Pregnancy Diet: Nutrients You Need

Your Healthy Pregnancy Diet: Top Nutrients

Riboflavin

Your Benefits: Needed to produce energy; helps your body use the protein from food.

Pregnancy RDA: 1.4 mg

Best Food Sources:

• Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup -- 1.7 mg
• Yogurt, plain, 1 cup -- 0.5 mg
• Mushrooms, 1 cup cooked -- 0.5 mg
• 1% milk, 1 cup -- 0.5 mg
• Frosted Mini Wheats cereal, 1 cup -- 0.5 mg
• Cottage cheese, low-fat, 1 cup -- 0.4 mg

Vitamin B6

Your Benefits: Helps produce protein for new cells, boosts the immune system, and helps form red blood cells.

Pregnancy RDA: 1.9 mg

Best Food Sources:

• Product 19 cereal, 1 cup -- 2 mg
• Garbanzo beans, canned, 1 cup -- 1.1 mg
• Baked potato with flesh and skin, 1 medium -- 0.6 mg
• Beef, top sirloin, 3 oz cooked -- 0.5 mg
• Chicken breast, 3 oz cooked -- 0.5 mg
• Pork tenderloin, 3 oz cooked -- 0.4 mg
• Halibut, 3 oz cooked -- 0.3 mg

Vitamin B12

Your Benefits: Helps produce red blood cells and helps your body use fat and carbohydrates for energy.

Pregnancy RDA: 2.6 mcg

Best Food Sources:

• Salmon, 3 oz cooked -- 5 mcg
• Rainbow trout, 3 oz cooked -- 4 mcg
• Light tuna, canned and drained, 3 oz -- 3 mcg
• Beef, 3 oz cooked -- 2 mcg
• Wheat Chex cereal, 1 cup -- 1 mcg

Vitamin C

Your Benefits: Makes it easier for your body to absorb iron from plant foods; builds strong bones and teeth; boosts immunity; keeps blood vessels strong and red blood cells healthy.

Pregnancy RDA: 85 mg; do not not exceed 2,000 mg

Best Food Sources:

• Sweet red pepper, 1 cup raw -- 283 mg
• Orange juice, 1 cup -- 124 mg
• Strawberries, 1 cup -- 106 mg
• Grapefruit juice, 1 cup -- 94 mg
• Broccoli, 1 cup cooked -- 74 mg
• Orange, 1 medium -- 70 mg
• Tomato, 1 medium -- 32 mg