There are many ways to look after yourself throughout your pregnancy, and one of them is to eat foods that are packed with vitamins and nutrients. And please note our Healthy Mummy Smoothie is safe in pregnancy but we do not recommend weight loss in pregnancy but they are great as a one a day snack or nutrition boost.
There are some foods in particular that are packed with exactly the right sort of vitamins that you should be eating throughout your pregnancy, and if you pair them with other vitamin enriched foods, you can create meals that are incredibly good for you. Here are our ultimate nutrient rich meals for pregnancy.
Oatmeal Topped with Yoghurt, Nuts and Mango
Oats are full of fibre, B vitamins, iron and loads of other nutrients that are essential for pregnancy. Toast them in a dry frying pan until golden and then serve with yoghurt, nuts and mango. Yoghurt contains just as much calcium as milk, but it also contains protein and folic acid.
The active cultures in yoghurt can also fight against infection and can prevent stomach upsets. Nuts are packed with DHA, which is a fat that can boost the growth of your baby’s brain, along with potassium, calcium, copper, selenium, vitamin E and much more. You’ll find the most DHA in walnuts.
Mango is packed with vitamins A and C and gram for gram, you’ll find more vitamins in a mango than in a salad – it’s super versatile too, and works well with both savoury and sweet foods. Combine these foods together and you’ll get a filling, nutritious breakfast that is good for both you and baby.
Spinach, Red Pepper and Cheddar Omelette
Eggs are very good for you as they are packed with protein, high in good types of fat and low in calories. Try to look for eggs that are marked “DHA” – these are eggs that have been engineered to contain more DHA than regular eggs, which is a protein that is essential for brain and eye formation, as well as for the healthy growth of most of the systems within the body.
If you can’t find them, regular eggs also contain a small amount of DHA, so they are still a good choice. Spinach contains loads of iron, needed for healthy red blood cells, folic acid and calcium, whilst red pepper contains loads of vitamin A, vitamin C and B6. Opt for a low-fat cheddar cheese to pack in a punch of calcium, which is essential for you to take in throughout your pregnancy as throughout those 9 months your own calcium stores will be depleted.
Lentil Bolognese
You could make a regular bolognaise, but omit the beef and use lentils instead and you’ll pack folic acid, lots of protein, vitamin b6 and iron into your dinner. Simmer them down with some carrots (containing vitamin A, important for the development of your baby’s bones, eyes and teeth), onions, celery, tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs and spices (all containing bags of nutrients and vitamins) and serve with wholemeal pasta for fibre and some cheddar cheese for calcium.
These are not the only foods that are good for you to eat throughout your pregnancy – avocados are especially good for you, as they are loaded with folic acid, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6. Try using avocado in place of your butter or spread or mash it up and serve it with crackers – just remember that avocados are full of fat and calories, so whilst they are healthy, eating too many of them could cause you to gain excess weight.
Broccoli is another great choice, as it is packed with vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium – but you might always want to try seeds, flax, yams, squash, apricots, kiwi and papaya, as these are all packed with vitamins and nutrients that will boost your baby’s growth.
This article was written by Elisha Danine Adv. Dip. Nut. Medicine
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