Pregnancy Superfoods
Pregnancy superfoods overview
During pregnancy, healthy foods provide the optimum mix of baby-building
nutrients. Starting in the second trimester, you'll need about 300 additional
calories in your diet every day.
Here are some choice foods to add to your pregnancy diet, making those extra
calories count by providing a variety of nutrients that benefit you and your
child.
Beans
- Why: Chickpeas, lentils, black beans, and soybeans supply
fiber, protein,
iron, folate, calcium, and zinc.
- Enjoy: In chili and soups, salads, and pasta dishes; as hummus with
whole-grain crackers or in roll-up sandwiches.
Beef
- Why: Lean cuts of beef, such as top sirloin steak, pack protein, vitamins
B6, B12, and niacin as well as zinc and iron in highly absorbable forms. Beef is
also concentrated in choline, required for brain development and peak cognitive
powers.
- Enjoy: Add lean ground beef to pasta sauces, use in tacos, as burgers, in
stir-fry dishes, and in chili.
Berries
- Why: They're packed with carbohydrates, vitamin C, potassium, folate,
fiber, and fluid. The phytonutrients in berries are naturally occurring
beneficial plant compounds that protect cells from damage.
- Enjoy: On top of whole-grain cereal, in smoothies made with yogurt or milk,
in pancakes, and in salads. Layer yogurt with berries and crunchy whole-grain
cereal for a dessert parfait.
Broccoli
- Why: For the folate, fiber, calcium, lutein, zeaxanthin, carotenoids to
foster healthy vision, and potassium for fluid balance and normal blood
pressure. Broccoli also contains the raw materials for vitamin A production in
the body.
- Enjoy: As part of pasta and stir-fry dishes, steamed and topped with a
smattering of olive oil, pureed and added to soups, or roasted: chop broccoli
into bite-sized pieces, coat lightly with olive oil and roast on a baking sheet
at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until tender, about 15 minutes.
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