"Like the menopause, pregnancy is not an illness but a natural event but there can be complications and uncomfortable symptoms that can be distressing and even debilitating for some women. It's also very important that you know how to reach and maintain a state of optimum health in order to prepare for a comfortable pregnancy and the delivery of a healthy baby.
"At more than any other time, you will be considering what you eat when you are pregnant. The responsibility of feeding (indeed, growing!) another human being should never be taken lightly. You need to know what foods are beneficial for your baby's health and development, but you'll also need to know what should be avoided and whether you should be taking supplements.
"Many women experiment with natural approaches to health for the first time when they are pregnant, largely because so many drugs are inappropriate for use during pregnancy, but also because it simply feels right to let nature take its course. During the early weeks and months of pregnancy a baby's cells divide and multiply rapidly and its organs are formed. For the remainder of the pregnancy, everything that will eventually make up your baby is formed. I cannot stress too much the importance of nutrition during pregnancy.
"For many years, we have believed that babies in the womb are insulated from the external environment, and that they are protected from anything that could cause them harm. It makes sense that nature would protect the next generation. However, we now know that this is only true to a point. If there is little food, for example, your baby is more likely to benefit from it than you are. That's one of nature's protective mechanisms. However, it appears that what an expectant eats or doesn't eat can have a profound effect on a baby's health in the womb, after he is born and even when he becomes an adult.

Your diet during pregnancy
"It is important to eat as well as you can from the moment you discover that you are pregnant. However, it is even more beneficial to..."