This traditional fry up and the nutrients found in eggs and bacon could protect babies from birth defects, according to the findings of a recent study.

The study found that choline, which is an essential nutrient for the developing brain of the fetus, is found in egg yolks as well as bacon and organ meat such as kidneys and liver.

Other sources of choline are leafy green veggies such as spinach, cauliflower, milk and wheat germ. Though choline is easily obtainable from food, one in four women is said to be deficient in this vital nutrient.

Deficiency in choline could mean that the brain of the developing baby does not develop sufficient blood vessels, which could result in learning difficulties. Too few blood vessels could mean insufficient nutrition for the brain and hence improper development. Choline deficient women are 4 times as likely to have babies with birth defects.

Choline is also necessary for proper cell working and growth and also helps to protect the body against high cholesterol and liver disease.

The London Metropolitan University, England and National Institutes of Health, U.S. have found in recent research that two servings a week are recommended for pregnant women and if women eat more than the recommended amount there is no harm. On the other hand the child’s brain performance was seen to improve.

Questionnaires about pregnancy eating habits were used to draw conclusions about the social and communication skills of children, their IQ levels and their eye hand coordination.

Those women who had less than the recommended amount of fish in their prenatal diet were seen to have children with increased risk of low verbal intelligence.

For one fresh fruit contains a lot of the essential nutrients that a pregnant woman and her unborn baby need, and also because many fruits can help one stay regular to help avoid the constipation that many women develop for the first time during their pregnancy.

2 to 4 servings of fresh fruit a day are a great idea. Avoid the canned variety: they have fewer nutrients and a whole lot of added sugar.

Citrus fruit, different kinds of melons and berries, bananas can all be a delicious addition to your diet. If you already like them then you can increase their intake.

Smoothies: In a variety of delicious combinations to tickle your taste buds, you can experiment and try different permutations and combinations to your heart’s delight.

Smoothies can be as simple or as exotic as you want to make them. By adding milk you can increase their nutritional value as well as appetizing quotient.

Yoghurt is another great ingredient for a smoothie. Smoothies are generally simple to make: add cut fruit, and other ingredients such as milk, sugar, or yoghurt, ice and give it a whizz in the blender.

You can add flavorings of your choice: vanilla, honey, maple syrup, you can be as creative as you want so that your options for smoothies never run out and you never have to see the same boring drink twice! Some spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon etc also go great with a smoothie and can be delicious additions.

The great thing with smoothies is that children also enjoy the colorful and delicious concoctions, so young children in the house can also be involved in the preparation or consulted about favorite ingredients!

Juices: Store bought juices may not be the best thing either because one does not enjoy the taste or because they often have loads of added sugar. It is better to pure or liquidize your juices at home if you have the time.

Since homemade juices do not have added sugar you may find that you need to add a bit of sugar to make them palatable, which is fine as long you don’t need to add too much of it.

You can also substitute the sugar with honey. (Honey is quite safe for pregnant women to eat, though it is recommended that it not be fed to infants less than one year of age.)

Your baby chiefly depends on you for essential nutrients, calories and vitamins that s/he needs throughout his development.

Omega 3 foods are the most essential nutrients in a healthy diet.

Foods with Omega 3 acids provide your baby with essential energy and nutrients necessary for better physical and mental growth. Also, Omega 3 foods are essential for your health and wellbeing throughout pregnancy.

You will find Omega 3s in various foods like fish, plants, seeds. These are a kind of polyunsaturated fatty acid.

Often Omega 3 fatty acids are referred to as essential fatty acids, and because they cannot develop in your body, you need to get them through essential foods.

There are three main types of Omega 3 essential fatty acids. All three fatty acids help to perform various functions in your body.

One is docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and is essential for your body to perform various functions, second is eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and is found in fish and fish oils, and the third is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is found in vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables and seeds. In your body, this acid is changed into EPA and then into DHA.

Use of Omega 3s during pregnancy:

It is a known fact that Omega 3s play a great role in the growth and development of your baby, when it is a fetus. The benefits of Omega 3s include:

• Help in the formation of retinas;
• Aid in building the brain;
• Help in developing the nervous system

Consuming Omega 3s during pregnancy helps in your own health and wellbeing. They help in reducing the chances of developing pre- eclampsia, reducing the risk of postpartum depression, and minimizing the chances for preterm labor.

Consuming Omega 3s during your pregnancy gives various benefits for you and your baby in the long run. Children who receive adequate levels of Omega 3s when they are in the womb show high attention spans and better visual perception when compared with the children who don’t receive adequate Omega 3s. Future benefits of Omega 3s include:

• Reduced chances for the occurrence of prostate and risk of  breast cancer;
• Reduced chances for behavioral and developmental problems in the later life;

Deficiency of Omega 3s during your pregnancy:

It would be very harmful for you and your baby if you develop Omega 3 deficiency. The nutrients from Omega 3s cross your baby’s placenta, thus helping your baby to grow healthily.

If there is a deficiency of Omega 3s for your baby, s/he will get them from your own storage. Studies show that Omega 3s are stored in your brain, so deficiency thereof can lead to a loss of 3% of your brain cells.

Deficiency of Omega 3s during your pregnancy leads to:

• Increased chances of delivering a baby with low birth weight;
• Increased rates for postpartum depression;
• Increased chances of cesarean section or preterm labor.

Consumption of Omega 3s is therefore essential during the third trimester of pregnancy. During this period, your baby uses the Omega 3s for developing 70% of the brain systems.

Not only will you get Omega 3s from aquatic sources, but also they can be found in fortified foods such as bread, juice, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, walnuts, sunflower oils, flaxseed oil and canola oil.

Pregnancy nutrition should include large variety of foods that support the work your baby is doing.

During pregnancy, your body needs 200-500 extra calories per day.

Safe and healthy pregnancy nutrition is most important, no matter which stage of pregnancy you are at.

Your daily pregnancy nutritional intake should include:

Vegetables: Vegetables supply vitamin A and C to your body and they are great part of pregnancy nutrition.

Vegetables also provide minerals and fiber, which greatly help in relieving constipation. Vitamin A supports the health and growth of the cells in you and your baby’s body [Benefits of vitamins].

You should take good sources of vitamin A at least alternate days. The foods rich in vitamin A include: deep yellow vegetables and dark green vegetables like: sweet potatoes, pumpkins, broccoli, green peppers, carrots, winter squash and greens.

The foods rich in vitamin C include: greens, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, potatoes, cabbage, and green beans. Consuming vitamin C rich foods help your body to easily absorb the iron in foods. So, your body needs vitamin C rich foods daily.

Fruits: Fruits are also one of the most essential foods that you should include in your pregnancy nutrition. Oranges, melons, berries, tangerines and grapefruit are foods rich in vitamin C and the foods rich in vitamin A include apricots and cantaloupe.

You can easily eat 3 or more servings of fruit a day like: for breakfast take fresh fruits or juices, for snacks take fresh or dried fruits, take fruit salad with lunch, and take cooked fruit dessert along with dinner.

Cereals, breads and grains: A pregnant woman should eat 6-11 servings of foods from this group. Get sandwich with two bread slices; actually it is two standard servings based on the food pyramid. One plate of spaghetti includes one cup pasta and is equal to two standard servings.

Poultry, meat, fish, eggs, nuts and dry beans: The major part of proteins you need will get from this group. Proteins are essential for the development of new cells and for replacing the old ones.

Cheese, yoghurt and milk: You will get enough nutrients, proteins and calcium from dairy products. For the formation of teeth and bones, calcium is vital.

Sprinkle cheese on soups, vegetables, salads and casseroles. One cup of yoghurt gives you the same quantity of calcium that you get from one cup of milk. So, add yoghurt to your snacks and also meals.

Foods you need to avoid from your pregnancy nutrition:

• Foods and beverages containing caffeine
• Undercooked or raw meat
• Uncooked eggs
• Fast foods, because they have high sugar and fat content
• Soft cheeses like camembert, blue veined, and brie cheese
• Artificial creams and also ice creams
• Foods and beverages high in sugar content
• Pre-prepared salads like potato salad and coleslaw salad
• alcohol consumption
• Pates and some other processed meats
• Unpasteurized milk and cheese
• Smoked foods which include nitrates as they affect the ability of the blood to supply oxygen. Foods like smoked meats, sausages, smoked fish, pickled foods and smoked cheese.

So, if you are planning for pregnancy, then you need to include the essential foods in your pregnancy nutrition and at the same time you have to avoid unnecessary ones.

Therefore, prenatal nutrition is the key for maintaining a healthy pregnancy.

Remember that the diet you maintain during pregnancy is directly related to the health of the developing fetus because all the nutrients that need for the baby’s growth comes from the food or the supplements you take.

As said earlier, pregnant women need more nutrients than other women. Therefore, it is essential for you to follow a prenatal nutrition that can help provide the essential nutrients for you and your developing fetus.

The nutritional needs of your body change during pregnancy due to the change in the body and the requirements of the fetus development.

So, during pregnancy, the need for calories become more and an extra three hundred calories are required every day for enough fetal nutrition and weight gain during pregnancy. The intake of calories increases if you are underweight or carrying multiple babies.

Protein, calcium, folic acid, iron, vitamins and minerals are key nutrients for good prenatal nutrition.

Protein is an essential nutrient for strengthening your muscles, breasts, uterus, and fetus’ tissues. It also improves blood supply. An average of 60 grams of protein per day is required for you during pregnancy. Low intake of protein can lead to health problems in the baby.

Calcium is one of the essential nutrients of prenatal nutrition. It is needed for the developing fetus to maintain strong bones and is taken from your bones if your diet doesn’t supply sufficient calcium. The intake of calcium in this period should be 1000-1200 milligrams per day.

Folic acid is also known as folate. It is a vitamin essential to build protein tissues. Your prenatal nutrition must include a minimum of 400 milligrams per day because less than this amount can lead to birth defects. Folic acid is rich in green leafy vegetables, citrous fruits, bread, beans and nuts.

Iron is an essential nutrient for the blood supply between you and your baby. As the developing fetus stores iron for later use, the need for iron increases in your body.

The iron content in your prenatal nutrition must be 27 milligrams per day. As this amount of iron may not get from the food you intake, the doctors generally suggests iron supplements.

Zinc is another essential nutrient to avoid labor complications and birth defects. It is recommended to have approximately 11-12 milligrams of zinc every day. Low zinc levels during pregnancy can lead to long labor and delivery of a baby with health problems.

As a pregnant woman, you should ensure to have the following in your prenatal nutrition.

Sufficient calories for suitable weight gain, meals and snacks at regular intervals, variety of foods that contain all nutrients, a minimum of eight glasses water per day, very less salt intake, and prenatal vitamin daily once (if prescribed) are necessary.