Let's face facts, many women have the perception of pregnancy as the sole time during their lives when they don't have to diet and can eat whatever they want. In fact, many women relish the fact that they can use the excuse of cravings, and "eating for two" to eat as crappy as they want, or as much as they want without repercussions, and without anyone judging them.

The fact is, pregnant women do need extra calories, but they do not need to eat for two. However, these added calories do not mean you should eat junk food, high calorie sugared goods, etc. Eating more, and succumbing to cravings is a part of pregnancy eating, but it should be done with an eye toward health.

It is key to not let the temptation of eating nutrition-less food enter your thoughts when you are pregnant. In fact, most dieticians suggest that pregnancy is the perfect time to try and change your ways to a healthier way of eating. The reason being that your baby needs as much nutrition as you can give it, and if you establish good eating habits while pregnant you may be able to carry them over into your child's life, and teach them to be nutrition conscious as well.

Ok, the next key thing is recognizing the difference between healthy eating habits with dieting. They are not the same thing, especially when you are pregnant. Dieting is usually weight focused, not health focused. When you are pregnant, thinking about weight is not really a good thing as despite what you eat, you will inevitably gain weight if your baby is healthy. However, if you want to be healthy, and if you want your baby to be healthy, then you need to think about nutrition.

It is true that if you eat healthy foods your chances of weight problems lessens extremely. For example, weight woes if your regular diet included the healthy mix of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, grains, and legumes. These are the foods you should be eating during pregnancy and, really, for the rest of your life.

Let's look at some of the things with eating healthier when you are pregnant:

First, think about what you eat. If you eat junk food, your children will. If your children eat junk food, the chances are they will have health and weight problems. So, establishing good eating habits early and for yourself is key to establishing good habits for your family.

For a healthy pregnancy, you should eat about 2200-2500 nutrient rich calories per day, compared to 1600-2200 for other adult women. If you are really active during your pregnancy then you may want a few more calories, but not a huge difference.

Pregnant women should focus on eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Pregnant women should also eat plenty of grains, and great proteins. It is good to eat nuts, avocados, etc. These are rich in fats which aid the baby's development.

It is also important to avoid anything packaged and refined. You will want to eat your foods as close to nature as possible, as that allows you to get the most nutrients from your foods as possible per calorie.

You're only going to be able to make long-term dietary improvements if you know what is and what is not good for you. So, do a little research, learn why you should eat legumes, how much of what is good for you, what to avoid etc.

Next, consider diversifying your meals. It is always a good idea to add a lot of fun to your diet. If you eat the same thing all the time, you will get bored, and you may not have enough diversity in nutrients either. So, take your pre-natal vitamins, but also eat foods rich in vitamins, and enjoy them several ways.

Just be wise in your choices. It is okay to indulge occasionally. However, when your occasion becomes getting out of bed in the morning, and your idea of vegetables is French fries, it is time to take a look at yourself and choose the kinds of foods that are going to sustain long term health for you and your fetus.