Here are a few healthy breakfast options to satisfy those sweet or savoury cravings during pregnancy.
By Payal Kothari
Eating a good breakfast kickstarts your day with the essential nutrients you need to get the day going, and during pregnancy you are more likely to need that energy boost. Hunger pangs, feeling low and nausea are common symptoms throughout a pregnancy. So, a filling, nourishing and satiating breakfast is important to sustain you for a couple of hours if you are outdoors. Here are a few healthy breakfast options you could eat and indulge in when pregnant to satiate those sugar or savoury cravings.
Red Rice Poha with vegetables
Just like red rice, red poha has more fibre than the white. So try making your red poha with ghee to add good fats along with some vegetables like spinach, methi leaves, onions, boiled potatoes and carrots. Garnish it with some curry leaves, salt and lemon. Rich in fibre, it’s great for blood sugar control. It’s high in magnesium too, which controls blood pressure and prevents migraines during the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. Easy to carry along if you are a working mommy-to-be.
Avocado on Toast
Mash an avocado or cut wedges and spread across a multigrain, banana or moongdaal toast for a vitamin E boost that will keep yours and the baby’s skin, nails and hair glowing. It’s got good fats, which helps develop the baby’s brain as well as keeps yours clear of brain fog. Avocado is a superfood that can be used every day. To keep it fresh and green, add lemon to it and store it in a tight cling wrap along with the seed for further use.
Moong Daal chillas/pancakes
My favourite go-to breakfast during both my pregnancies and even today are chillas or Indian pancakes. Add lots of vegetables to make it fibre rich and your morning greens are taken care of. Grate cabbage, carrots, zucchinis and bottle gourd along with some salt, green chillies, lemon and coriander to make it tangy and tasty. It can be eaten with coconut chutney, coriander chutney or some gunpowder with ghee.
Bircher Muesli
Soak rolled oats overnight with regular milk if you are able to tolerate it. If not, use almond milk, coconut milk or rice milk. When ready to eat it, add your favourite fruit and some nuts and seeds for a nutrient punch. You could also add some nut butter to make it yummier. Rich in micronutrients, rolled oats balance blood sugar levels, and keep you full for a longer period of time. So no more hunger pangs waiting in line for doctors’ appointments or at work.
Also Read: Trying to get pregnant? Avoid stress to boost your fertility
Scrambled eggs with vegetables
Stir fry some mushrooms, peppers, spinach, green peas in olive oil, then stir in some eggs till they are scrambled for some extra protein, fats, fibres and vitamins. You could eat it with a toast or just plain.
These healthy yet yummy options are a great way to kickstart your day when you are expecting. Try to keep the portions in check to avoid feeling heavy or bloated. Adding a nutrient dense breakfast every morning makes you less cranky and ravenous and binge lesser. Remember, being pregnant doesn’t mean you can eat everything in any amount. Be responsible for your health and that of the baby. The baby needs just a few more calories than what you have been eating; all the excess is being stored around in your body. Be smart, be healthy.
(The writer is an Integrative & Functional Nutritionist. Follow her on payalkothari.com or on Instagram and Facebook @Payalkotharinutrition.)
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