Top 20 foods for pregnancy

These are good items to regularly buy at the grocery store and keep on hand, order when you go out to lunch, and choose as snacks.

Food	Nutrients it contains	Tips
Low-fat milk Yogurt	calcium, protein, riboflavin	These dairy products help maintain strong bones.
Broccoli	vitamins A and C, folic acid	One stalk is 100 percent of your daily vitamin C.
Spinach and romaine	vitamins A and C, folic acid	These are better than lettuce.
Green and red peppers	vitamins A and C, folic acid	Add to pizza to make it healthier.
Tomatoes	vitamins A and C	Tomato sauce on pizza or spaghetti is an acceptable alternative.
Baked potato	vitamin C	Eat the skin, and top the potato with yogurt instead of sour cream and butter.
Tomato-vegetable juice	vitamins A and C	Nutrients come from uncooked vegetables, but the juice is high in sodium.
Orange juice	vitamin C	Just 6 ounces is 100 percent of your daily requirement.
Cantaloupe	vitamins A and C	Half a small one is fine.
Chicken Turkey	low-fat protein and iron	Remove the skin and eat the white meat.
Fish	low-fat protein	Fried fish has too much fat; have it broiled. Read cautions about fish consumption.
Fortified ready-to-eat cereals	fiber, iron, carbohydrates and calcium	Fortified cereals have lots of vitamins and minerals.
Bran Flakes®	fiber and iron	Bran is your best source of fiber.
Fortified cooked cereals	carbohydrates and iron	Fortified cooked cereals have more iron than oatmeal.
Bran muffins	carbohydrates, B vitamins, folic acid, fiber	Bran is a better choice than blueberry.
Whole wheat bread	carbohydrates, B vitamins, folic acid, fiber	Any whole-grain bread with at least 2 grams of fiber per slice is a good choice.
Pizza	calcium, protein, vitamin A	Add veggies. Skip the pepperoni and sausage. Get whole-wheat crust.
Popcorn	carbohydrates, fiber	This is a wholesome, low calorie snack. But go easy on the butter.

Related Links

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A nutritious pregnancy diet

First published: 06/01/2003
Last updated: 06/01/2003

Reviewed by: Allina Patient Education experts