Pregnancy is one of the priceless phases in a woman’s life but, it can have its own set of mental and physical stresses. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is very important during the period of pregnancy as it helps both the mother and the baby to stay healthy! During this time, your body needs extra nourishment to improve your baby’s health. In fact, you need to add 400-500 extra calories each day in your diet during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Poor dietary choices can make you fat and also increase the risk of birth complications.
Pregnant women are needed to take extra care of what they eat during the pregnancy period to fulfil the special nutritional requirements of the baby. In short, choosing healthy and nutrient-rich foods will ensure that you and your fetus, both stay healthy. It also helps you lose weight easily after you have given birth. So, just for you, we have compiled a few foods that you can eat when you are pregnant!
Sardines/Mackerel:
Rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which is important for you and your baby. Keeps your joints strong which inturn can support your baby during pregnancy, if you have struggles taking salmon its always better to opt for a DHA supplement for baby’s brain development.
Dates:
Taking dates during the last month will reduce the labor time, softens cervix and reduces hemorrhage. But to avoid blood sugar spikes, combine it with nuts and seeds (good fats).
Leafy greens:
Packed with all the nourishment like folate, iron, vitamins etc it’s better to include them at least once a day.
Eggs:
These are superfoods by themselves as they contain all the essential amino acids making it a superior source of protein. It contains DHA (helps in brain development) and filled with heme iron. They are also loaded with B vitamins and harder to obtain fat soluble vitamins like A and D.
Spirulina:
A superfood rich in protein, iron and folate which forms the essential nutrients needed during pregnancy. Add them to your smoothies :)
Coconut oil:
Consuming 2 tablespoons of organic cold pressed coconut oil helps relieving constipation, heartburn and morning sickness.
Moringa:
Moringa leaves are such a great food for pregnant women because of its rich nutrient profile. This green leaf actually contains three times the amount of vitamin A that’s in carrots, over 7 times the amount of vitamin C in oranges, double the potassium found in bananas and 4 times the calcium in cow’s milk.