, half a pint of beer) once or twice a week.
http://www.healthy-eating-made-easy.com/eating-healthy-while-pregnant.html

http://www.readysteadybaby.org/pregnancy/food-to-eat-while-pregnant.htm
http://www.bloomingbody.com/pregdiet.html
http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/nutritioninpregn/a/aaabavoidfood.htm

Answer 2

I would suggest making soup... I don't know anyone that doesn't love a good bowl of homemade soup, and you can chuck all of your veggies in and once is blended, it tastes FANTASTIC - doesn't taste anything like normal veggies! You can also chuck in wholeweat pasta/rice to bulk it up. and there are so many recipe's online that you can make a big pot once a week and you won't get sick of the same taste all the time. Plus soup is really cheap to make so you don't need to spend a fortune buying ingredients, especially if you go to the veggie market. What's nice is you can also freeze it which means you can make a stack over the weekend, and then have a great week where you don't have to prepare food every night! What also works is to boil up some assorted veggies and then liquidise them and add them to homemade stews to thicken it up, that way you also won't taste the individual veg flavours or texture that you don't like. Another of my favourites is to take pumpkin and cut it into fries, then put it into a pan with a little oil over and bake them. They come out similar to french fries and are yummy yummy yummy!

Answer 3

Unhealthy: Alcohol, tobacco, caffiene. Also too much sugar and fat.
Healthy: lots of water, fruits and veggies, lean meats, dairy.
It's also a good idea to take a prenatal vitamin.