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Juicing is an ideal way to get lots of vitamins and minerals vital at this time in your life to keep you and your baby fit and healthy. If you are planning a baby, try and eat a healthy diet before conception, with lots of fresh juice included.

At the beginning of your pregnancy you might feel sick and the last thing you might want to do is to eat anything. This is where juicing comes into its own. A glass of fresh juice can give you the necessary energy to keep you going and give you extra bounce in your day.

The middle stage is the time when you feel your best but you and your growing baby still need the best of nutrition, so make a glass of fresh juice a daily habit.

At the end of your pregnancy you feel so big and uncomfortable it's sometimes hard to find any room to put food! But it's important at this stage to be as fit as possible so that you make the delivery easy on yourself.

Some juice drinkers swear that recovery after delivery is shorter because of their daily dose of juice. Don't tire yourself out, this is a time you can indulge yourself without guilt, relax in front of the tv, read a book go for a manicure or visit friends.

Make the most of this time because once the baby arrives, time for yourself might be limited. Make sure you have an adequate amount of protein, calcium, iron, vitamins and minerals. Juicing and pregnancy certainly go together because it will ensure your body has everything it needs at this time.

You can of course expect to gain a little weight while you are pregnant and your calorie intake should have increased, but this doesn't mean that you can indulge in empty calories. Your diet should be balanced. If you are worried about your weight gain remember breast feeding your baby will help lose this, as well as give your baby the best start in life.

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Pregnancy and Juicing and What Your Body Requires Daily

• One portion of iron rich meat, fish or vegetarian protein such as beans, peas or lentils
• Three to five portions of fruit and vegetables, two of which could be in a juice
• Two slices of wholemeal bread
• Green leafy vegetables and oranges which are rich in folic acid
Calcium rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, seafoods and sesame seeds
• Essential fatty acids found in oily fish

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To make your juices use fresh fruits and vegetables which are not over or under ripe

• Heartburn - to help prevent heartburn, drink cabbage or pineapple juice Pineaple juice can also be used to relieve morning sickness To help relieve heartburn, drink a few sips of milk
• Vitamin C helps in the absorbtion of iron, so make sure you drink plenty of orange juice which will also help prevent and relieve constipation.
• If you do suffer a lot from constipation but don't like orange juice then try some prune juice instead. Prune juice is not only highly nutritious but delicious.
• Add spinach to your juices as it's rich in iron and folic acid which helps prevent spina bifida.

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