Good and healthy breakfast is essential for pregnant women. A good breakfast is good for you and your baby to start the day off. Breakfast is part of our daily routine, especially for pregnant women, as it’s good to start the day feeling right. Eating lots of nutritious and healthy foods will make a great impact on your pregnancy over the course of the period. And it’s a rule of life to never skip breakfast because once you have not taken your breakfast in a day, it would result in a very tiring day as you are lacking energy.
Some women don’t have the luxury of time cooking different kinds of stuff suitable for their babies, and some have resorted to quick and easy to cook meals. This article will help most pregnant women with some of the quick guidelines and ideas on how to prepare a healthy breakfast.
Healthy breakfast in pregnancy
It is always important to eat what is right when you are pregnant. Of course, eating right always starts in the morning. Here are the best ideas on what to eat and what to add to your diet. As the saying goes, ‘You are what you eat’ is always on point. What you are eating always has a big impact on your baby. Here are the best breakfasts for most pregnant women along with its nutrients and benefits.
Whole grains and oatmeal
The nutrient composition of oatmeal is balanced so it’s good for you and your baby and thus packs a punch of nutrition. Oatmeal contains antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals for the nutrition for both of you. Oatmeal contains complex carbohydrates thus making you feel full for a longer amount of time.
- Oatmeal contains folate, it helps in preventing birth defects.
- Oatmeal contains iron, it helps in forming your baby’s blood supply.
- Also oatmeal contains avenanthramides, these are solely found in oats, it helps in lowering blood pressure by increasing nitric oxide, and leads to better flow of the blood.
Eggs
Who doesn’t like eggs? Eggs are part of our daily morning lives as it is so rich in proteins that you can’t just ignore it, and it is also easy to cook! There’s a variety of recipes that includes eggs that makes your breakfast meals versatile. Such as omelets, fried eggs, and hard-boiled eggs. Eggs contain protein that its essential for the development of your baby.
Fresh fruits
The amount of fiber you get when eating fresh fruits are tremendous! Fiber helps you keep full so you are more likely to be energized to start the day! Eating fresh fruits doesn’t require cooking. Sometimes you’ll just have to grab them in your fruit basket and boom! Just slice them and be careful because you might cut yourself. We have a saying that, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. A slice of any fresh fruits will do wonders for you and your baby! So never be hesitant in having a slice or a whole fruit to eat. More fruits mean more vitamins!
Fruits that are best to eat for pregnant women
- Oranges: are a good source of Vitamin C that are natural antioxidants that also help in preventing cell damage.
- Mangoes: a cup of Mango has 100 percent of our RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), mangoes are also rich in Vitamin A. Lower Vitamin A is always associated with lower immunity and has a higher risk of other disease complication such as Diarrhea and other respiratory infections.
- Avocado: have the most folate in all of the fruits. Avocadoes are a great source of Vitamin C, B, K, fiber, choline, magnesium, and potassium. Choline vitamins are important for the baby’s nerve and brain development. Choline deficiency often leads to neural tube defects and memory impairment.
- Lemons: Just like oranges, Lemons are all also rich in Vitamin C and reports say that pregnant women who drink or suck lemons have a lower risk of being nauseated. Vitamin C also helps stimulate the digestive system to minimize constipation.
- Bananas: are a good source of potassium. Banana’s contain Vitamin b-6, Vitamin C and fiber. Almost half of the women that are pregnant experience constipation and having a banana or two will help in easing constipation. Constipation in pregnancy is sometimes caused by uterine pressure, sometimes anxiety of the pregnancy period, low fiber diet.
- Berries: berries are rich in different kinds of vitamins such as carbs, Vitamin C, fiber and folate. Berries also contain phytonutrients, flavonoids, and anthocyanins.
Dairy products –When taking dairy products, calcium comes to mind as it is important during the pregnancy as it helps in forming bones and teeth for the baby. Dairy foods are one of the best choices for calcium. A fresh can of yogurt mixed with some oranges packs a lot of vitamin C that will help your baby’s immune system develop.
Vegetables
- Green leafy vegetables: it contains all the necessary nutrients and vitamins all pregnant women need. Such as broccoli, spinach, and kale.
- Sweet Potatoes: is a great source of Vitamin C, B, and A.
- Beetroots: are also high in vitamins and fiber. They are also essential for the strengthening of the immune system.
- Tomatoes: Rich in vitamins C, K, and biotin.
- Spinach: has a great number of anti-oxidants that prevent chronic diseases.
- Carrots: they contain beta carotene that aids in cancer prevention and there are full of vitamin A that provides 428% of our daily recommended value.
- Asparagus: provides plenty of folates that prevents neural tube defects during pregnancy
Wrapping up
Whether we’re pregnant or not, starting your day of eating the right food and feeling good is a great bonus. Eating nutritious and healthy food plays a vital role in developing the baby in your tummy. The more you eat healthy breakfast the smoother the pregnancy will take. Never disregard breakfast as its always easy to be stubborn and just ignore it. Always remember that it is not only you for now, but it is for both of you. What you eat will determine the healthiness of the baby. And never forget to seek the help of a doctor once or twice a month to ensure the safety of the baby.
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