After Josh Janicek of Austin, Texas, found out his wife, Elise, was pregnant with their first child, he posted on his blog that he was looking for ideas for healthy meals. Janicek loves to cook and sees fixing nutritious meals for his pregnant wife as a way for him to be actively involved in the pregnancy.

"We've become very cognizant of what we eat since finding out that Elise is pregnant," says Janicek. "Luckily we were both raised by families who emphasized cooking balanced meals at home. Elise usually comes home to a nice dinner at night. I don't go all out every time, but throwing something together that tastes good and is healthy isn't hard or too time consuming."

Dr. Hope Ricciotti would agree. Her philosophy has always been this: Don't diet; learn to cook. That goes double for the pregnant woman. In other words, healthy, nourishing meals are only as far away as your own cupboards.

Dr. Ricciotti, an OB/GYN at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Mass., and author of The Pregnancy Cookbook (W. W. Norton & Company, 2002), says the greatest thing about pregnancy is it's a time when women are willing to make important lifestyle changes.

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