I wanted to write a little on the subject of what foods to eat during pregnancy as I especially felt I wasn’t giving my baby anything good or healthy for a long time. In fact it wasn’t until 17 weeks into my pregnancy that I felt able to let any fresh food pass my lips!
I went from having salads for lunch and fresh veggies with fish for dinner, to living off of jacket potatoes and anything suitably stodgy and carb related.
My main piece of advice at this stage would be that pregnancy is not a time for dieting! As time goes on, you’ll realise that there is absolutely no way you’re fitting into your best skinnies, even if you don’t succumb to your cravings or must have sickness saviours!
Having said all of this, I always vowed never to utter those famous words “I’m eating for 2” and even before I was pregnant I made Stuart promise that if ever he heard me say it, he would rip that cookie or tub of ice cream out of my hand there and then!
The truth is, you really only need an extra 300 calories during pregnancy, and that is only in the last trimester. Here’s a few reasonably healthy food ideas for anyone feeling like I did;
- Wholegrain Cereals – My extra large bowl of Weetabix started my day off every morning and ensured my blood sugar levels were maintained to help ease my nausea.
- Smoothies – If like me, you can’t face the idea of fruit, but you know you want to give your body and your baby the vitamin boost it provides, then smoothies are the perfect resolution. Depending on the season, try whizzing up some blueberries with a banana and milk, or try some red berries with kiwi and ice.
- Cheese – A great source of calcium if you can’t bear the idea of milk and want to steer clear of the caffeine in chocolate. Cheese on wholemeal toast makes for a good lunch.
- Fish and Chips – It is recommended to eat no more than 12 oz. of fish per week, and limit oily fish such as tuna to 4 portions per week, however it contains essential Omega 3 which is great for healthy baby brain and eye development so for me I found Friday night fish and chips were carby enough not to induce me into nausea but helped me provide these great nutrients to my little one.
- Eggs – With only 90 calories per egg and packed full of protein eggs can be your supper saviour if you’re too exhausted to cook. A couple scrambled up on wholemeal toast is perfect. Just make sure thy are Lion stamped which means the hens are vaccinated against Salmonella.
- Greek Yoghurt – It contains twice the protein of normal yoghurt and full of calcium. It’s really important to have enough calcium to give to your growing baby’s skeleton but not sacrificing the amount you need to keep your bones healthy and strong. Pop some honey and blueberries on top for a healthy sweet fix.
On top of any food I managed to stomach, I also decided to take a pregnancy supplement to top up the many vitamins and minerals I felt I was missing out on. I went with Vitabiotics Pregnacare Max, which included Omega 3, Folic Acid and around 20 other vitamins and nutrients.
