Health Tips for August 30

Health Tip: Eating Right While You're Pregnant

While a healthy diet is always important, it becomes even more crucial during pregnancy, when you're eating for two.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says your diet during pregnancy should include the following daily amounts:

• Six ounces of grains. One slice of whole-grain bread, a cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or a 1/2 cup of cooked rice is equal to about one ounce from this group.
• Two-and-a-half cups of vegetables.
• One-and-a-half to two cups of fruit, which could include 100 percent fruit juice or dried fruit.
• Five to 5 1/2 ounces of meat or beans. An egg, two tablespoons of peanut butter, or 1/2 cup of seeds or nuts is equal to about one ounce from this group.
• Three cups of milk. A cup of yogurt or 1 1/2 to two ounces of cheese can be considered one cup from this group.

Health Tip: When Labor May Be Induced

Labor is induced in about 20 percent of U.S. pregnant women, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says.

Labor may be induced -- causing the woman's cervix to open in preparation for a vaginal birth -- if the health of the mother or baby is threatened, the ACOG says. Here are some possible reasons for labor induction:

• If the woman is more than 42 weeks pregnant.
• If the woman has pregnancy-related high blood pressure.
• If the woman has a uterine infection.
• If the woman has a condition called placental abruption, where the placenta pulls away from the inner wall of the uterus. This may actually lead doctors to decide to deliver the baby by Cesarean section.
• If the woman's water breaks too early.