smart start

{Good nutrition to help you make the most of your prenatal diet}

five days of SMART EATING

This five-day eating plan provides 100 percent of many nutrients vital to baby's growth and development.  (Prenatal iron needs are difficult to satisfy with food;  that's why iron supplements are often prescribed in the second and third trimesters.)  Talk to your doctor about additional viatmin and mineral supplements.  We've provided extra calories as add-ons for later in pregnancy, when calorie needs increase.
The asterisks (*) refer to recipes.

Day 1
Breakfast
1    cup high-fiber cereal
8    ounces skim milk
1    medium banana
1    small bran muffin topped with 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon orange marmalade
Snack  
4    graham cracker squares topped with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
4    ounces orange juice
Lunch
      Roast beef pita: 3 ounces whole-wheat pita bread, 3 ounces lean roast beef, 1 teaspoon mustard, 2 romaine       lettuce leaves, 1 tomato slice
8    ounces skim milk
1/4medium cantaloupe
Snack  
4   cups low-fat microwave popcorn
Dinner
1   serving Warm Indian-Spiced Salmon Spinach Salad*
1   cup cooked orzo pasta
2   teaspoons butter
1   medium pear
Snack  
2   fig bar cookies
8   ounces skim milk

{Second- and third-trimester additions}
2    tablespoons raisins in morning cereal
4    ounces orange juice at midmorning snack
1    fig bar for after dinner

Daily nutritional analysis
First trimester: 2,375 calories, 25 percent fat (66 grams), 55 percent carbohydrate, 21 percent protein, 38 grams fiber, 32 milligrams iron, 1,419 milligrams calcium, 22 milligrams zinc, 4 milligrams vitamin B6, 12 micrograms vitamin B12, 714 micrograms folate.
    Second and third trimesters: 2,641 calories, 24 percent fat (71 grams), 57 percent carbohydrate, 19 percent protein, 42 grams fiber, 39 milligrams iron, 1,460 milligrams calcium, 24 milligrams zinc, 4 milligrams vitamin B6, 13 micrograms vitamin B12, 835 micrograms folate.

Day 2
Breakfast
Egg and cheese sandwich: 1 whole-wheat English muffin, 1 ounce Swiss cheese, 1 egg fried in 1 teaspoon butter
8    ounces orange juice
Snack
1/4 cup mixed dried apples and apricots
Lunch
1    serving Tuscan Butternut Squash and Cannellini Bean Soup With Swiss Chard*
1    medium whole-wheat roll
8    ounces skim milk
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
Snack
8    ounces plain nonfat yogurt mixed with 1 teaspoon raspberry jam, 1/4 cup raspberries and 1/4 cup Grape-Nuts
Dinner
     Chicken broccoli pasta: 11/2 cup cooked ziti or rotini tossed with 4 ounces cubed skinless, boneless chicken      breast sautéed in 1 tablespoon canola oil, and 2 cups steamed, chopped broccoli topped with 2 tablespoons      Parmesan cheese
8   ounces skim milk