“Preparing a healthy menu: What you should eat “

Your womb is your baby’s first environment and to make it a safe first home, you must provide all the nutrients needed to help them thrive. The world we live in can make it hard to make smart choices. With our busy lifestyles and attractive and heavily marketed pre-packaged food items it’s hard to maintain a healthy diet, but it doesn’t have to be that way. With a bit of planning and preparation you can eat a balanced, delicious and nutritious diet that will nourish you and your baby all through pregnancy and afterwards.

The pleasure of healthy eating

It’s true, you are what you eat and because for 40 weeks your baby eats what you eat he is also what YOU eat! Having a healthy diet has the power to provide adequate brain development, birth weight, internal system and organ development, long term health and even healthy eating habits for your future baby. Eating a balanced diet is not only beneficial for your baby, it can diminish some pesky side effects of pregnancy such as fatigue, bloating, constipation, heartburn and nausea. It can also reduce risk complications and even make labor and delivery easier. Don’t worry if your diet was not perfect before pregnancy. Now is the time to change and discover just how delicious healthy food can be.

Tips to make good choices

Create each meal based on the healthy eating plate. Divide your plate into halves. One half should be composed of fruits and vegetables and the other half divided into two: protein and carbohydrates. Here’s a breakdown of each food group:

Fruits and vegetables: Packed with fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. A great tip is to prepare your meal based on the vegetables. Add veggies to your protein, soups, rice, sandwiches, pizza. Pretty much anything works with vegetables. Fruits can make great desserts or snacks too. There are many fruits and veggies to choose from. Make sure to eat a variety of colors as each color includes different vitamins and minerals.

Carbohydrates: They provide your body with lots of energy. Good choices include whole grain bread, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, quinoa, barley, slow cooked oats.

Protein: Crucial for your developing baby’s growth. The best sources of protein come from animals but lots of plant-based sources have protein too. You can eat chicken without the skin, cooked dried beans, lean beef or pork, fish, nut butters, eggs or tofu to provide your body with a healthy dose of protein.

Fats and sweets: These are okay to use sparingly. Cook using a small amount of oil and only indulge on desserts every so often.

Finally remember that eating healthy does not have to be boring! Keep a look out for our delicious and healthy prenatal recipes that will not only take your taste buds for a ride but leave you feeling satisfied.