Pregnancy: What can you eat?October 01, 2018

Those two lines on the pregnancy test kit have probably driven you into a world of extreme emotions. You probably are already hugging your little one. In that the chaos, confusion, excitement, happiness, bliss all the feelings bombing inside your hearts will make this journey worth remembering. And people being people, will have advice as what to eat and what to avoid during pregnancy. Your mom, aunts, neighbours, even the Internet will offer different advice for the best pregnancy foods. Most websites will speak of exotic fruits and recipes the ingredients of which are not easily available in Ernakulam. Since what you eat during pregnancy will play a crucial role in your unborn baby’s growth, development and health, it is important to eat right in these special months, and it can be difficult to keep a track of what you should eat so that your baby gets the right nutrition. So here we are going to tell you a diet which is not just nutritious for you and your baby, but can be made by any pregnant woman in Ernakulam.

The beauty of Indian diet is that it is rich in all the nutritional requirements that both you and your baby need during the pregnancy months. It will help you gain the right amount of weight and will also provide your body the energy it needs to help support your baby as well as keep you healthy and fit and in good shape for the delivery. Here's a look at some super easy dishes that should constitute your pregnancy diet chart. To make sure that what you eat helps your body and also helps you stay interested, spread out your food through the day by following different food ideas. While you are pregnant, it is important to make sure that you first check about anything that you eat or drink with your doctor. An Indian diet for pregnant women is rich in all the food groups that will help you be healthy and fat and will also provide your unborn baby with the right amount of nutrition. Make sure you speak to your doctor and plan accordingly.

Even though the suggested foods are considered healthy, your doctor will be the best person to assess your overall health and give you the go-ahead for the 2200 calories you will need in a day. Once you have a confirmation, here is how you can spread out the meal plan through the day:

1. Early morning Snack: Remember your body is making space for a tiny new human (may be even twins!). So instead of eating 3 bulky meals, make it 6-7 small portions spread across the day. A glass of plain cow’s milk is a great way to start the day and get your daily dose of Calcium. Get a morning walk with a little time in the sun for Vitamin D that will help you absorb the Calcium. Flavour it with almonds or fruits like Almond and milkshake so that, you are not bored. Apple juice or tomato juice are other options you could try. Dry fruits also boost up your energy and protein levels. But ask a nutritionist before you consume because some dry fruits like dates are likely to lead to miscarriage when consumed in the first 18 weeks

2. Breakfast: A bowl of fruits is a great source of various vitamins and other essential nutrients. Get local fruits or those that are in season because they are less likely to be treated with pesticides or other chemicals. If you are working, cut up these fruits the previous night and refrigerate. Pack them as a snack to eat at your desk. Dressing it with yoghurt is also an option you can consider. If you are more of a solid meal person wheat/rava upma, Poha, Chappatis or whole wheat bread are all good. Wheat and rava provide the fiber you need to prevent for reduce constipation during pregnancy. Both release energy slowly, keeping you full for longer. Pair them with vegetables like spinach, dal, potatoes, carrots, beans, paneer, curd or eggs to give you a whole meal. Cheese toast, Vegetable idlis, Besan /Ragi /Rava Chilla with veggies or cheese and vegetable sandwich are other options. Oats porridge with different fruits to go along such as apricots, dates, sweet fig, banana, oranges can be considered.

3. Mid-Morning Snack: If you are in your first trimester, you might be wondering how you can have a mid morning snack, especially when morning sickness comes violently without warnings. Trust us, even if you throw up all you eat, you need to stay hydrated. Take your pick from-Tomato soup, Spinach soup, Creamy spinach soup, carrot and beet soup, chicken soup. Fruit smoothies with fresh fruits such as banana or strawberry can also do the trick.

4. Lunch: The thing with Indian food is it’s so diverse and tasty. Also you can experiment anything with it. Roti or parathe with dal, vegetable and a bowl of curd is so super filling and nourishing. Stuff Parathe with anything – carrots, peas, dal, paneer or even chicken. With a side of yoghurt, it guarantees feeling full, nutrition. Adding ghee just makes it so much more tastier. If you are a rice person, rice, dal and vegetable/ fish/ chicken could be comfort food. Play it around by using jeera, peas rice with raita. You could try it like lemon rice or curd rice or even vegetable khichdi. If you are tested positive for Gestational Diabetes, it’s better to take rice and rice flour based recipes off your diet.

5. Evening Snack: Pregnant or not, who doesn’t like a little snack with the evening tea or coffee? So can you eat that’s both tasty and nutritious in pregnancy? Try staying away from fried snacks. Not only will this clog up your system, it will make losing weight after delivery difficult. Here are some options:

• Cheese and corn sandwich or Chicken sandwich
• Vegetable idli or Spinach and tomato idli
• Veggies or chicken cutlets cutlet(preferably shallow fried)
• A bowl of dried dates or dry fruits
• Milk porridge with oats
• Uttapam/ Cheela with veggies stuffed into the batter
• Dates( with caution)

6. Dinner: Dinner is a complicated thing. Ideally any doctor, whether you are pregnant or not, will ask you to take a light meal, before 7 pm. This way dinner gets digested properly and controls your blood sugar levels. Roti or rice with dal, spinach or Sambhar and some green salad are a common dinner suggested for pregnant women. Adding a glass of buttermilk or a bowl of yogurt can help in digestion.

Next week we will discuss supplements for your Pregnancy diet.