Eating well in Pregnancy

Diet is extremely important in pregnancy as baby in mother's womb is totally dependent on what mommy eats. Make every meal planned for providing all round necessary nutrition.small changes in regular diet also help to provide necessary nutrients. Its better to avoid outside food in this period, as it may have artificial colors, additives , preservatives and excess salt which is harmful for mommy as well as baby inside her womb. Using following easy ways regular diet of pregnant women can be made more nutritious and healthy

1. Roti /Bread

Roti is one of the main food in regular meals for many people.For making roti more nutritious use some extra tips and enjoy eating roti in your daily meal.
How to do:
1. While making wheat flour / atta add fenugreek seeds powder, flax seeds powder in atta /wheat flour .(in 5 kg of atta /flour only handful of fenugreek seeds and handful of flax seeds are sufficient ) Fenugreek seeds are rich source of vitamins,minerals ,phytonutrients and fiber These seeds aid in digestion and help to boost milk supply of nursing mother.
2. Apply ghee on roti /bread while roasting rotis.Ghee helps for better digestion of pregnant women.
3.Make variations in rotis like parathas /puri by stuffing vegetables (like any of the following veggie from potato,fenugreek leaves ,mutter ,flower ,cabbage).
4.Use whole wheat bread instead of using while bread. If baking cakes use wheat flour instead of maida (All purpose flour) .Wheat flour cakes too are super delicious.

2. Vegetables

As vegetables are rich source of vitamins its very important to eat maximum vegetables while pregnant.As eating just vegetables might be boring so including them in variety of recipes is good idea.
How to do :
1. When feeling hungry in between meal times eat vegetable salads made using cucumber ,tomato , carrots ,beet root, cabbage as a snacks.
2.Daily take vegetable soups at least in one meal in a day.
3.Make interesting colorful vegetable smoothies like carrot apple smoothie , spinach smoothie for snacks time.
3.Include more green leafy vegetables in regular meals. As green leafy vegetables are rich source of iron, folic acid which is important for pregnant women.
4.Use vegetables for making paraths/puri /bread, vegetables pakoras /fritters like cabbage fritters , onion fritters , spinach / fenugreek fritters.

3. Rice

Rice is easy to digest and gives instant energy .Rice cooked with fruits,vegetables is great one dish meals and easy to cook. Interesting ways of cooking variety of rice dishes for pregnant women:
How to do :
1.Include vegetables for making variety of one pot meal rice dishes like vegetable pulao, tomato rice , spinach rice ,lemon rice, mutter rice, biryani , onion rice.
2. Make rice with fruits like pineapple rice, raw mango rice.
3. Make rice desert to indulge . Use dry fruits also for making deserts like rice kheer , Paniyarams.
4.Use fermented foods like dosa, idali, appam which are made using rice and lentils.Also fermented food has good bacteria which helps for better digestion.
5 Cook meat and rice dishes like chicken biryani ,fish biryani and with eggs Egg fried rice,egg biryani.


4. Deserts

For sugar cravings of mommy to be use healthy deserts instead of eating chocolates, cakes , pastries .As these ready made sweets are nothing but empty calories.
How to do :
1.Make nutritious desert at home like bottle guard halawa, moong dal halawa, almond halawa, rice kheer, carrots halawa, semolina halawa.
2. Make sweet snacks like dry fruits laddu ,dry fruits barfi, nachani laddu ,sesame laddu ,ram laddu.

5. Milk/dairy

Milk is one of the best source of calcium for body and also provides vitamin d and protein. Including sufficient milk helps in secretion of breast milk as well.
How to do : 1.Try to drink at least a cup of milk twice daily.Add 2 to 3 saffron strands and shatawari kalp (Ayurvedic medicine) or any doctor prescribed protein powder in it.
2.Include more milk deserts like kheers, sheera.
3. Use milk for making rotis. Add milk instead of adding water for making dough of roti.


6. Fruits

Fruits are rich in vital nutrients like  vitamins ,minerals. Pregnant women should eat more fruits for health benefits to her and baby inside.
How to do:
1.Fruits can be served as fruit plate , fruits smoothie/ juice , fruits salad.
2.Always eating raw fruits may be boring so fruits can be used to make different dishes like Banana puri , Apple halawa.
3. Bake fruit cakes like strawberry cake ,mango cake ,banana cake.

7. Lentils

Lentils are good source of protein, calcium.It is extremely important to include necessary  protein in diet. For vegetarian people lentils are good option for including proteins. Lentils can be used in following way .
How to do:
1.Eating daily 1 bowl of soaked and cooked lentil with rice helps to provide required proteins in pregnancy.
2.Make lentils fritters like Moong dal/ chana dal pakode , Medu wada.
3. Eat sprouts , sprouts chat made using lentil.


8. Dry fruits

Dry fruits are rich source of vitamins A, E,fat, antioxidants ,iron.Its good to eat to eat dry fruits for all nutrition,calories and fats.
How to do:
1.Eating early morning 2 figs, 2 dates ,5 almond soaked in water overnight,peeled, 1 tea spoon of Raisins helps to provide necessary vital nutrients to mother and baby.
2.Use dry fruits bar, dry fruits laddu, Cereals /cookies /biscuits with dry fruits.as a snacks.

photo credit: Mommy via photopin (license)