Pregnancy, Fetal Health, and Lifestyle Issues

Today, a great deal is known about what constitutes a healthy diet and lifestyle during pregnancy that renders health benefits to mother and baby both during pregnancy and in the future. Recommendations based on scientific evidence have emerged from many lines of investigation. Pregnancy is a normal physiological state—not a disease—and healthy women should engage in work, leisure, and exercise armed with the knowledge that they can use their pregnancy as a launching point for good habits and a foundation for health for both themselves and their children, now and in the future. The joint World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization (WHO/FAO) Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases identified the period of fetal development as a critical life stage to ...