No woman should ever severely restrict food during her pregnancy, no matter how much she weighs when she gets pregnant. All obstetricians recommend that a woman gain at least 20 pounds during her pregnancy, even if she weighs 300 pounds. Several studies have shown that babies that are small because they are deprived of food in the uterus are the ones most likely to die in infancy or to suffer heart attacks later in life.

Starvation in the uterus shunts blood to the baby's brain and away from the other organs, causing it to be born with small liver, pancreas, kidneys and other organs. When they eat normal amounts of food as adults, they have higher than normal levels of hormones. Their small livers cannot remove insulin after meals, causing high insulin levels that constrict arteries and cause heart attacks. Their small kidneys release chemicals into the bloodstream that constrict arteries to cause high blood pressure and strokes. The studies were done on people born during famines; they show that no woman should intentionally restrict calories while she is pregnant.

The foods you choose are even more important than your amount of weight gain. Be sure to eat plenty of whole grains, beans, nuts and other seeds, and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Cut back on refined carbohydrates (white flour, white rice or milled corn, all added sugars); restrict added fats, and avoid partially hydrogenated oils.