What Doctors Say

"You can eat fresh, canned, frozen, or dried fruit. Juice that is 100 percent fruit juice also counts in the fruit category. Make half your plate fruit and vegetables during mealtimes." - ACOG

"Getting enough zinc during pregnancy is important for your baby's health and your own. Your baby needs zinc for cell growth and brain development. This essential mineral also helps support your immune system, maintain your sense of taste and smell, and heal wounds. Some studies link zinc deficiency to low birth weight and other problems during pregnancy, labor, and delivery." - Eva Dasher | Medically reviewed by Erin Hinga, registered dietitian

"Why you and your baby need it? Vitamin A helps the baby form healthy skin and eyesight, along with bone growth. Vitamin C is important for a healthy immune system. It also helps build strong bones and muscles. Vitamin C promotes healthy gums, teeth, and bones for the baby as well." - ACOG

"Selenium is like the knight and shining armor protecting your body from damage caused by free radicals and infections. This vital antioxidant helps regulate your immune system and thyroid function." - Maria Davi | Medically reviewed by Nicole Palmer, DO

"L-arginine is an amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and divided into essential and nonessential categories. Nonessential amino acids are made in the body, but essential amino acids are not. As such, they must be provided through dietary intake. L-arginine is considered semi-essential or conditionally essential, meaning that it becomes essential under certain circumstances and conditions, including pregnancy, infancy, critical illness, and trauma" - healthline

"Ginger can be safely used to reduce nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) states that “treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy with ginger has shown beneficial effects and can be considered as a nonpharmacologic option." - Am Fam Physician. 2011 Nov 15;84(10):online

"Probiotics, whether from foods or supplements, help your digestive system work more efficiently. Probiotics are assumed to lessen the presence of bad bacteria. Helping your intestines move food along and reducing bad bacteria help reduce the likelihood of experiencing health complications." - American Pregnancy Association

"Melatonin is a hormone secreted at night, to help regulate our circadian rhythms, by the pineal gland in the center of our brain. … researchers realized that cherries are a plant food source of melatonin." - Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM July 22, 2013