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Home › Articles › Eating For Two › The Pregnancy Food Guide

The Pregnancy Food Guide

10 Tips to Help Moms-to-be Eat Healthier and Manage Their Weight

By Laura Cone

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A registered dietitian, McManus was one of 11 people on the scientific panel. They finalized their Pregnancy Food Guide in August 2006. "It's a food guide, not a pyramid," she says. "We have taken all of the most recent information and science and tried to compile a simple approach for women to start to eat healthier and manage their weight gain during pregnancy." The panel was funded by an educational grant from the EGG Nutrition Center.

McManus says it's acceptable to satisfy a craving as long as a woman practices portion control and makes sure her diet is balanced with fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. "During pregnancy, there are a lot of hormonal changes, and that could trigger cravings," she says. "What's important is for women to recognize and identify what that craving is and take a small amount of it."

Eating Smart When Dining Out
Panel members talked to pregnant women in a focus group before finalizing the food guide. They decided to add a section on pregnancy and dining out because the pregnant women in the focus group had so many questions about how to eat healthfully when eating out.

"Because our culture today is such that we eat out a fair amount of take out, women do need some guidance," McManus says. "The biggest thing to think about when eating out is portion control. Many restaurants serve a considerably larger portion than you might eat at home."

She suggests dividing the restaurant meal into two or thre meals. Select meat that is baked or broiled and always go for the vegetables instead of the french fries. "Enjoy fruit for dessert and limit foods fried or prepared in heavy sauces," she says.


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