When you’re pregnant, you either have two reactions to food: you either love it passionately, or hate it with a passion. But whether you want to eat every fifteen seconds or are subsisting on a diet of crackers and ginger ale, there are certain foods that you always should try to eat. Here are just six must-eat foods that are perfect for pregnancy—and how to eat them.
Beans
Sure, they might make you gassy, but beans are rich in protein, fiber and are excellent sources of the key nutrients that your body needs, such as iron, folate, calcium, and zinc. Try white beans, lentils, kidney beans, garbanzo (chick peas), black beans or soy beans for different tastes.
How to eat them:
In chili and soups, a yummy bean salad, or in pasta dishes.
Berries
Berries are berry good for the pregnant body. Loaded with vitamin C, folate, fiber, and potassium, berries make for a healthy snack. When possible, try to eat fresh berries, but frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries work well, too.
How to eat them:
With yogurt, in a crepe, or as a simple snack.
Salmon
One of the food superstars, salmon is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which are excellent for your developing baby’s brain and eyes. Providing protein and B vitamins, salmon is low in mercury compared to other fish (try to stay away from shark, swordfish, and king mackerel) but you should only eat about 12 ounces of it weekly.
How to eat it:
Grilled, broiled, or with a leafy spinach salad.
Whole Grains
Fortified with folic acid and iron, enriched, whole-grain breads and cereals have more fiber than white bread and white rice.
How to eat it:
In sandwiches, oatmeal, brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.
Eggs
Fast and easy, eggs are an eggcelent source of protein, providing the amino acids you and Baby need. Eggs contain choline, which is great for baby’s brain development, as well as more than a dozen other vitamins and minerals. (Note, do not eat undercooked or raw eggs during pregnancy).
How to eat them:
Boiled eggs for a quick on-the-go snack, egg salad sandwich for lunch, or scrambled eggs mixed with your choice of ingredients for a simple supper.
Low-Fat yYogurt
Greek, regular, extra creamy, one cup of plain, low-fat yogurt has more calcium than milk. It’s also high in protein.
How to eat it:
Plain, or with fresh fruit, granola, or whole grain cereal.