Your daily Meals should include the following:

Fresh fruit and vegetables, especially citrus fruits and dark green vegetables, which contain folic acid. Carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, grains, potatoes and cereals. Lean meat or fish, especially oily fish which has high levels of essential fatty acids - however, some types of fish should be avoided. See below for more information. Milk and other dairy produce such as yoghurt, fromage frais and cheese - choose lower fat options where possible.

Keep up fluid levels, with regular glasses of water or diluted fruit or vegetable juices through the day. This will help keep you well-hydrated, which can prevent tiredness and headaches, and helps bladder and kidney health by ensuring regular visits to the loo.

Drinking, smoking and other perils Pregnant women should avoid alcohol completely, the government advises, although the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says there's no evidence a couple of units once or twice a week will harm the baby.

Continuous, heavy drinking, however, can cause permanent brain and developmental damage in the foetus. If you think you have a drink problem, see Support for you.

If you smoke, get help to give up. Smoking raises the carbon monoxide levels in your blood and reduces the amount of oxygen your baby gets, affecting growth and making him vulnerable to infection. It also puts him at higher risk of stillbirth or being born early.

After the birth there's an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS or cot death). Your partner should stop smoking too, and you should avoid smoky atmospheres.

Most people get all the iron they need from a balanced and varied diet but when you're pregnant, you can become deficient in iron. Iron-rich foods are:

Meat (thoroughly cooked) Dark green vegetables such as broccoli, watercress, spinach and kale Nuts (although you may need to avoid peanuts) - almonds and brazil nuts are a good source Pulses such as chick-peas and lentils Wholegrains such as wholemeal bread, brown rice and breakfast cereals Dried fruit Eggs