Hello thanks for your query. Please take regular folic acid supplements. Try to have a variety of the following foods each day: Fresh fruits and vegetables. Starchy foods, such as rice, rotis (including mixed grain or stuffed roti), whole grain bread, pasta, and baked/boiled potatoes. Foods rich in protein, such as lean meat and chicken, eggs, pulses (such as beans and lentils) and soya nuggets. Dairy foods, such as milk, cheese, cottage cheese (paneer) and curd/yoghurt. It s recommended that you take a daily folic acid supplement of 400mcg, when you are trying to get pregnant and for the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy. You need folic acid during pregnancy to help protect your unborn baby against developing neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. You can also get plenty of folic acid from your food. It s referred to as folate when it s in your food. Here are some excellent sources of folate: Green leafy vegetables: spinach (paalak), fenugreek leaves (methi), lamb s quarters (bathua), mustard greens (sarson), radish (mooli) leaves, coriander (hara dhania), mint (pudina) and lettuce (salad patta). Vegetables: bitter gourd (karela), bottle gourd (lauki), apple gourd (tinda), lady s finger (bhindi), carrot (gajar), cauliflower (phool gobhi), beetroot (chukandar), capsicum (simla mirch), asparagus (shatwar/sootmooli), broccoli (hari gobhi), French beans (faras been), peas (matar), corn (makai), cabbage (patta gobhi) and brussels sprouts (chhoti gobhi). Pulses and lentils: black-eyed beans (lobhia), bengal gram (chana), soya beans, chickpeas (kabuli chana) and kidney beans (rajma). Fruits: muskmelon (kharbuja), avocado or butter fruit (makhanphal), pomegranate (anaar), guava (amrood), oranges (narangi/santra), sweet lime (mausambi, kinnow) and strawberries. Fortified breakfast cereal: whole wheat flakes, oats, cornflakes, wheat germ and wheat bran. Whole meal bread, whole wheat flour and whole wheat pasta. Dry fruits and nuts: Walnuts (akhrot), peanuts (moongphali) and almonds (badaam) Go easy on the sugar. Biscuits, chocolates, cakes, pastries, mithai and sweet drinks will only give you a short burst of energy. You may feel hungry again soon after eating them. Limit your intake of caffeinated drinks. They may perk you up for a while but too much caffeine could dehydrate you. The amount of caffeine recommended during pregnancy is no more than 200mg a day. Instead have nutritious drinks such as homemade lemonade (nimbu pani with honey), aam panna, chach or fresh orange juice. In addition to other fluids, drink eight to ten large glasses of water a day. A refreshing alternative is a glass of chilled filtered water with a twist of lime or mint. Here are some other healthy drinks you could try: skimmed milk coconut water banana shake It is best to prepare milk shakes and juices at home and drink them immediately. This reduces the risk of any spoilage or contamination. Also be careful when buying drinks from roadside vendors as it is difficult to be sure of their hygiene and freshness levels. You could also include herbal teas for variety, but make sure you get the go ahead from your doctor first. If you re feeling peckish and want a healthy snack, you could try these: upma steamed or sautéed corn or corn (chaat) mixed vegetable idli grilled paneer tikka fruit or vegetable bhel puri dhokla or khandvi sweet potato chaat Try to limit your intake of deep fried and ghee laden snacks. It is better to use plant oils rather than animal fat that is high in saturated fats.