power hungry

Supercharge your pregnancy nutrition with our top 20 foods and five-day meal plan.

Colorful fruits  “All fruits are wonderful,” says Somer, “but if you are looking for the Cadillac versions, go for the colorful ones.” Most fruits are “plum-full” of vitamin C, which helps with iron absorption.
Fill up on fluids  Drink at least eight glasses of water a day, in part to keep up with your expanding blood volume (it increases up to 50 percent during pregnancy). It’s also a good habit, since your body’s demand for water will rise even more if you breastfeed. Drink fluids between meals, and avoid drinking too much just before bedtime.

The weighing game
For some mothers-to-be, watching the numbers on the scale climb each month can be disconcerting, but now is not the time to diet. While gaining weight is essential to the health of your baby, you don’t want to gain too much. In fact, during the first trimester, your energy needs hardly increase at all. And during the last two, you require only about 300 extra calories a day.
    The extra calories you take in should add up to a healthy weight gain. According to the Institute of Medicine, this means that women of normal weight should gain 25–35 pounds; overweight women, 15–25 pounds; underweight women, 28–40 pounds; and women carrying twins, 35–45 pounds.

((the power foods five-day meal plan
Wondering how to pack in those 20 great foods? Here’s the plan that does it. Second- and third-trimester additions are indicated at the end of each day and can be eaten at any meal or in between. (And remember to discuss iron supplementation with your doctor.)

Day 1
Breakfast
Egg sandwich made with 1 scrambled egg on 1 whole-wheat English muffin with 1 slice Cheddar cheese
Snack
Café latte made with 8 ounces skim milk and 1 ounce decaf espresso
1 apple
Lunch
Mediterranean wrap: Spread 1/3 cup hummus on a whole-wheat tortilla, top with 1 grated carrot, 1/2 sliced cucumber, 1/2 cup spinach and roll.
6 ounces fat-free vanilla yogurt, 1 sliced peach and 2 tablespoons wheat germ
Snack
1 ounce roasted almonds
8 ounces lemonade
Dinner
1 serving Salmon and Spinach Pasta*
1 cup steamed broccoli
2 slices French baguette with 2 teaspoons light butter

Second- and Third-Trimester Additions
1 scrambled egg
1 kiwi
8 ounces skim milk with 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Daily nutritional analysis
First trimester: 2,076 calories, 25 percent fat (58 grams), 55 percent carbohydrate, 20 percent protein, 49 grams fiber, 1,489 milligrams calcium, 463 micrograms folic acid, 20 milligrams iron.
 Second and third trimesters: 2,384 calories, 25 percent fat (66 grams), 56 percent carbohydrate, 19 percent protein, 33 grams fiber, 1,841 milligrams calcium, 522 micrograms folic acid, 22 milligrams iron.