When you're pregnant, what you eat needs to nourish not only your body, but also the body of your growing baby. But eating healthy when you're having strange cravings and feeling nauseous every morning is not always easy. Here are six tips to help you do the best you can.
Take your prenatal vitamins.
If you do not already have prenatal vitamins as prescribed by your physician, then it is time to get some. They will make sure your nutritional bases are covered on those days you don't exactly eat as you should. They also ensure you get nutrients like folate and iron, which are only found in specific foods and therefore may be deficient in your diet.
Eat your veggies, first.
If your appetite tends to run away with you, causing you to really dive in once you start eating something, then you may find yourself filling up on tastier dishes and then never getting to your veggies. The easiest way to fix this is to always eat your veggies first. This way, you won't get too full for them.
Hide veggies in other dishes.
This is another great way to boost your intake of those vitamin-packed veggies. Try hiding them in other dishes like you would for a child! Add a handful of spinach to your smoothie. It sounds strange and will make your smoothie green, but you won't taste it at all. You can also add some spinach to mashed potatoes, or stir a handful of carrot slices into rice.
Carry healthy snacks with you.
When you're pregnant, you never know when hunger will strike. You may have no appetite one minute, and feel ravenous the next. If you always have some healthy snacks, like dried fruits and nuts, you can get the nutrition you need when you are hungry rather than reaching for the first potentially unhealthy thing you find.
Switch to water.
Staying hydrated is so important when you are pregnant, but all of the sugar in beverages like soda and juice can lead to an increased risk of gestational diabetes. So make your go-to beverage during your pregnancy water, or perhaps decaffeinated tea without sugar.
Let yourself splurge every once in a while.
While you should not go about eating a whole cake or a dozen donuts every night, there's nothing wrong with a few treats now and then. It will keep you from binging on unhealthy items.
Contact a center like Vita Center For Women LLC to learn more.
