Do I need to totally change my eating habits now that I'm pregnant?

It all depends what your eating habits were like before you became pregnant. If you were already in the habit of eating in accordance with the Food Pyramid—the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidelines for healthful eating—you aren't going to need to embark on a major nutrition makeover. All you'll need to do is gradually increase the amount of food that you consume each day—you need an extra 100 calories per day during the first trimester and an extra 300 calories per day during the second and third trimesters—and to try to zero in on those foods that will give you the most bang for your nutritional buck.

Note: If you follow the Food Pyramid guidelines, approximately 50 percent to 60 percent of your diet will come from carbohydrates, 20 percent to 30 percent from fats, and 15 percent to 20 percent from proteins.

Wondering what this means in terms of the number of servings you should be consuming from the various food groups? The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that pregnant women consume the following foods each day:

Nine servings from the bread, cereal, rice and pasta group.

Four servings from the vegetable group.

Three servings from the fruit group.

Three to four servings from the milk, yogurt and cheese group.

Two to three servings from the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts group.

Fats, oils and sweets in moderation.

Servings are defined in the following ways:

Bread, cereal, rice or pasta: one slice of bread; 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal; ½ cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta; or five or six small crackers.

Vegetables: 1 cup raw, leafy vegetables; ½ cup of cooked or chopped raw vegetables; or ¾ cup of vegetable juice.

Fruit: one medium apple, banana or orange; ½ cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit, or 1 cup of berries; or ½ to ¾ cup of fruit juice.

Milk, yogurt and cheese: 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1½ ounces of natural cheese, or 2 ounces of processed cheese.

Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts: 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish (this portion is about the size of your palm or a deck of cards); ½ cup of cooked dry beans; one egg; 2 tablespoons of peanut butter; or a third of a cup of nuts.