Pregnancy isn’t the time to skimp on nutrition. In fact, while you are pregnant you should eat a variety foods healthy foods to help support your growing baby. While you are pregnant, your baby will take all of the important nutrients that your baby needs before you even get nutrients from the food that you eat. Your body does a great job ensuring that your baby is getting plenty of vitamins and minerals for proper growth and development. When you neglect getting enough vitamins and minerals for your growing needs, your body will tend to crave the nutrients that you are missing. Not getting enough vitamins and minerals can be unhealthy and can lead to problems for you and your unborn baby if left untreated. When you aren’t getting enough nutrients from the foods you are eating, then your body will begin tapping into any stored nutrient reservoirs that you have available in your body, leaving you at risk for nutritional deficiencies. It is important to take a pre-natal vitamin while you are pregnant or nursing. Here is a list of 15 pregnancy superfoods that are packed with plenty of vitamins and minerals that you and your growing baby need.
Disclosure: This post is for informational purposes only and shouldn’t replace talking to your doctor about proper nutrition.
- Salmon – Salmon is very high in DHA and provides essential Omega 3 fatty acids which helps promote brain growth in your baby. This type of fish is low in mercury; however, it is important that you don’t eat more than 12 ounces of Salmon each week. Eating too much mercury can be dangerous to your unborn baby.
- Broccoli – This vegetable is packed with lots of great nutrients. It is packed with vitamin C and can help with iron absorption when eaten with iron rich foods. Broccoli is packed with fiber which helps ease symptoms of constipation.
- Dried Beans and Lentils – During pregnancy, women need to eat an additional 10 grams of protein each day. Beans and lentils can easily be added to meals or dishes, especially, soups, rice, or salads, to increase the amount of protein in your diet. Beans and lentils are also a great source of folate, which helps for prevent neural tube defects.
Comments
27 responses to “15 Pregnancy Superfoods – Ensure Proper Nutrition During Pregnancy”
What a great list! These foods are great even if you aren’t pregnant. And I had no idea garlic was so helpful in pregnancy!
I have always been a fan of garlic and knew that it helped ward off colds. It helps lower your blood pressure, so it would also be great for those who suffer from high blood pressure as well.
Great tips on what foods to eat. I still eat a lot of these even though I am not pregnant.
That is awesome Dominique, I do the same.
Guavas are pretty high in vitamin C, and I ate a lot of them when I was pregnant. 😉
I haven’t ever tried a Guava before, thank you for sharing. 🙂
super list—although during both my pregnancies I was lucky to keep down crackers and water!
I was the same with my daughter. Then once I was able to keep stuff down I craved sweets.
Wow, I had no idea about garlic! Very good to know! My baby years are behind me, but I will still be adding more garlic (or feeling less guilty about the horrible breath I’m giving my family when I use it) to help. We are big salad eaters, but I like to reinforce the need with my youngest, so I’ll be reading him the list. Thanks!
I can relate Dee, I am done with the baby days. I love adding garlic salt to my veggies. Gives it flavor without adding calories.
Great tips here – proper nutrition while you’re pregnant is very important to both mother and child.
You are correct Dawn, thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad to see a lot of my favorites on the list! I didn’t have any cravings during my pregnancy (which was a surprise). I am thankful that I didn’t have any food aversions either – my sister would get sick just from the taste/smell of certain foods.
Yes, I had a few food aversions when I was pregnant. And I had different cravings with each of my children. I love eating berries (which wasn’t on my list), bananas and yogurt.
Great list, even if you aren’t pregnant. Things change so much over the years- over a decade ago, we pregnant women were told NOT to eat fish. I’m glad they got that cleared up, lol.
Yes, I remember with my first pregnancy that I only ate a very small amount of fish. Of course, I am not a huge fish eater to begin with.
Choosing good nutrition while you are pregnant is critical to the development of your unborn baby. Additionally, adding a high quality nutritional supplement enhances the body’s ability to help mommy stay healthy and energetic while supplying the baby with vital nutrients for proper development. I’ve witnessed the results of many women choosing this over non-healthy foods and not using supplements…the baby is the one who ultimately suffers. Good article Christy, very good information.
I agree I didn’t always make healthy choices with my first pregnancy, mostly due to cravings. With my boys I was careful and wanted to avoid gaining more weight than I needed to. Eating healthy choices keeps the additional weight off, beyond what the doctors recommend you to gain while pregnant.
There’s not a lot of difference between good nutrition for pregnant women and good nutrition for everyone else. Incorporating these foods into your eating plan definitely makes for a varied, balanced and healthy diet.
I agree Marie. Pregnant women just need to make sure the adequate amount of calories and nutrients.
Pregnancy is an important phase to pass. It is a crucial stage as it determines the basic building block to future health. This article should reach many women. Do you have plans of posting this blog to other social media sites?
Lorii I share my posts on social media and other places. 🙂
Thank you for the tips about good nutrition, it is so crucial in the pregnancy period!
I agree Meire, thank you for stopping by.
Great tips!! I know that the doctor had me on Folic Acid and it really helped when I was having my son, along with eating well. Due to prescription medicine, he had the start of a cleft palate and the vitamin stopped it, allowing it to be the soft part only. 🙂
This is a great list. It is important indeed to eat the right food during pregnancy.
Your baby needs good food to develop properly. Better nutrition makes a smarter baby.