During pregnancy, even the kidneys work at full throttle and need more fluids to function properly. You need at least 2 litres per day. There is a lot of debate around coffee these days, but this is about larger quantities. It's fine to have two to three cups a day. The same goes for black tea. Be careful with sugary drinks: soft drinks, coke and some fruit juices have an enormous amount of calories.

The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends eating fish once or twice a week while pregnant with regard to getting enough polyunsaturated fatty acids and as a rich source of iodine and selenium. The all-important omega-3 fatty acids are abundant in fatty cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna and sardine. With respect to the possible contaminants found in big salt-water fish such as tuna, red bass, wolffish, bonitos and shark, they should not be consumed regularly, and only in small quantities. When these preventative health-measures are followed, fish counts as an important food group for pregnant women. If you decide you will not consume any fish during pregnancy, you should speak to your doctor about supplementing your essential fatty acids. Some vegetable oils, for example rapeseed, linseed and walnut oils, are a valuable addition. There are also omega-3 products and dietary supplements with omega-3 fatty acids to make sure you get enough. Consult your doctor if you would like to use supplementary products.

In the first three to four months, most women gain weight because of their growing appetite. Until childbirth, a total of 10 to 12 additional kilos are to be expected. That is the average. It could be less for you, for example, but as long as you are eating enough it is perfectly okay. If you gain a lot more, the doctor will keep an eye on it to make sure it's still within healthy bounds.

Pre-eclampsia (formerly EPH-gestosis) is an illness involving high blood pressure that can be associated with oedemas and protein excretion in the urine. A warning sign is often swelling of the fingers and feet. In more severe cases, dizziness, headaches, drowsiness, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting may occur. The worse the case, the higher the risk of premature childbirth and life-threatening hypertension for the mother. In order to recognise and treat the illness early on, regular prenatal examinations are particularly important. Occasionally, outdated nutritional advice about how to treat pre-eclampsia is still given. Rice days and diuretics will not help, and forgoing table salt is not advisable. For healthy pregnant woman, as well as those diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a normal intake of table salt along with a balanced, protein-rich diet with plenty of fluid is advisable.

Women who suffer from phenylketonuria or hyperphenylalaninemia, and are pregnant, have a maternal phenylketonuria. In such cases, a strict low-phenylalanine diet is recommended throughout pregnancy. The phenylalanine values in the blood have to be checked very often at regular intervals by a doctor and a low-phenylalanine diet must be adjusted accordingly. The phenylalanine levels of the unborn child is about twice as high as that of the mother. High levels of phenylalanine in the mother can damage the foetus (including their brain or heart) or can lead to miscarriage. Under these circumstances, a pregnancy should be well planned and a gynaecologist should be sought very early on in order to avoid damage to the foetus in the early stages of pregnancy. It is therefore recommended to start a strict low-phenylalanine diet under the supervision of a doctor before conception.