Need some real, practical suggestions for healthy breakfasts, snacks, meals, and drinks to avoid excess weight gain during pregnancy? Look no further, we’ve even given you a shopping list!

NUTRITION IN PREGNANCY: THE TOP FOODS TO EAT AND AVOID!

Nutrition during pregnancy: BREAKFAST IDEAS

Fresh fruit smoothie: Blend any fresh fruit (with a little plain, unsweetened live yogurt (soy, goat, or beef) and a handful of mixed seeds (for example, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and flaxseed).

Tip: If you’re in a rush, add fresh orange or apple juice to dilute your smoothie and make it easy to drink, then put it in a beaker and take it with you.

Boiled, scrambled or poached egg with buttered oatmeal cakes or rye toast. – Whole wheat rye toast spread with nut butter (almond, cashew, hazelnut or peanut)

Mix a handful of oatmeal in a bowl of live plain yogurt and top it with a few pieces of chopped fresh fruit and a handful of chopped walnuts.

Spread some cream cheese on corn cakes or wheat-free bread / crackers and top with organic or wild smoked salmon.

Porridge cooked in water with grated apple and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Tip: soak oatmeal in water for 10 minutes before cooking; this will bring out its creamy taste, so it is not necessary to use milk. Add some hot stewed apple and berries.

An omelet (filling ideas: grated cheese and red onion, a mixture of fresh herbs, diced tomatoes and peppers, garlic mushrooms and watercress, smoked salmon).

Baked beans on rye toast.

Nutrition during pregnancy: DRINK IDEAS

Herbal teas instead of caffeinated tea. Now there are so many varieties, experiment until you find one that you like. Rooibosch (red bush) tea is the closest to “normal” tea and can be drunk with milk.

Caro, Barleycup, and Dandelion coffees are caffeine-free coffee alternatives. Teeccino is a delicious substitute for coffee that is prepared in a coffee pot (it comes in different flavors, for example, mocha, vanilla nuts, almond amaretto)

Instead of alcohol, mix fruit cordials, elderflower, or ginger with sparkling water.

SEEDS are rich in proteins, essential fats, vitamins and minerals; grinding them helps release their nutrients. Try to take a heaping tablespoon each day and add it to cereals, yogurt, soups, or salads.

Buy some fresh unsalted seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and flaxseed (also called flax seeds; the golden variety is higher in essential fats than the brown one), flaxseed, and 50% a combination of pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame. Grind enough to fill a small glass jar (choose glass over plastic, as plastic can damage the essential fats in the seeds). Store your jar in the fridge. Ideally, store your ground seeds in a dark cupboard to protect them from light or oxygen damage (essential fats can easily go bad).

Nutrition during pregnancy: ENERGY BOOSTING SNACK IDEAS

An apple and a handful of pumpkin or sunflower seeds

A pear, peach, or other seasonal fruit with 10 fresh almonds

Three Oatmeal Pancakes with Nut Butter (Almond Hazelnut Butter is a delicious alternative to peanuts – buy at health food stores).

Mackerel, salmon or mushroom pate in two ryvita (beware of pate in pregnancy unless it is homemade and without mayonnaise / fresh egg).

Carrot and celery sticks with hummus.

Scrambled berries in a small pot of plain yogurt.

Nutrition during pregnancy: QUICK AND EASY MEAL IDEAS

Grilled Vegetables with Pesto Crusted Chicken or Fish – Add an organic chicken breast or fish fillet topped with pesto (organic salmon or cod works well) to a partially roasted vegetable baking sheet (for example, new potatoes , cherry tomatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic red and yellow peppers) and cook for an additional 10-20 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Chickpea and Apricot Tagine: To a basic tomato sauce (i.e. a can of chopped tomatoes added to an onion and a clove of garlic softened in olive oil), add half a finely chopped chilli, a pinch of cumin ground, a handful of apricots and three handfuls of chopped mixed greens (for example, carrots, zucchini, and baby corn). Add water if necessary to achieve a good sauce consistency, then season and simmer for 15 minutes. Add a can of chickpeas and cook for another 10 minutes, then add a handful of chopped fresh cilantro and serve with couscous, quinoa, or brown rice.

Poached hake in tofu sauce with parsley and lemon: Crush half a block of silky tofu with a clove of garlic, the juice of half a lemon, a little chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Add to a frying pan with two fillets of haddock and cook over low heat so that the fish is poached (about 15 minutes, but keep checking). Serve with steamed broccoli or green vegetables and brown rice.

Baked Potato and Sweet Potato Filling Ideas:

Hummus (ideally homemade); Ratatouille or baked beans topped with shredded Cheddar; Cottage cheese with chives or spring onion, mixed with chopped red or yellow pepper, cucumber or shrimp; roasted vegetables and pesto; Canned or smoked salmon mixed with cottage cheese or crème fraîche; Cannelini or ground beans with anchovy fillets and black olives, with lemon juice and black pepper; Steamed leeks, broccoli or cauliflower florets mixed with cheese sauce; Chopped hard boiled egg mixed with cottage cheese or crème fraîche and chopped parsley; Guacamole (again, make it yourself or buy it in the deli section of your grocery store)

DELICIOUS SALADS (perfect for a light meal or takeout):

A simple salad of mixed greens and chopped raw vegetables can turn into a nutritious and delicious meal in no time if you keep your refrigerator stocked with delicacies like artichoke hearts, browned tomatoes, olives, hard-boiled eggs, bell peppers, sweet peppers, anchovies. , smoked fish and slices of lean white meat.

Organic Smoked Trout Fillet (a delicious alternative to smoked salmon that is packed with essential Omega 3 fats) with lightly steamed lima beans or lima beans mixed with lemon juice and black pepper.

Organic hot smoked salmon or trout, or organic smoked mackerel, flaked with whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, millet or couscous, with chopped raw vegetables. Season with lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, and chopped fresh herbs.

Chunks of tofu (marinated in tamari or soy, ginger, garlic and sesame oil, and brown rice syrup), sautéed for seven minutes or until golden brown and quite crisp. Mix whole grains as directed above or add to buckwheat noodles with cucumber and thinly sliced ​​seaweed (packets of dried varieties can be found in the eastern section of grocery stores). Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm or cold. – Mixed bean salad with peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, sweet peppers and chopped hard-boiled egg, with tomato and basil dressing.

Chickpeas garnished with paprika, lemon juice, black pepper and a pinch of sea salt or low sodium salt Solo and parsley, with quinoa.

Warm potato salad with passata (sifted and chopped tomatoes – buy at the supermarket), with a dressing made of olive oil, paprika, chillies and crushed garlic.

Couscous, Bulgarian wheat, millet or quinoa taboulleh with chopped cherry tomatoes, chives, cucumber, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice and dressing.

Whole radishes, crumbled feta cheese, lima beans and alfalfa sprouts.

Cranberries and apricots on leafy greens like lamb or spinach leaves, topped with crumbled feta cheese.

EASY PUDDINGS

Raspberry Sorbet: Blend frozen raspberries and bananas until smooth.

Apricot Whisk: Puree a handful of apricots (fresh or dried) with a half cup of low-fat cottage cheese or lightened silky tofu with two beaten egg whites.

Nutrition during pregnancy: SHOPPING LIST: NEW FOODS AND BRANDS TO KEEP IN MIND!

Nairns Oatmeal Cakes (No Wheat and Sugar) Terrance Stamp Wheat Free Breads Boridinsky Rye Bread Whole Style Rye Bread (e.g., thin slices of whole wheat bread) Sugar Free Peanut Butter (I like Whole brand Earth) Cashew, almond and hazelnut butters Fresh, unsalted (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and golden flaxseed) Smart Eating or Columbus eggs (rich in essential Omega 3 fats) Fresh, unsalted nuts (eg, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil, cashews or mixed nuts) Frozen berries: be careful with blueberries, summer fruits, berries and raspberries. Organic Oatmeal: If you eat these cold, look for small oats instead of jumbo (you should also find these at a health food store). Rooibosch Tea (Tick Tock is a good brand) Elderflower or Ginger Quinoa Cordials

It is important that YOU COMMIT TO EAT THE BEST QUALITY FOOD TODAY! Pregnancy lasts only 9 months and your precious little one needs those nutrients for proper growth and development, not to mention they need them for strength and energy.