May 15, 2014
5 Healthy Snacks to Tame Those Pregnancy Cravings
During pregnancy, your body deserves only the best snacks to fuel your baby’s growth while keeping your hunger at bay. Healthy snacking has also been proven to help ease morning sickness while also keeping your energy levels up during the day. Picking the perfect snack during pregnancy can be a challenge when your cravings go wild.
Here is a list of 5 perfect pregnancy snacks to nibble on throughout the day:
1. Low-fat Greek Yogurt: While helping to boost your daily calcium requirements, yogurt will also benefit your pregnancy by improving your digestion. Digestion during pregnancy is slowed by hormones to absorb more nutrients for your growing baby. The live cultures and probiotics found in yogurt will help keep your digestion active and moving and the high amounts of protein will keep you feeling full. 2. Cottage Cheese with Fresh Fruit: This is one of the best snacks to eat before bedtime if you are craving something sweet. It will also help you stay full throughout the night with the high protein content so you won’t have to wake up for a midnight snack. Instead of fruit, some women pair veggies with their cottage cheese and some ladies even eat it alone. As with any dairy, it is important to make sure it has been pasteurized before consumption.
3. Whole Grain Crackers with Low-fat Cheddar Cheese: This is a great combination for fiber and calcium. After a workout, you can eat whole grain crackers with low-fat cheddar to refuel and energize. Whole grain crackers have been proven to help soothe nausea in early pregnancy; therefore, this would make a perfect first trimester snack.
4. Baby Carrots with Hummus: Carrots are packed with fiber and Vitamin A, which plays a vital role in developing your baby’s eyes. One tablespoon of hummus has one gram of protein and contains folic acid and iron. Not to mention, it’s a healthier dip to choose from!
5. Apple Slices with Almond Butter: This classic snack pairing helps to keep excess weight gain at bay, making it a perfectly healthy combo. Almond butter contains high levels of Vitamin E and is considered a heart-healthy nut. This is helpful for your cardiovascular system as it works in overtime pumping 50% more blood than it did in your pre-pregnancy state.
Also, as a bonus, smoothies make wonder snacks while you are pregnant-especially if you cannot eat a full meal, but need to get all of your nutrients in somehow. Here is my Glowing Green Pregnancy Smoothie!