To develop a complete diet chart that is tailored to your needs, you will need to visit a dietician, or at least consult your gynecologist. Each individual is different, and one cannot get into diet specifics without fully understanding several factors such as your lifestyle, the state of your health, activity levels, and so on. However, we can give you some general pointers on what you should be eating for the next several months.
Proper nutrition during pregnancy is absolutely essential for both you and your child. Whatever nutrition the fetus gets is obtained from the mother, and therefore depends on the mother’s diet. In addition, pregnancy takes a lot of resources from the mother herself, and it is important that your own nutrition and health do not suffer in this process. Ensure that your food provides you with all the necessary nutrients – carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, and water. In addition, remember that your overall intake of these nutrients needs to increase, because you are “eating for two”. This common piece of advice is to some extent an exaggeration, but it is worth bearing in mind.
What is normally considered healthy remains healthy during pregnancy. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat (within reasonable limits, and as long as you are not vegetarian), whole grain products, and so on, while avoiding junk food as far as possible. Junk food mostly consists of empty calories, and should therefore be avoided. Ensure that you get enough fiber, because constipation is quite common during pregnancy. Water retention is another common problem, so you may need to cut down on your salt intake. Some other foods that you may want to avoid or limit are: seafood, because of possible mercury contamination; un-boiled milk or uncooked/undercooked meat; liver, because it is rich in vitamin A, and too much vitamin A is harmful for the fetus. Caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco should be avoided completely, as the latter two are especially harmful for the fetus. Finally, it may be a good idea to take a daily multivitamin pill – however, first get your doctor’s opinion on this.
Listening to your body is a good way to plan your diet, as long as you do not completely let go and give in to every urge. In general however, your body will let you know when you need to eat and how much, as well as what it needs. The cravings for a particular food that you will quite certainly feel are usually your body’s way of telling you that it needs more of a certain nutrient.