When shopping for healthy foods for pregnant women, there are a few items that should top your list every trip. With their high nutritional content, these types of foods will help mom and baby be as healthy as possible. Good choices in healthy foods for pregnant women include dairy products, proteins, and fresh produce.

Adding a Milk Mustache

It should come as no surprise that calcium is an important food for pregnant women. Of all the healthy foods for pregnant women, this is certainly the one that gets the most media attention. But what does it mean in terms of helping baby grow? Read on to learn more about calcium being a healthy food for pregnant women.

When pregnant women take in at least 1200 milligrams of calcium per day, they encourage strong bone growth for the baby as well as keep up their own stores of calcium. Because mom's body is going to be giving a lot of her own nutrition to baby, it's important that she gets enough calcium for both to stay strong.

Good sources of calcium include milks and cheeses, but also yogurt. If you're unable to have lactose because of an intolerance condition, soy milks work well too, and there are lactose-free milks available for purchase as well.

Adding Meats and Poultry

Just as with calcium, healthy foods for pregnant women are helping to create a strong body for both mom and for baby. When you are pregnant, your body is using up about 300 calories more each day to help nourish baby, but these calories can be burned off as muscle, if you're unable to get the right amount of protein.

Protein helps keep you strong and active during your pregnancy, as well as helps your body grow a strong and energetic child.

Adding Fruits and Vegetables to Your Basket

Of course, no advice on healthy foods for pregnant women can be complete without guidance to the produce section of your grocery store. By adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet, you will make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals for your child.

What you may want to do is choose organic produce whenever possible to make sure you are reducing your exposure to potential chemicals.

With healthy foods for pregnant women, you can ensure that mom and baby are going to be strong during the entire nine months and beyond.