The Best Diet for Pregnancy

Since finding out I'm pregnant again I've been determined to find a safe and healthy way of eating for a normal pregnancy. I had a miscarriage 4 months ago so I'm trying to be as safe as possible.  I know many women still drank a cup of coffee a day and most doctor's say that's ok.  However, I stopped it completely just as a precaution.  Before I found out I was eating mostly vegan and raw.  I started to keep track of my food intake and realized I just wasn't getting in enough protein.  I was having to supplement a lot of protein shakes.  Now I still want to eat healthy but not eating meat just isn't an option for me. 

According to WebMD this is the staple you should follow:

• Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need. Recommended daily servings include 6-11 servings of breads and grains, two to four servings of fruit, four or more servings of vegetables, four servings of dairy products, and three servings of protein sources (meat, poultry, fish, eggs or nuts). Use fats and sweets sparingly.
• Choose foods high in fiber that are enriched such as whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, fruits, and vegetables.
• Make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals in your daily diet while pregnant. You should take a prenatal vitamin supplement to make sure you are consistently getting enough vitamins and minerals every day. Your doctor can recommend an over-the-counter brand or prescribe a prenatal vitamin for you.
• Eat and drink at least four servings of dairy products and calcium-rich foods a day to help ensure that you are getting 1000-1300 mg of calcium in your daily diet during pregnancy.
• Eat at least three servings of iron-rich foods per day to ensure you are getting 27 mg of iron daily.
• Choose at least one good source of vitamin C every day, such as oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, honeydew, papaya, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, green peppers, tomatoes, and mustard greens. Pregnant women need 70 mg of vitamin C a day.
• Choose at least one good source of folic acid every day, like dark green leafy vegetables, veal, and legumes (lima beans, black beans, black-eyed peas and chickpeas). Every pregnant woman needs at least 0.4 mg of folic acid per day to help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
• Choose at least one source of vitamin A every other day. Sources of vitamin A include carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, spinach, water squash, turnip greens, beet greens, apricots, and cantaloupe. Know that excessive vitamin A intake (>10,000 IU/day) may be associated with fetal malformations.

My concern at first was that I was getting too much vitamin A because I love spinach and turnip greens.  Now I will make sure to only eat them every other day.  Eating beans for my folic acid will not be a problem.  I'm a huge black bean, garbanzo bean, kidney bean and pinto bean lover.  I go to the doctor August 15th for my first appointment. 

There is no evidence that low carbohydrate diets are a concern to the fetus.  To keep my weight in check but healthy for my baby I will still eat carbs but I will limit them.  My goal is to take in more protein per day to help the baby grow.