Many women worry about keeping fit during pregnancy. So what can a mother do to stay in shape and what should she do to avoid huge weight gain? It is important that we understand what diet and exercise can do to help women get through their pregnancies.

First of all, in pregnancy, future mothers need to understand what foods will be good for them. Compliance during pregnancy may be better for a woman than when she is not pregnant; although when there are cravings, pregnant women have been known to not comply. Knowing what to eat and what not to eat is the key to managing weight gain. By no means should a pregnant woman participate in a diet like the Beverly Hills diet, Grapefruit diet, Atkins or Pritikin to lose weight. Pregnancy is not the time to be on a weight loss plan. It’s time to eat the most nutritious foods possible to help feed both mother and baby.

It may be easier to make a list of foods that are not recommended during pregnancy, such as sugar and sugary foods, dairy products (cow’s milk and cheese), white breads and flours, processed cereals, French fries , sodas, chips, fast foods, frozen processed foods, artificial colors, and artificial sugars (Splenda, aspartame, Nutrasweet, ascuflame). These are the foods that can cause excess fat beyond the normal weight gain of 25 or 30 pounds.

The most common question is that if pregnant women should not eat dairy, how can they get enough calcium? The answer is to eat green leafy vegetables, sesame seeds and take extra vitamins like A to B CALM. For over 23 years, I have seen nothing but great results with this product, which is why I consider it one of the many must-have supplements a woman should take during pregnancy.

Dairy will make you fat, end of story. Cow’s milk is for cows, not humans. Cows often turn into huge beasts, which is what will happen to a pregnant woman if she eats too much dairy. Milk and cheese have antibiotics, pus and cow hormones. These are certainly not good for the body! Milk, including organic milk, is not a clean pregnancy food! Go to Not Milk to see which cows are actually being fed.

Next on the don’t eat list is sugar. It’s just trouble. PERIOD! Sugar will cause a pregnant woman to quickly accumulate unnecessary fat. Where sugar goes, water follows. Therefore, pregnant women who insist on eating sugar will see a lot of edema or swelling. This is not good, because it could invite not only tremendous weight gain for mother and baby and gestational diabetes, but also preeclampsia (edema, hypertension, and protein in the urine). This can be a serious situation due to sugar. That’s not worth it ladies.

Eating out too often and eating fast food is also a problem, because we don’t know what’s in the food being served or where they got it. Staying at home and eating clean, organic foods is the best way to maintain your health and stay strong during pregnancy.