Being pregnant is not a license to give in to every craving and to gain unhealthy weight. Following a moderate pregnancy diet lets you minimize your weight gain and increase the likelihood of giving birth to a healthy baby. If you are pregnant or soon plan to become pregnant a number of books may help you find ways to avoid giving in to those cravings and to choose healthier foods.

‘Real Food for Mother and Baby’

Self-proclaimed food activist Nina Planck outlines the benefits of eating a diet rich in natural, unprocessed foods while pregnant in “Real Food for Mothers”. Planck argues that mothers can benefit more from well-rounded nutrition than lab-created vitamins, providing mothers with ideas as to what foods they can add to their diets to promote the health and growth of their babies. Among other things, the author notes that quality proteins, and even fats, are vital to health and, as such, shouldn’t be avoided.

‘Expect the Best’

In “Expect the Best,” Elizabeth Ward provides information gleaned from American Dietetic Association research on the impact nutrition pre-, during- and post-pregnancy. Ward writes a clear and easy-to-follow outline of healthy eating, taking the guess work out of the process of selecting health foods. She also provides readers with ready-to-use recipes that make following her guidelines a bit easier for harried parents.

‘The 100 Healthiest Foods to Eat During Pregnancy’

Jonny Bowden and Allison Tannis provide moms-to-be with a sizable list of foods that they should integrate into their diet when trying to achieve optimum health during pregnancy in “The 100 Healthiest Foods to Eat During Pregnancy.” Bowden and Tannis outline 100 specific foods that provide hidden health benefits to moms-to-be and their developing babies, explaining the specific benefits of each, and providing mothers with ideas as to how to add these foods to their diets.

‘Eating for Pregnancy’

In “Eating for Pregnancy,” Catherine Jones and Rose Ann Hudson provide moms-to-be with nutrition advice as well as ready-to-use recipes. Jones and Hudson include information about an assortment of potentially beneficial diets.