Hy-Vee Recipes and Ideas

Get a dose of bone-building calcium, protein, B vitamins, and zinc by including yogurt in your daily meal plan.

A good source of complex carbohydrates and fiber, a bowl of oatmeal in the morning helps you sustain energy and also helps keep your gut in tip-top shape.

Not just for the vitamin C, drinking a glass of orange juice provides you with folate and potassium—two key nutrients for a healthy pregnancy.

Perhaps the most powerful of them all, dark leafy greens—think kale, collards, and spinach—are full of vitamin A, which is good for your baby’s eyes, bones, and skin. Additionally, they provide calcium, potassium, fiber, and folate.

You probably know eggs are a good source of protein, but did you know the yolks contain choline, a nutrient, like folate, that helps lower the risk of neural tube defects? It also plays a role in your baby’s brain development.

It’s recommended for pregnant women to eat between 8 and 12 ounces of low-mercury seafood a week. Salmon is a low-mercury option that contains omega-3 fatty acids, which play an important role in your baby’s brain development.

With pregnancy comes an increased need for protein and iron—both of which are found in lean beef.

Rich with an antioxidant called beta-carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A, sweet potatoes are another way to get a dose of goodness for baby’s eyes, bones, and skin. They’re also rich with iron and contain copper, which aids with iron absorption.

Legumes, such as beans and lentils, are loaded with fiber, protein, iron, folate, and calcium—and, for vegetarians, they’re a good alternative to meat.

Nuts, especially almonds, can help you get the increased amount of magnesium you need. They’re also a good source of healthy fat for you and your baby.