healthy pregnancy diet

Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit during pregnancy, especially citrus fruit, spinach, and broccoli.

A diet full of vegetables and fruit is a good plan for mom and baby.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Eating while you’re pregnant can be challenge. You sometimes have to balance the foods you crave with the foods you know are best for your baby, such as those high in folic acid, calcium, and iron. Now a team of Japanese researchers at Fukuoka University have found another reason for moms-to-be to eat healthy vegetables and fruit: It seems to reduce the baby's risk of eczema and infantile wheeze.

THE DETAILS: In the study, published in the journal Allergy, more than 1,000 women recorded their daily food intake throughout their pregnancies. The researchers then tracked the health status of the babies for 24 months after birth, and saw a lower incidence of eczema (a skin rash) in those whose mothers had consumed higher levels of green and yellow vegetables, citrus fruits, and beta-carotene. The researchers also report that infantile wheeze was less prevalent among babies whose moms consumed higher amounts of vitamin E. (Wheeze often presents as a high-pitched whistling during exhalation, and can be symptomatic of asthma, croup, or other conditions.)

“There are probably a number of factors behind these findings,” says dietitian Melinda Johnson, MS, RD, of Central Arizona College, and an expert in pregnancy nutrition. “Vitamin E may be needed for proper airway development in the fetus. If mothers don’t get enough vitamin E during pregnancy, their babies may not be getting what they need for healthy airways.” Vitamin E also works as an antioxidant that protects lung cells and boosts the immune system, says Johnson. And the connection between fruits, vegetables, beta-carotene—and eczema? Research has shown that beta-carotene and vitamin C play an important role in the formation of healthy skin cells, according to Johnson.

WHAT IT MEANS: No research has actually found that certain foods contribute to eczema or wheeze. But fruits and vegetables may lower the risk, and they give you and your baby all sorts of other health benefits, too.

Here are some child-healthy eating strategies to consider:

• Eat foods high in beta-carotene and vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, squash, leafy greens, carrots, and tomatoes.

• Get plenty of vitamin E through foods that include spinach, broccoli, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils.

• Boost your health and your child’s by eating a variety of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, and fatty fish like salmon. Be careful to avoid anything that you're allergic to during pregnancy.

• Go organic. “Eating organic does seem to limit the exposure to pesticide residue,” says Johnson. Which can only be a good thing. If cost is a factor, see our stories on slashing your grocery bills and saving money while eating organic.

• Create your own healthy-pregnancy diet based on your age, due date, height, weight, and physical activity level by visiting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid Plan for Mom site.