We continue to hear about new research on how a mother's diet during pregnancy may affect her child's lifetime eating habits. But good nutrition habits should start even earlier to ensure the health of your unborn child.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has now released an addition to the current Food Guide Pyramid at My Pyramid for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding. This Web site is an easy way for moms who are pregnant or breastfeeding to create a personalized eating plan.

In the past, the general rule of thumb for nutrition during pregnancy was always to eat 300 calories more per day. That's just not specific enough, though. What many people don't know about eating during pregnancy is that your energy needs don't even begin to increase until the second trimester.

This means you don't need to consume any extra calories at all during the first trimester. After that, your calorie needs will start increasing incrementally for the rest of the pregnancy.

Since I am currently pregnant myself, I couldn't wait to try out this new Web site. After you enter your age, pre-pregnancy weight, height, physical-activity level, and due date, your individualized calorie plan pops up on the screen.

This plan includes the recommended amounts to eat for all the food groups, as well as tips to help you add these foods to your daily diet if they're not already in there. Also included are the recommended amounts of weight you should gain during each of the trimesters of pregnancy. The breastfeeding nutrition plan is similar to the pregnancy plan.

I think this new MyPyramid Web site is great and will certainly recommend it to my clients. Check it out for yourself and pass it along to those you know who are pregnant or breastfeeding.