15 Healthy Pregnancy Recipes That Are Packed with Nutrients

Welcome to pregnancy! We are not going to talk about the possible pain you may have during these 9 months, rather we're going to focus on the most beautiful thing about this: your baby. Surely you are dreaming of having your baby in your arms, and he (or she) being a healthy and strong little person.

Diet should never be synonymous with eating badly. Actually, this time we are going to present healthy and very tasty meals so you can enjoy yourself while you help your baby too. 

Let's start!

Since your child's sensory system is in the creation process, it is additionally vital to get enough measures of choline, vitamins and unsaturated fats. Resources of these supplements majorly incorporate eggs, salmon, and walnuts.

Although your body is working diligently, you need not bother with any additional calories until the second trimester. Nonetheless, it is typical to pick up 3 to 5 pounds in the first trimester because of expanded blood and liquid volume.

So how to fill up all the supplements with necessary portions of nutrients? Here is the answer step by step with healthy pregnancy food recipes.

The first trimester is always the most difficult because you must face the nausea of the morning, soreness in the breasts and other parts of the body, as well as exhaustion. Your body is beginning to change.

The most important nutrient you should eat in this period is folic acid (to prevent neural tube defects), which you can take in pills or through beans, dark green leafy vegetables, lentils, fortified cereals among others.

We all love cereals, and if you're pregnant, I think this would not be a great sacrifice for you. Actually, eating cereals is ideal for your baby and it is recommended that a pregnant woman do it between 6 and 7 times a day, given that they will provide the necessary energy that you require during this period of time.

What cereals can you consume? Barley, wheat, among others. Just try to avoid highly refined products.

This recipe is aimed at those women who suffer from morning sickness in this first trimester and have trouble coping with it. The first thing you have to know is that it is normal and that anything can trigger your nausea. The problem is that some women believe that having an empty stomach is a solution, and it is not.
 
How can you eat and alleviate this a bit?

Easy, try to eat foods that are easy for you to digest such as apple sauce, cookies, rice, multigrain bread, transparent base soups, among others.

In our case, we recommend a Raspberry-Peach-Mango Smoothie Bowl, because it gives your body vitamins and nutrients that will help you not to have much nausea later, and that will keep you energized. In addition to, of course, be delicious. You only need:
 

• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds, toasted if desired1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted if desired1 teaspoon chia seeds

This recipe, although not exactly what its name suggests, still contains peanut butter and jelly. Only that it has some additional ideal ingredients for your baby, based on which you must feed yourself with folic acid, calcium, omega 3, iron, and vitamin B12.

To prepare this incredible Smoothie, you have to have:

• Spinach
• Yogurt
• 1/2 cup of strawberries
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1-2 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup (according to your preferences)

Vegetables are always a great solution for snacks for pregnant women, due to their high nutritional content and that do not fall heavy on your stomach, especially at this delicate stage. For this recipe you will need:
 

• 1/2 cup of baby carrots
• 1 yellow pepper, without heart and cut in quarters
• 1 green onion, cut and cut in half.
• 1/4 cup cilantro (optional)
• 1 cup of edamame without frozen shell, thawed
• 8 whole romaine leaves
• 2 cups grated cooked chicken

What you will need:

• 2 cups plus 1/2 cup chicken broth reduced in sodium, divided
• ½ cup of wheat berries
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, chopped
• 4 ounces (about ½ bunch) of asparagus, trimmed ends and thinly sliced
• ¼ medium red pepper, chopped into small pieces
• ½ cup of diced carrots
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

This period is not so problematic for pregnant women, with the exception of constipation. Of the rest, many women say they enjoy the second period because the baby, who is already more developed, begins to become aware of his surroundings. Likewise, women begin to develop both cravings and aversions.

To avoid constipation and maintain a healthy diet, it is important that you include at least two servings of fish per week (with an oily variety, such as salmon or sardines) in your weekly diet. It is also recommended that you eat cereals, bread, oats, vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts and seeds (not very different from the first quarter), maintaining, obviously, a constant intake of liquids (between 1/2 and 2 liters per day) , filtered water, juices, or tea.

What you will need:

• 2 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1½-inch cubes and patted dry
• 2 Tbsp whole-wheat flour
• Salt and pepper
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 cans (14½ oz each, about 4 cups) reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried thyme
• 6 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 medium Yukon Gold or boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• ¼ cup minced parsley leaves

What you will need:

• 1 can (14 3/4 ounces) pink salmon, drained and mashed with a fork
• 2 medium-sized cooked russet potatoes (see tip), peeled and diced
• 1 medium-size yellow bell pepper, diced
• ½ medium-size green bell pepper, diced
• 2 scallions, white parts only, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

What you will need:

• 4 scallions, both white and light green parts, trimmed and chopped
• ½ cup fresh-leaf parsley leaves
• ¼ cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium-size red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 can (14 ounces) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 sea bass, halibut, or salmon fillets (each about 6 ounces)
• 1 lemon, halved and seeded (1 half, thinly sliced)

What you will need:

• ½ pound lean beef, such as top sirloin, well trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 medium-size red onion, cut into 2–inch pieces
• 12 white button mushrooms, caps only, wiped clean
• 12 cherry or grape tomatoes

What you will need:

• 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 cup of peanuts (roasted)
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
• 1 cup of oats
• 20 dates (pitted)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of salt

The nutritional needs of this period are similar to those of the previous one, but you need to consume even more calories than before. However, you must be careful because if you gain too much weight, you could complicate the delivery of the baby.

The first thing you have to consider is consuming two servings a day of foods that have omega 3 (fatty acids) and protein: fish, meat, and eggs are your best options because they are also responsible for the formation of muscles and tissues of your baby. Other foods you should consider are fats (very good for breastfeeding), and carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, potatoes and bread. As for dairy products, you should consume them at least 4 times a day.

This is a light meal, simple to prepare and with enough nutrients. To cook it, you should only peel the apples and then put them to heat in a container with chopped onions, water, salt and pepper. When the water is hot, add the cinnamon stick and then start crushing everything with a spoon. You will not regret!

You only need:

• 4 green apples
• 1/2 cinnamon stick or a bit of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 onion
• Water, salt and pepper

Full of vitamins and minerals such as potassium, this delicious recipe is good for your baby. You only need:

• 300 g of rye flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 package of yeast
• 1 whole egg
• 2 bananas, preferably ripe
• 1 Greek yogurt
• Honey and cinnamon to taste.

What you will need:

• ¼  cup of banana puree
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup of whole-wheat flour
• 2 tablespoon of wheat bran
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 4 tablespoon of castor sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla essence
• 1/2 tablespoon of baking powder
• 4 tablespoon of butter

What you will need:

• 1 ½ cups of cooked rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup of shredded cabbage
• 1 capsicum, sliced
• ½ tablespoon of Pepper Powder
• 2 tablespoon of butter
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoon of grated processed cheese

What you will need:

• 1/4thcup of dates
• 1/2 a banana
• 1 cup of milk
• 4 to 5 ice-cubes

Maintaining a good plan and a healthy diet is what you should keep in mind in the first place. For the firstborn mother, it could be difficult for such diets and maintenance practices since many of them are not accustomed to changing eating habits suddenly (and other habits as well).

Following the recipes that we presented previously, you will not stop having a healthy body for you and your baby. The best of our recipes? That in addition to healthy, they are delicious. We hope you do a good job. May your baby be healthy!