Once you discover you will be a mom in nine months, your life instantly changes. You go from carefree to mommy mode. All any mom-to-be wants is a healthy baby. With that said, what you take in yourself can have an effect on the little one in your belly. With just a few simple switches, you can go from an “ok” pregnancy diet to a “great” nutritional diet.
Salads – You most likely make delicious salads at home for yourself for lunch or as a side for dinner, right? Upgrade this dish by swapping out the iceberg lettuce for spinach. Spinach is packed with folate, which is super important for your baby’s neural development. Think of it this way, one cup delivers more than 60% of your daily needs. If you don’t love the taste of spinach, try baby spinach leaves which are much milder. Chances are you will easily find this at your local market or grocery store.
Seasonings – We are not asking you to stop seasoning your meal. Simply switch away from salt as your main seasoning and dive into your spice cabinet for some cumin, rosemary or thyme. The alternatives will be much healthier for you and baby than all of the sodium salt brings. Your ankles will also thank you when you are not so bloated from taking in too much salt.
Pancakes – A common pregnancy craving is pancakes doused with syrup. A healthy way to upgrade your pancakes and take them from unhealthy to healthy and delicious is by skipping the syrup and instead adding flavor with delicious berries and honey. Trust us, once you try this, you will never want syrup again even after baby arrives.
It has to be said, even if you are doing your best to eat healthy, this is no substitute for taking your prenatal vitamins. You still can’t miss out on every vitamin you need even by eating healthy. If you are planning on becoming pregnant, there is no better time than now to start your vitamins.
For additional information on ways to upgrade your diet, check out this article from fit pregnancy.
