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During pregnancy, it is not unnatural for you to have strange cravings. May be in the middle of the night or anytime during the day; you might have this sudden desire to have something tangy or you develop a massive sweet tooth or you feel like eating something spicy or yummy.
Indeed! You might feel like having pickles, cakes, chocolates, chips, ice creams, etc… Slurp!!!
While pregnancy is the time when you need to get some extra calories and a nutritional diet for you and your baby’s health, it also becomes crucial for you to be careful about what should you be munching on these days. As Pregnancy snacks, are definitely not about the unhealthy intake of processed or junk food during pregnancy. These are in fact, healthy, tasty and filling choice of munch-on during these days in-between meals to level up your energy and give you an extra dose of nutrition.
No matter what flavours you’re craving for, here’s a list of healthy snacks during pregnancy.
How About Some Cheesy Crackers!
Get yourself a snack-sized plate or bowl. Get any whole grain, whole wheat or flax crackers, which are good sources of folic acid, high fibre, essential minerals and starch. Blend the crackers, with some lip-smacking melted cheese, which is rich in calcium, phosphorous, zinc, high protein and fat. Eating these tasty snacks during pregnancy will keep you satiated between your meals.
Give A Nutritious Twist To Chickpeas (Channa or Chola)
Pregnancy snacks can after all be light, but filled with protein. Eating this snack will also keep your gestational diabetes under control in the later stage of your pregnancy. You can have your chickpeas, a rich-source of protein, iron, calcium and omega-3 fatty acid boiled. Mash it with some boiled potatoes and ginger- garlic. Add a few drops of soyabean oil and squeeze a lime to make it into a healthy “chola chaat”. Give some more nutritious touch to the chaat with some fresh carrot and cucumber sticks on it. You can also toss it up with healthy greens and grilled shrimp.
Chicken Oatmeal Soup
Such a lukewarm midnight snack will put you to sleep in no time. Make a bowl of oatmeal soup. They provide fibre to keep your constipation and haemorrhoids away, and to contribute to a healthy cardiovascular system. Put some shredded chicken in it. Chicken is a good source of protein during pregnancy. You can also pair up the soup with some fresh tomatoes, lettuce, black beans and cheese.
Try Out A Delicious Fruit Salad
Eating fresh sweet fruits is surely a healthy choice whenever hunger strikes you, during your pregnancy. Fruits are rich sources of Vitamin C and K. Whenever you are having them, you are also absorbing a good amount of iron in your body. Just give it a twist! Try out a delicious fruit salad. Take a few segments of oranges, grapefruits, and berries separately in a bowl. Make sure you take ripe fruits which will add natural sweetness to your salad. Punch them with some thick and creamy curd and mix it up with some salt. Don’t forget to sprinkle chopped mint and some pepper over it. A healthy combination of Vitamin C and protein is ready for you. Don’t wait! Just gulp it in!
Dry Fruits In Yoghurt
Yogurt can seem like the perfect healthy breakfast. It’s a great source of calcium, potassium, and protein you can give your body. Take some yoghurt in a bowl. Add some honey, and dry fruits like nuts and almonds to give it some taste. While honey helps in reducing allergies and heartburn, dry fruits are rich source of antioxidants during pregnancy.
A Healthy Smoothie Will Be Very Soothing
But it should not be just any smoothie. Make yourself a glass full of thick and creamy oatmeal, blueberry and banana smoothie. This will indeed be a solid nutritional boost during your snack time. Crush some pregnancy-friendly crackers to add on to the taste. Don’t forget to add few pinches of cinnamon on it to make it flavourful. A healthy, tasty and flavourful snack is ready to satiate your cravings! Doesn’t it sound like one of the best snacks for pregnant ladies, during breakfast? This can also keep your heartburn at bay.
Be Creative With Melon
You wake up in the middle of night to fulfill your cravings for sweet or you might suddenly feel very hot during your pregnancy (blame it on the soaring hormones). When you can’t have ice-cream or chocolates when you’re expecting, be creative with watermelon. Blend some watermelon in some lime juice and have a few healthy and cool sips.
Eating these pregnancy snacks, will ensure your body is filled with the key nutrients needed for the development of your baby and keep your mind and body in perfect balance, thus preventing you from all kinds of pregnancy discomforts. Just remember, the baby inside will have whatever you’re craving for. So, snack smart and enjoy every moment of your pregnancy journey.
And, while you’re taking care of yourself during your pregnancy, don’t forget to include cord blood banking in your birth plan, not just to protect your baby’s health from 80 life-threatening diseases, but also to safeguard your family’s healthy future. Happy pregnancy to you!