"Rich and Luxurious" is a strange way to describe most fruits, but avocados are one of the most decadent fruits on earth and one oft he healthiest, too. Avocados are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, fiber, and healthy fats to help you and your baby enjoy a healthy pregnancy.

AVOCADO AT A GLANCE:
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 240
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Protein: 3 g
Fiber: 10 g
Calcium: 2 %
Vitamin A: 8%
Vitamin C: 25%
Iron: 5%

* Fat! That's what usually comes to mind when people think of avocados. This fruit has definitely gotten a bad rap, thanks to the popularity of low-fat and anti-fat diets. Remember that not all fats are created equal. The fat in avocados is mostly healthy fat, and you need that fat. As of week 17, your baby starts to accumulate fat under his skin. This fat will provide energy and help keep your baby warm after birth, plus ti will give him or her those cute baby cheeks we all love to kiss.

* 1 cup of avocado contains only 3 g of saturated fat, and ti's saturated fat that you actually need to help build cell structures like membranes. As your baby grows, he is creating millions of new cells, and each one consists of a series of membranes, each of which is made of fat.

* Most of the fat in an avocado is monounsaturated fat, the kind found in plants (about 15 g in 1 cup). These healthy fats are important to provide your body with adequate energy, for cell membrane health, and for many other functions.

* That growing belly of yours will love that your avocado contains 3 g of polyunsaturated fat in the form of omega-6 fatty acids. These goods fats are important for your skin's health - and with all that stretching and growing going on, you'll be glad to have these fats helping your skin stay pliable!

* In each avocado, there are 16 g of fiber to health balance out your diet.

* There are 205 mcg of folate, which is almost a third of a pregnant woman's daily needs. Even though your baby's neural tube has closed well before your second trimester, folate is still very important for your baby's proper development.

* A cup of avocado has 22 mg of choline, a nutrient needed for your baby's healthy nerve and brain development.

* Your cup of avocado has more than half of your daily needs of vitamin K and a third of your daily needs of vitamin B6. Plus it's a good source of vitamin C, niacin, and riboflavin, as well as a source of thiamin and every important mineral in your diet: copper, magnesium, manganese, sodium, potassium, selenium, calcium, phosphorus, and iron.

TASTY TIPS
There are so many easy ways to get this nutritious, luxurious fruit into your diet. The easiest of all is to simply cut up some avocado and add it to your salad. it's particularly delicious with red grapefruit and thinly sliced red onion over baby spinach -- and that's a recipe for a nutritional powerhouse of a salad. Or, for a great snack, mash up some avocado and add some garlic and a splash of lemon for a great dip for whole-grain tortillas or crudites. I've even been known to eat a whole avocado as a mini-meal right out of the skin!