Creating Healthy Snacks For Pregnant Women
During pregnancy, having healthy convenience foods around makes it easier to stay on track with a stable, nutritious diet that takes care of you and your baby. Pregnancy takes a toll on a woman’s body, and your baby's as well, and even affects your teeth, hair, skin, and nails. Obviously, your first priority is to eat healthy to ensure your child’s health.
That’s why it’s vitally important to eat the right foods when you’re pregnant. Nature will produce the nutrients your baby needs to grow, but you have to help. Eating the right foods ensures that your body will replace those nutrients as needed, so that your body doesn’t suffer consequences from poor eating habits. These are a few nutritious snack foods that can help you and your baby stay healthier during your pregnancy.
Tuna
Tuna is one of the best convenience foods around – its inexpensive, full of protein and vital omega-3 fatty acids, and it’s very versatile as an entrée. Tuna goes great with salads, on crackers, or even right out of the can, which makes it an excellent choice as a “grab-and-go” health food. Make sure the tuna you buy is packed in water, not oil, to get the healthiest snack possible from delicious tuna.
Beans
Beans are high in protein and fiber, and they make a quick, easy addition for any meal. There are a number of different varieties of beans to choose from, and some are canned or packaged in natural juices, keeping the amount of additives down. You can create a whole host of meal combinations with navy beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, or several other choices. Beans can also be a hearty addition to soups or salads for added protein power and healthy carbohydrates.
Yogurt
Yogurt contains lots of healthy bacteria to aid digestion. These are called probiotics. Eating lowfat yogurt helps add calcium to your diet to prevent potential bone loss, reduce the risk of high blood pressure, and keep your digestive system running smoothly. Don’t’ forget this tasty treat also fills you up quite nicely between meals. Adding fruit, nuts, or a little granola to plain yogurt creates a full meal that you’re body will thank you for.
Hard Cheese
Many of the softer cheeses, like brie, are not pasteurized, and therefore pregnant women should avoid them as part of their diet. Hard cheeses, however, are cooked, making them a good choice for women who love cheese. Cheese is now available in portable packs that contain lots of healthy nutrients pregnant women need. Swiss, Asiago, Smoked Gouda, and Parmesan are a few of the varieties you’ll be most familiar with.
Trail Mix and Granola
Here’s another simple snack time solution for pregnant women. Trail mix and granola is a delicious snack that has tremendous nutritional value, if you choose the right ingredients. Add nuts, whole grains, and dried fruits, to some trail mix and granola for a delicious, healthy snack for soon-to-be-moms.
Trail mix has lots of fiber and wholesome ingredients that will fill you up and keep you feeling regular. Trail mix and granola is also a way to get the right amount of salt and sugar into your diet without going overboard when cravings strike. Mix a little in your yogurt and you've got a tasty lunch you’ll love.
Veggies
Veggies are another fantastic snack accessory. Just like fruits, veggies are ultra-portable and have the natural goodness you and your baby need to get you through your pregnancy in fine fashion. If munching on plain vegetables doesn’t excite you much, get some fat-free yogurt to dip them in, rather than ranch dressing or other unhealthy items loaded with extra salt, fat, and calories. You can easily make your own dip out of yogurt by adding a few herbs and seasoning favorites.
Snack Bars
Today, there is a healthy selection of snack bars that are typically high in fiber and protein and contain all-natural ingredients. This is the ultimate grab and go snack, since you can carry snack bars with you wherever you go. These bars are also dense with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals your body needs without adding tons of extra calories. Get in the habit of reading labels to make sure that your healthy snack bar doesn't contain lots of salt and sugar.
As you can see, there are lots of healthy convenient foods available for women who are pregnant. It is reassuring to know that there are numerous choices to help you get the nutrition you need to make it through the nine months of pregnancy. By planning ahead and being creative, you’ll have plenty of healthy convenience foods on hand to help avoid unhealthy cravings for less-beneficial snack foods like chips and ice cream.
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