Best foods for the first trimester

The first trimester of pregnancy can certainly be described as the most important one, because this is the period in which your baby develops from no more than a fertilized egg into a complete human being, albeit a very tiny one. It is no surprise that any doctor would emphasize the need to eat healthily during this period, and take prenatal vitamins and folic acid. But "eat healthily" is sometimes much easier said than done. What are the best foods for you and your growing baby during the first trimester, and how can you make sure you are eating a healthy diet?

If you are experiencing morning sickness, and are vomiting, it can be hard to make sure that you are eating enough. Identifying the foods that you can keep down, and eating more often, but smaller meals, is key for many women during their first trimester of pregnancy. Now is not the time to worry about calories you can eat as much as you like. But, at the same time, cutting out processed foods and especially trans fats from your diet as much as possible will benefit you a lot. Fresh fruits and vegetables, full-fat diary products and complex carbohydrates are all great foods. Foods that contain folate, the natural equivalent of folic acid, are all great to eat in the first trimester.

Of course, you can still use folic acid supplements too. Omega 3 fatty acids, which can be found in nuts and oily fish, are another wonderful food that keeps you and your baby healthy in pregnancy, and is especially good for the first trimester, when all those bones and vital organs are forming. At the end of the day, our diets are often less than ideal. Does nutrition impact the health of your baby? Yes it does, beyond any doubt. But does feeling guilty about not being able to keep down healthy foods in the first trimester help any? Nope, I didn't think so either. Knowing what foods are good, and then eating what you can, is the most realistic approach.