Pregnancy increases your need for various vitamins and minerals so your baby can grow and develop properly. Calcium, magnesium and zinc are just a few of the nutrients you need.

When you’re pregnant, every doughnut and sweet food stares you in the face, but it’s important to eat foods that have a high nutritional value. Empty calories, such as doughnuts, soda and cookies, don’t provide your fetus with sufficient nutrients for growth and development.

Pregnancy is a wonderful time for most women, but it’s also a time when they must watch what they eat and drink more closely to avoid consuming something potentially harmful to their unborn baby.

Sugar itself is not dangerous to eat while pregnant. The problem is that many foods that contain high amounts of refined sugar, such as candy, cakes, cookies and soft drinks, don’t provide much nutritional benefit.

Constipation is common during pregnancy. You may experience infrequent bowel movements or stools that are hard to pass and require straining. This can cause pain and discomfort. According to the American Pregnancy Association, 50 percent of women experience constipation at some point during their pregnancy.

Not all products, even so-called natural supplements and oils, are safe to use during pregnancy. Use of any herbal preparation should be discussed beforehand with your obstetrician. Calendula is an herb that you will likely have to avoid while pregnant, as use of it could adversely affect the health of your baby.

By the end of pregnancy, you might be willing to try almost anything to get labor started. But before you start piling the ginger on all your food or downing gingerbread cookies, realize that the spice will not get labor started unless you were ready to go into labor anyway.

Vanilla extract lends a slightly sweet, but bold flavor to many desserts and baked goods. Because it contains alcohol, you might be wondering if it's safe to use while you're pregnant. If you eat foods that contain vanilla extract, you probably don't need to worry.

Stevia is an artificial sweetener made from the leaves of the stevia rebaudiana plant. It is sweeter than sugar, so less of it is needed to sweeten foods.

During pregnancy you have to be careful about what you eat, particularly if the foods have additives. While pregnant, your body and the fetus are more sensitive to foods.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, once taught that the diseases caused by overeating can be cured with fasting. The earliest treatment for diabetes at the turn of the 20th century, for example, quite literally starved patients for a few days.

Topical retinol is a form of vitamin A you may use to keep your skin clear of pimples and reduce the effects of aging and sun damage. While the product typically might not have any effects other than a little skin redness, if you’re pregnant, retinol may adversely affect your baby.