What you eat during pregnancy is incredibly important for you and your baby's health. In her book, "Linda Page's Healthy Healing: A Guide to Self-Healing for Everyone," Linda Page writes that the foods you eat during pregnancy can help prevent complications during birth and can contribute to a lifetime of health for your baby. A proper diet may benefit the mother by minimizing some of the unpleasant side effects of being pregnant. Page suggests eating a diet abundant in leafy greens, whole grains and protein. Make sure to check with your obstetrician to create an appropriate diet plan for you.
Step 1
Prepare a breakfast with whole-grain cereal and fiber-rich fruit, such as pears and apples. In their book "The 100 Healthiest Foods to Eat During Pregnancy," Jonny Bowden and Allison Tannis suggest eating a fresh cup of fruit daily, along with cereal that lists "whole-grain" on the box. Eat it with yogurt or vanilla rice milk, which contain high-quality protein, an essential part of a pregnancy diet.
Step 2
Create a spinach and arugula salad and top with sesame seeds and your favorite dressing for lunch. Page suggests eating a salad every day; include greens such as spinach and arugula, which both contain essential fatty acids that contribute to your baby's brain development and skin. You should also consume nutrient-rich foods such as sesame seeds, which contain the mineral zinc.
Step 3
Prepare cooked rice and lentils with your salad. Bowden and Tannis state that eating whole grains with low-fat proteins are essential to your pregnancy diet.
Step 4
Make a midday snack of miso soup. Page claims that miso soup helps to alkalize the body and reduce toxemia.
Step 5
Steam some broccoli and squash for your dinner side dish. Squash and broccoli are carotene-rich and help ward off disease. Broccoli is rich in vitamin C and helps to form connective tissue, according to Page. Barley is a nutritious whole-grain choice, and hormone-free turkey can serve as a healthful protein option.
Tips and Warnings
- Be sure to drink plenty of mineral water and fruit juices to keep your systems flowing. Eat as many mineral-rich foods as possible, especially those with calcium. Page suggests taking a natural calcium supplement. Eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables, bananas, citrus fruit and nutritional yeast are all nutritious choices during pregnancy.
- The American Pregnancy Association says that most foods are safe to eat during pregnancy, but you should avoid raw meat, deli meat, fish with a high-mercury content such as mackerel, tuna and swordfish, and smoked seafood. You should avoid soft cheese, caffeine, raw eggs, alcohol and unwashed vegetables. Check with your doctor about taking supplements and about other diet precautions.
Things You'll Need
- Whole grain cereal
- Fresh fruit
- Vanilla rice milk
- Spinach and arugula salad
- Sesame seeds
- Lentils
- Brown rice
- Miso soup
- Squash
- Broccoli
- Hormone-free turkey
- Barley
References
- "Linda Page's Healthy Healing: A Guide to Self-Healing for Everyone;" Linda Page; 2004
- "The 100 Healthiest Foods to Eat During Pregnancy;" Jonny Bowden, Allison Tannis; 2010
- American Pregnancy Association: Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
