Need real, practical suggestions for healthy breakfasts, snacks, meals, and drinks to avoid gaining excess weight during pregnancy? Look no further – we’ve even given you a shopping list!
NUTRITION DURING PREGNANCY: TOP FOODS TO EAT AND AVOID!
nutrition during pregnancy: BREAKFAST IDEAS
Fresh Fruit Smoothie: Blend any fresh fruit (with some natural unsweetened live yogurt (soy, goat, or cow) and a handful of blended seeds (e.g., pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and flaxseed).
Tip: If you’re in a hurry, add fresh orange or apple juice to dilute your smoothie so it’s easy to drink, then pour into a mug and take with you.
Boiled, scrambled or poached egg with buttered rolled oats or rye toast. – Wholemeal rye toast spread with nut butter (almond, cashew, hazel or peanut)
Mix a handful of rolled oats in a bowl with live plain yogurt and top with a few pieces of chopped fresh fruit and a handful of chopped nuts.
Spread some cream cheese on corncake or wheat free bread/crackers and top with wild or organic smoked salmon.
Porridge boiled in water with grated apple and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Tip: Soak oatmeal in water for 10 minutes before cooking – this brings out their creamy taste, so no milk has to be used. Add some hot apple compote and berries
An omelette (filling ideas: grated cheese and red onion, mixed fresh herbs, chopped tomatoes and peppers, garlic mushrooms and watercress, smoked salmon).
Baked beans on rye toast.
nutrition during pregnancy: DRINK IDEAS
Herbal teas instead of caffeinated tea. There are so many varieties now, experiment until you find one you like. Rooibosch (red bush) tea comes closest to “normal” tea and can be drunk with milk.
Caro, Barleycup and Dandelion Coffee are decaffeinated coffee alternatives. Teeccino is a delicious coffee substitute that you prepare in a coffee maker (available in different flavors e.g. mocha, vanilla nut, almond amaretto)
Mix fruit, elderberry or ginger syrup with mineral water instead of alcohol.
SEEDS are high in protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals – grinding them helps release their nutrients. Aim for a heaping tablespoon each day and add it to cereal, yogurt, soups or salads.
Buy some fresh, unsalted seeds—pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and flaxseed (also called flaxseed—the golden variety is richer in essential fats than brown). Flaxseed and 50% a combination of pumpkin, sunflower and sesame. Grind enough to fill a small glass jar (choose glass over plastic as plastic can damage the essential fats in the seeds). Store your jar in the fridge. Ideally, store your unground seeds in a dark cupboard to protect them from light or oxygen damage (essential fats are easily damaged).
nutrition during pregnancy: ENERGY-STORED SNACK IDEAS
An apple and a handful of pumpkin or sunflower seeds
A pear, peach or other seasonal fruit with 10 fresh almonds
Three oatcakes with nut butter (almond and hazelnut butter is a delicious alternative to peanuts – buy it at health food stores).
Mackerel, salmon or mushroom pâté on two Ryvita (be careful with pâté when you are pregnant, unless it is homemade and without fresh mayonnaise/egg).
Carrot and Celery Sticks with Hummus.
Stir berries into a small pot of plain yoghurt.
nutrition during pregnancy: FAST AND EASY FOOD IDEAS
Pesto-Crusted Chicken or Fish Roasted Vegetables: Pesto-coated organic chicken breast or organic fish fillet (organic salmon or cod works well) on a baking sheet with par-roasted vegetables (e.g. new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, onions). , Garlic). red and yellow peppers) and cook for another 10-20 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Chickpea Apricot Tagine: To a simple tomato sauce (ie, a can of chopped tomatoes to a clove of onion and garlic soaked in olive oil), stir in half a finely chopped red chilli, a pinch of ground cumin, a handful of chopped dried apricots, and three handfuls of chopped Mixed vegetables (e.g. carrots, zucchini and baby corn). Add water if needed to get a nice sauce consistency, then season and simmer for 15 minutes. Add a can of chickpeas and cook for another 10 minutes, then stir in a handful of freshly chopped cilantro and serve with couscous, quinoa or brown rice.
Haddock poached in parsley-lemon-tofu sauce: Mash half a block of silken tofu with a clove of garlic, the juice of half a lemon, some chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Place in a pan with two haddock fillets and simmer slowly until the fish poaches (about 15 minutes, but check frequently). Serve with steamed broccoli or greens and brown rice.
Baked Potato and Sweet Potato Filling Ideas:
hummus (ideally homemade); ratatouille or baked beans with shredded cheddar; Cottage cheese with chives or spring onions mixed with chopped red or yellow bell pepper, cucumber or shrimp; Roasted Vegetables and Pesto; canned or smoked salmon mixed with cottage cheese or crème fraîche; cannelini or butter beans mashed with anchovy fillets and black olives, with lemon juice and black pepper; Steamed leeks, broccoli or cauliflower florets mixed with cheese sauce; Hard boiled egg chopped and mixed with cottage cheese or crème fraîche and chopped parsley; Guacamole (again, make your own or buy from the deli section of your supermarket)
TASTY SALADS (perfect for a light meal or packed lunch):
A simple salad of tossed leaves and chopped raw vegetables can become a nutritious and delicious meal in no time at all when you stock your fridge with delicacies like artichoke hearts, sun-roasted tomatoes, olives, hard-boiled eggs, bell peppers, sweet baby peppers, anchovies, smoked fish and lean white meat.
Smoked organic trout fillet (a delicious alternative to smoked salmon packed with omega-3 essential fatty acids) with flageolet beans or lightly steamed broad beans, mixed with lemon juice and black pepper.
Hot smoked organic trout or salmon or smoked organic mackerel flaked with whole grain products such as quinoa, brown rice, millet or couscous with chopped raw vegetables. Season with lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, black pepper and chopped fresh herbs.
Chunks of tofu (marinated in tamari or soy, ginger, garlic and sesame oil and brown rice syrup) fried for seven minutes or until golden and fairly crispy. Toss whole grains as above, or stir into buckwheat noodles with finely chopped cucumber and seaweed (you can find bags of dried varieties in the oriental section of supermarkets). Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm or chilled. – Mixed bean salad with bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onions, sweet baby peppers and chopped hard-boiled egg, with a tomato-basil dressing.
Chickpeas dressed with paprika, lemon juice, black pepper and a sprinkling of sea salt or low-sodium solo salt and parsley, with quinoa.
Warm potato salad with passata (passata, chopped tomatoes – buy it in the supermarket), with a dressing of olive oil, paprika, chili peppers and crushed garlic.
Tabbouleh made from couscous, bulgar wheat, millet or quinoa with chopped cherry tomatoes, spring onions, cucumber, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice and spices.
Whole radishes, crumbled feta cheese, broad beans and alfalfa sprouts.
Blueberries and apricots on green leaves like lamb leaf or spinach, topped with crumbled feta cheese.
EASY PUDDINGS
Raspberry Sorbet: Liquefy frozen raspberries and bananas into a smooth puree.
Apricot Whisk: Blend a handful of apricots (fresh or dried) with 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese or silken tofu, lightened with 2 beaten egg whites.
Diet during pregnancy: SHOPPING LIST: NEW FOODS AND BRANDS TO WATCH OUT FOR!
Nairns Oatcakes (wheat and sugar free) Terrance Stamp Wheat Free Breads Boridinsky Rye Bread Pumpernickel-style rye bread (e.g. thin slices of dark bread) Sugar-free peanut butter (I like the Whole Earth brand) Cashew, almond, and hazelnut butter Fresh, unsalted seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and golden flaxseed) Intelligent Eating or Columbus Eggs (rich in omega-3 essential fats) Fresh, unsalted nuts (eg, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, or mixed nuts) Frozen berries – look out for blueberries, summer fruits, wild berries and raspberries Organic oats – if it’s cold look out for small oatmeal rather than jumbo oatmeal (you should be able to find these at a health food store too) Rooibosch tea (Tick Tock is a good one brand) elderflower or ginger liqueur quinoa
It is important that you COMMIT TO EATING QUALITY FOOD TODAY! Pregnancy lasts only 9 months and your precious little one needs these nutrients for proper growth and development, not to mention you need them for strength and energy.
Thanks to Wendy Powell
