Energy Rich Snacks For A Healthy Pregnancy

Energy Rich Snacks for A Healthy Pregnancy
by Alexandra Mccabe

It's really tempting to grab a chocolate bar or other sugary snack when you're feeling low on energy, but although it will give you an instant lift, the effect will always be temporary and followed soon afterwards by a new low. This is because these foods release their energy in a rush. What you want is food that releases its energy slowly and evenly and helps keep you on track for a normal pregnancy weight gain.

Choose a snack from the following ideas:

A piece of wholemeal or granary toast with a topping of your choice - peanut butter, cottage cheese or hummus would be good.

A handful of dried apricots or other dried fruit.

A banana packs a real punch with lots of minerals and digestion aiding fibre. A single banana givers you approximately 27g of carbs. Team it with a handful of blueberries which are high in anti-oxidants, low-calorie and fat-free.

A wholemeal pitta stuffed with hummus and sliced tomato.

A couple of rough oatcakes and a low-fat dip.

A chopped pear with a little natural fromage frais topped with a handful of seeds.

Yogurt, especially with some fresh fruit. The 'good' bacteria in yogurt enhance the body's ability to absorb nutrients, so it's a real winner.

Yogurt with granola is good too!

A glass of milk, high energy and extra calcium too. If you're monitoring your pregnancy weight gain opt for low fat or non-fat milk - all the benefits with fewer calories.

Whip up a fruit smoothie smoothie which will help with your vitamin intake as well!

Nuts and seeds are packed full of healthy fats and oils and naturally high in zinc and other minerals too. One ounce of Brazil nuts (around 6 nuts) contains 185 calories, an astonishing 774% of your recommended daily intake of selenium (essential to immune and thyroid function) - don't eat too many of them!

A big bowl of raspberries - full of antioxidants, Vitamin C and Iron and lower in sugar than other fruits.

To help inspire you here are some quick and easy recipes for some healthy snacks!

Crunchy chick peas:

This snack gives all the crunch and saltiness of crisps, but none of the fat! A happy healthy pregnancy alternative that's very inexpensive !

Ingredients:

2 cans chickpeas drained and rinsed.

2tbsp extra virgin or rapeseed oil.

½ tsp salt.

Pinch cayenne pepper.

In a large brown toss the chickpeas with the oil, salt and cayenne. Spread them onto a large baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 200 degrees centigrade / gas mark 6 for about 45 minutes, shaking the pan a couple of times during cooking until golden. Leave to cool. You can experiment with other spices or more salt to change the flavour of the chick peas.

Homemade hummus:

This hummus is quick, easy and moreish - and much nicer than shop bought varieties! If you've forgotten to soak your chickpeas (or simply prefer to take it easy), tinned ones will work just as well. Chick peas are a good source of protein so good nutrition for pregnancy too!

Ingredients 125g/4oz dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight.

1 Lemon juice and zest.

2 tbsp tahini.

2 cloves garlic, peeled.

100ml Olive oil (extra virgin will give a lovely rich flavour) Salt.

Preparation method Drain the chickpeas and put in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Boil until tender this can take 60 minutes or more depending on the age of the chickpeas. Don't add any salt to the water or the chickpeas will not soften.

Drain and cool. Put in a food processor with the garlic, lemon juice and zest, tahini and salt. Whiz together and pour in the olive oil as the motor is still running.

You want a smooth dip, so if necessary add some cold water, still with the motor running, until you get the consistency you want. Taste for flavour and if it tastes bland, add more salt.

Serve with hot pitta bread, olives, vegetable crudités or with jacket potatoes and salad for a healthy lunch option.

Greek yoghurt with ginger:

Greek yoghurt is a good source of vitamins B6 and B12 as well as calcium and ginger can help to ease your pregnancy nausea. Ingredients.

1 tbsp Greek yoghurt 1 piece stem ginger in syrup Spoon two generous tablespoons of Greek yoghurt or low-fat Greek yoghurt into a bowl. Chop the piece of stem ginger in syrup into small pieces and stir it into the yoghurt, together with a spoonful of its syrup. If you don't like ginger, pour over a teaspoon of runny honey instead and top with a tablespoon of flaked, toasted almonds.

More Information:

Alexandra McCabe is a founder of https://www.fittamamma.com, the healthy pregnancy experts. FittaMamma is a free resource to help women enjoy an active pregnancy with workout videos, recipes and step-by-step yoga guides. Read here for tips on what to eat and how to enjoy a healthy prenatal diet that avoids pregnancy weight gain http://bit.ly/WHrN6Z

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