Iron

• Iron is important after the 20th week of pregnancy for the baby's blood supply as well as the mother's, according to "What to Expect When You're Expecting: Fourth Edition." In addition to the iron received through prenatal vitamins, doctors recommend 30 to 50 mg of iron per day during pregnancy to avoid iron deficiency and anemia. Plenty of iron will also relieve the feeling of tiredness that many women experience while pregnant. Iron can be found in beef, molasses, dried fruit and soy products.
  
  

Protein

• Pregnant women need three servings of protein per day. Protein is the building block of human cells and is important throughout every stage of pregnancy. Developing babies must get plenty of protein because their cells are growing so fast. The pregnant woman's diet should include beef, eggs, fish, chicken, cottage cheese, yogurt and turkey.
  
  

Fruit and Vegetables

• Pregnant women need five servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Fruit and vegetables help the pregnant woman avoid constipation, fatigue, low blood sugar and irritability. Include yellow fruit and green leafy vegetables, such as cantaloupe, mango, broccoli and spinach. These fruits and vegetables are important for the baby's cell growth, bones, skin and eyes. The diet should also include some yams, apricots, carrots and squash. Drinking a fruit smoothie or a glass of vegetable juice can help to meet the fruit and vegetable requirement, according to "What to Expect When You're Expecting."
  
  

Whole Grains and Legumes

• Pregnant women need six servings of whole grains and legumes per day. These include rice, cereal, granola, cornmeal, oat bran, wheat bread, tortilla, crackers, beans, split peas, lentils or popcorn. The carbohydrates will help pregnant women who suffer from nausea because breads and crackers tend to provide a coating for the stomach and will absorb the extra stomach acids. They also help with constipation because all the extra fiber helps to produce daily bowel movements.
  
  

Calcium

• Pregnant women need four servings of calcium per day. Calcium is important for the baby's bones, teeth and heart. Calcium is also needed to keep the pregnant woman from developing osteoporosis later in life because the developing baby takes calcium from the mother's bones. Pregnant women should drink lots of milk and eat plenty of yogurt and cheese. Calcium-rich juices, such as tomato juice, vegetable and V-8 juice, are another way to get calcium into the pregnancy diet.
  
  

Fat

• Fat has gotten a bad name among dieters, but pregnant women need fat in their diets. The developing baby needs fat for eye development and brain growth. Pregnant women should add some butter or mayonnaise to their food or enjoy some bacon or sausage for breakfast. They must be careful not to eat too much fat, though, because it will add to unnecessary pregnancy weight gain. Nutritional standards suggest that less than 30 percent of the pregnant woman's daily calorie intake should come from fat.