During pregnancy, healthy foods provide the optimum mix of baby-building nutrients. Starting in the second trimester, you'll need about 300 additional calories in your diet every day.

Here are some choice foods to add to your pregnancy diet, making those extra calories count by providing a variety of nutrients that benefit you and your unborn child.

Beans

Why: Chickpeas, lentils, black beans, and soybeans supply fiber, protein, iron, folate, calcium, and zinc.

Chickpeas, lentils, black beans, and soybeans supply fiber, protein, iron, folate, calcium, and zinc. Enjoy: In chili and soups, salads, and pasta dishes; as hummus with whole-grain crackers or in roll-up sandwiches.

Beef

Why: Lean cuts of beef, such as top sirloin steak, pack protein, vitamins B6, B12, and niacin, as well as zinc and iron, in highly absorbable forms. Beef is also rich in choline, which is required for brain development and peak cognitive powers.

Lean cuts of beef, such as top sirloin steak, pack protein, vitamins B6, B12, and niacin, as well as zinc and iron, in highly absorbable forms. Beef is also rich in choline, which is required for brain development and peak cognitive powers. Enjoy: Add lean ground beef to pasta sauces, use in tacos, as burgers, in stir-fry dishes, and in chili.

Berries

Why: They're packed with carbohydrates, vitamin C, potassium, folate, fiber, and fluid. The phytonutrients in berries are naturally occurring beneficial plant compounds that protect cells from damage.

They're packed with carbohydrates, vitamin C, potassium, folate, fiber, and fluid. The phytonutrients in berries are naturally occurring beneficial plant compounds that protect cells from damage. Enjoy: On top of whole-grain cereal, in smoothies made with yogurt or milk, in pancakes, and in salads. Layer yogurt with berries and crunchy whole-grain cereal for a dessert parfait.

Broccoli

Why: For the folate, fiber, calcium, lutein, zeaxanthin, carotenoids to foster healthy vision, and potassium for fluid balance and normal blood pressure; broccoli also contains the raw materials for vitamin A production in the body.

For the folate, fiber, calcium, lutein, zeaxanthin, carotenoids to foster healthy vision, and potassium for fluid balance and normal blood pressure; broccoli also contains the raw materials for vitamin A production in the body. Enjoy: As part of pasta and stir-fry dishes, steamed and topped with a smattering of olive oil, pureed and added to soups, or roasted: chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces, coat lightly with olive oil and roast on a baking sheet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until tender, about 15 minutes.

Cheese (pasteurized)