When following a pregnancy diet it's important to try to eat a variety of foods. The best diet for pregnant women includes:

Fruit and Vegetables, preferably fresh. Aim for at least five portions a day.

Calcium rich foods- dairy products such as cheese, milk and yoghurt.

Foods rich in proteinare equally important in a pregnancy diet. These include lean meat and chicken, fish, eggs and pulses (beans and lentils). These are also good sources of iron.

Starchy foodssuch as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes - wholegrain is better

Fibre- this helps prevent constipation and is found in wholegrain bread, pasta, rice, pulses and fruit and vegetables.

Not following a high fibre diet and eating the wrong kind of foods will not only leave you feeling bloated and sluggish, but this is what will be left on your body as fat once the baby is born. This will be hard to shift! Eating the right kind of foods will keep your energy levels up, sugar levels stable and feeling more comfortable throughout the day.

You should also try to cut down on fatty foods such as cakes and biscuits and junk food like hot dogs and french fries.  This can also help you to avoid putting on too much weight during pregnancy.

Remember When Pregnant: the food you eat is the food the baby eats! Donuts, cake, chips, burgers, french fries....would you feed this to your baby??

If you find yourself hungry throughout the day, the ideal pregnancy diet allows healthy snacks. It is important not to go hungry when pregnant. If you're hungry, your baby probably is too! Healthy snacks to have instead include currant buns without icing; sandwiches or pitta bread;  chicken or lean ham; low-fat yoghurts; cottage cheese; vegetable and bean soups and fruit. This can be fresh, tinned or dried.

Taking the right vitamins and minerals is essential to maintain a healthy pregnancy and is included in most pregnancy diets.  The most important vitamins and minerals are:

Folic Acid- You should take a daily 400 microgram (mcg) folic acid supplement from the time you stop using contraception until the 12th week of pregnancy.
You should also eat foods containing folate - the natural form of folic acid - such as green vegetables (especially broccoli) breakfast cereals and brown rice.

Iron- Pregnant women can become deficient in iron, so it is important to eat a lot of iron-rich foods. Try to have some food or drink containing vitamin C with any iron-rich meals because this helps your body absorb iron.

Tea and coffee can make it harder for our bodies to absorb iron, so cutting down could help to improve iron levels

Good sources of iron include:

• red meat
• bread
• fortified breakfast cereals
• green vegetables
• beans and lentils

Although liver contains a lot of iron, you should avoid eating it while you're pregnant as it contains vitamin A which can be harmful to your baby. This also includes pâté which is usually made from pork liver. If taking a multi-vitamin supplement make sure it doesn't contain vitamin A.

Vitamin D- You should take supplements containing 10mcg of vitamin D each day. It is found in a small number of foods but we get most of our vitamin D from summer sunlight – but be careful not to burn if out in the sun.

Weight gain in pregnancy varies and depends on your pre-pregnancy weight. On average women put on 10–12.5kg (22–28lb) over the duration of their pregnancy. If you gain too much weight your health can be affected blood pressure could become increased. But equally, it's important that you don't try to follow a conventional diet.