You don’t have to stop snacking just because you are pregnant. You just have to find the right snacks…
Let’s face it – almost no one can actually go through a whole day without snacking here and there, let alone a pregnant woman…! Therefore, when the much attacks, the best thing to do is not to struggle or feel guilty, but to accept the fact that most of us WILL snack from time to time, so we might as well do it properly.
Feeling Crunchy…?
One of the biggest joys of snacking is the feeling of sinking our teeth into something crunchy. In other words, eating crunchy things is fun just as much as it tastes good…! But if you want to keep up with a good diet when pregnant, you’d better find a replacement for those potato chips you buy in the shop…
Our solution to satisfy the crave-for-the-crunch is simple yet highly effective – and healthy! Simply cut some crunchy vegetables into sticks, and snack on them, basically, as much as you’d like. Carrots, peppers, cucumbers – basically everything goes! This snack will provide you with vitamins and mineral which are ever-needed for pregnant women, and probably won’t cause any digestion problems.
To make it taste a bit more interesting try pouring just a bit of olive oil and lemon, with a pinch of salt. You might also enjoy eating the vegetable stick alongside some dips. But instead of high-fat cheese dips, which are often spiced with too much garlic and onion, try some healthier and not as strong-flavored dips, such as mild salsa, tahini or humus. Such dips are both yummy and rich with vitamins, protein, iron, and lots of other good things.
Feeling Even Crunchier???
Naturally, sometimes you might feel like you want to snack on something stronger in flavor or crunchiness than vegetables. In this case we recommend that you’ll always have a pack of crackers in your kitchen cabinet or even next to your bed. If possible, buy crackers with a high ratio of fibers which are made from whole wheat. They also go very well with the dips mentioned before.
Another healthy and delicious crunchy snack is homemade baked French-fries. It takes a bit of preparation, but still it’s easy to make and very satisfying…! All that you need are some potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and basically every other vegetable which you can bake. Cut the vegetables into thin-long pieces, much like french-fries you see in a restaurant. Spread them inside a flat baking dish and put the dish inside an oven preheated to 350 degrees (180 Celsius) for 30-60 minutes. You can add some olive oil and spices which you like. When the vegetables are golden outside and soft inside they are ready – and you just made your own healthy and yummy potato and other vegetables chips!
Sweets for the Sweet
For those with a sweet tooth, diet when pregnant might turn out to be challenging. This is because most of the sweet snacks which many of us are used to buy, such as chocolate bars or cakes, are just not so good for a pregnant woman and her growing baby (chocolate, for example, contains caffeine). We are not suggesting that you will completely change you pre-pregnant diet, but if you wish to have a healthy pregnancy and help your child develop properly, some changes on your menu should be made…
The idea is simple – whenever you feel the craving for something sweet, instead of eating the nearest chocolate bar, try a fruit first. You may also want to cut some fruits to slices or sticks and put them in the fridge, so that they will be handy at the moment of the craving. If you desire something even sweeter try having some dried fruits, if possible of the kind which were naturally dried.
If you feel like having proper dessert rather than just snacking there are alternatives for cakes and fondues, which are friendlier for your diet when pregnant. Try for example having muesli, or sorbet (natural if possible). They are sweet, yet they contain less sugar than other desserts, and will surely fulfill your need for a sweet snack other than fruit.
A Small Yet Powerful Treat for the End…
One last snack recommendation – nuts and almonds! The various kinds of nuts and almonds contain exceptionally high amounts of protein, which is one of the major founding stones of organic cells. And since they are small, crunchy and can be carried around easily, we recommend that you’ll always keep a little plastic bag filled with nuts and almonds inside your purse. You can snack on them at any time; they are delicious and are giving your and your baby’s body some very important nutritious elements. As for the recommended amount of nuts and almonds in you pregnancy diet – since they contain a relatively high amount of natural fat, try having no more than a handful per day (about 10 units).
Enjoy!
