If you're thinking about becoming pregnant, it's important to be educated and aware of what you eat. Begin eating foods rich in vitamins and minerals before you're pregnant and take the time to really understand the five food groups. Learn about eating a balanced meal. After you become pregnant, it's essential that good nutrition becomes a priority, for both your babies health and your own. Ask your doctor about specific foods that will provide important nutrients to your baby that keep you strong and healthy enough to continue carrying your child.

Tolerance to foods will change during your pregancy. You may get a craving for a certain food or foods and avoid others. It is important at this time that you still follow the basic set of guidelines for the 9 months. Always eat a balanced meal and drink plenty of water. Avoid caffeine and alcohol during this time. Always eat every couple of hours and never skip meals.

A mineral that is vital to take when you are pregnant is calcium. 1200mg of calcium is the recommended daily dose you should be taking which is 400 mg more than usual. To get this extra calcium in your diet, you could take it by adding a supplement or by eating more foods that contain calcium. These foods contain cheese, milk, yogurt and pudding. Non-dairy foods such as salmon, kale, broccoli, beans and calcium-fortified orange juice all contain calcium.

If you are trying to get pregnant, you need to start taking folic acid. This is essential for your baby's development. It helps in the development for the brain and spine. By becoming accustomed to the foods or vitamins that contain folic acid before you become pregnant will ensure your baby gets this important nutrient.

Throughout pregnancy, women need to take at least 400 micrograms of folic acid everyday. Some great sources of folic acid include dried beans, tofu, peanuts, peanut butter, fortified cereals, fortified breads, dark green vegetables, corn, cantaloupe, squash and beets. You may need to take a multi-vitamin or prenatal vitamin to make sure you're getting the necessary folic acid on a daily basis.

Essential for the proper nerve and brain functioning of both you and your baby, B12 is a vitamin that is often found in animal products and is a special concern for women who are vegetarians. If you don't eat meat or dairy products, B12 can be found in fortified soy milk and meat replacements or there are many vitamin supplements available that will ensure the right amount of daily intake is met.

Another nutrient of concern for vegetarian women is protein, which should be increased by at least 10 grams a day during pregnancy. Found in meat, eggs, milk and some plant foods, protein is essential to your diet as it keeps both you and your baby strong. If you do not eat meat or dairy products, protein can be found in legumes, seeds, and cereal grains and it is most beneficial if you combine protein products to ensure the maximum amount of protein intake.