How to Eat Healthy When Pregnant?
Pregnancy is the most crucial time in a woman’s life. During the whole nine or ten months and the postpartum period, a woman’s body changes drastically to get used to the baby and recover from it.
And the body requires a certain amount of nutrition to maintain the pregnancy healthy and safe. As most nutrition is acquired from everyday food, there is a need for some external supplements.
This article discusses the best pregnancy lunch ideas and other food choices and the additional nutritional requirements for a pregnant woman. Let’s dive right in!
Table of Contents
#1: Nutritional Requirements
A pregnant woman needs nutrients: vitamins and minerals, folic acid supplements, vitamins d and c, iron, and calcium. If a pregnant woman gets this right, there will be little need to snack on junk food. The keyword is many people.
The everyday meal would cover general Vitamins and minerals, iron, and calcium in normal and healthy typical food. If additional dosages are needed, the doctor would suggest the necessary supplements. So choose the pregnancy lunch ideas carefully to include all the nutrients.
Make sure to intake four hundred micrograms of folic acid supplements. Folic acid is responsible for the baby’s growth in the early weeks. If the woman has any complications, then the doctor would alter the dosage accordingly.
#2: Healthy Breakfast Choices
Breakfast is the important meal of the day. Pregnant or not. But in pregnancy, With all the Hormones aloof and wanting to eat sugars and junks all the time, it is hard to maintain a healthy diet. But there is a way to eat tastier and more beneficial, ladies. The plus side of this is the sugar cravings would be considerably low. It is all in the choices of people.
While choosing the breakfast, ensure it is energy packed with all the nutrients. The breakfast should be a mix of fiber-rich carbohydrates, proteins, folate, vitamins and minerals, iron, and calcium. Foods such as,
- Oatmeal with fruits
- Whole grain bread toast and a glass of milk. For vegan options, choose plant-based milk.
- Fiber-rich cereals
- Scrambled eggs and a wholemeal bagel
- Smoothies with fruits and vegetables.
These are some of the great breakfast choices loaded with the required nutrients. And as a tip, always have a fruit or a healthy snack if hungry.
#3: Pregnancy Lunch Ideas
Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and is expected to have the most nutrients in the palette – Balancing all the needed nutrients. These pregnancy lunch ideas are so simple, tasty, and filling that they can even go second serving with the same.
- Salads – both veg and Non-Veg varieties.
- Sandwiches and soups in both veg and Non-Veg
- Frittatas
The above list will become superfoods when they are done with
- Sweet potatoes
- Beans and lentils
- Nuts
- Yogurt
- Lean meat
- Salmon
- Leafy greens
- Oats and orange juice for the side.
The above pregnancy lunch ideas are some of the superfoods for Pregnant ladies. These can also be used for dinner times.
#4: Snackers
Craving is not a joke. And now the million dollar question is, how to choose healthy while getting the same taste? Difficult but possible. And these would be better than the pregnancy lunch ideas because they are fun, tasty, and fit for the woman and the baby.
- Cheese and apple
- Yogurt with fruit toppings
- Homemade Nut mix
- Guacamole and chips
- Eggs with an English muffin
- Granola bars
- Tortilla and hummus
- Waffles
- Orange juice and fruits
You can also use these snacks as sides for your lunch or breakfast.
Prevention is better than cure, ladies. So try to avoid packaged chips, juices, or food as much as possible.
#5: Avoid These Foods
As most foods are healthy on typical days, they can be very dangerous while pregnant. So, it’s best to know what to eat and what not to eat. These are the foods and drinks to avoid for a pregnant woman.
- Mercury Rich Fish
- Unwashed fruits and vegetables
- Coffee or caffeine
- Raw sprouts
- Unpasteurized milk and cheese
- Too much Organ meat
- Uncooked or raw fish, meat, and eggs
- Alcohol
- Processed foods and junk
These are listed in the danger zone because some would be toxic, others would be tough to digest, and drinks like alcohol are fatal. That is why knowing what should go in and what should not is essential.
Conclusion
Everybody says that while a woman is pregnant, she is eating for two and not just herself and should be eating more. But it is not eating for two or three. Pregnant women must be careful of what they eat, how, and when.
Yes, it will be very hard following a strict healthy diet while the craving asks for tubs of ice creams, but the result is worth it. Just imagine holding a healthy baby after all those hardships.
An average amount of everyday food would be enough, along with the prescribed supplements. And that is enough. No more, No less. Add some exercises here and there per the doctor’s instructions, along with these fantastic pregnancy lunch ideas. A healthy diet is only half without physical activities.
Happy pregnancy, Ladies!
Sudarsan Chakraborty is a professional Blogger and blog writer. He lives and breathes in the blogging industry. He regularly writes on Widetopics to keep all the readers updated with the latest facts on wide range of topics.
