Pregnancy is both an exciting and worrisome phase in any woman’s life because you are not only nurturing yourself but your little one as well, so knowing about the top 10 best foods for pregnant can guide you throughout your 9-month journey.
Food plays a vital role in your pregnancy. Your baby gets nutrients from you so you better be careful in anything you put into your mouth as it can either positively or negatively affect your unborn baby. You need to make sure that you only eat foods that contain vitamins and minerals that are essential in carrying a healthy pregnancy. To help you out, I have compiled my own list of the best pregnancy foods.
Eggs
Protein is needed in pregnancy and it is the key content of eggs besides 12 other vitamins and minerals. Note that every cell in your baby’s body is made of protein hence you need to maintain enough levels of protein in your body for you and your baby.
Eggs are also filled with choline, which is essential in your baby’s growth and brain development. It also helps prevent neural tube defects.
If you are a healthy woman with normal cholesterol levels, you can eat 1-2 eggs daily.
Dried figs
Instead of snacking on junk foods, better munch dried figs instead. It has high-fiber and iron content. It is also a great source of non-dairy calcium, which helps you keep your teeth and bones strong while providing your baby’s calcium needs too.
Figs are also high in potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
Artichokes
Constipation is one of pregnancy’s downsides, and consuming a medium-sized artichoke as part of your salad dressing or in combination to melted butter and lemon squeeze can help you with bowel discomfort. Because artichokes are high in fiber, these can also ease indigestion during pregnancy.
Sweet potatoes
These are great sources of Vitamins A and C, and folate and fiber. While too much consumption of Vitamin A during pregnancy is not recommended, sweet potatoes can be an exception. It gets its Vitamin A content from the orange pigment carotenoid, which is only converted to Vitamin A as needed.
You can prepare your sweet potatoes boiled and refrigerate the extra for later consumption.
Tahini
Ever heard of it? Tahini is a paste created from sesame seeds. You can consume it as a dip.
Tahini is rich in omega06 fatty acids (which is a healthy fat by the way), phosphorus, thiamin, manganese, and copper, which are all part of your little one’s healthy development.
Salmon
Salmon has exceptional omega-3 fatty acid content plus is also rich in high-quality protein. Eating salmon can give you a good mood and is good for your baby’s developing body. Compared to other fishes of its kind, it has relatively low levels of mercury, which is a compound known to bring harmful effects to your baby.
Whole grains
Whole-grain cereals and bread are enriched with iron and folic acid. They also have more fiber content than rice and white bread. Examples of these are oatmeal, whole-wheat pasta, whole-grain bread, brown rice, and popcorn.
Berries
Enjoy your pancakes or cereals with raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries as toppings, which are all packed with Vitamin C, folate, potassium, and fiber.
Yogurt
Choose low-fat yogurt as your daily source of calcium.
Broccoli
Steamed broccoli preserves its nutrient content, which include calcium and magnesium for your baby’s bone development and folic acid.
These are just some of the healthiest foods to eat during pregnancy. As understandable as it is, there are days when you may want to scrap the idea of eating, which is of course a big no, no. The trick to still manage to eat even when you feel nauseous is to ingest small portions frequently. Oh, and always hydrate yourself with water too as it works best in pregnancy as well.