I’ve been wanting to write an article on Healthy Snacks During Pregnancy for a while as I think it’s something that many pregnant women could really benefit from.
During pregnancy, you may be find that you have cravings for certain foods, you’re suffering from morning sickness and finding certain foods hard to tolerate or simply that you need an extra kick of energy to get over tiredness and fatigue.
Most women don’t need any more calories when they are pregnant – not until the very last trimester when all you’ll need is around 200kcal extra – a slice or two of bread’s worth.
That’s why it’s a good idea to be smart with your food choices. And opt for some healthy snacks to help keep those energy levels up and some of those nasty pregnancy symptoms’ at bay.
If you’re suffering from morning sickness, opting for plain, energy-dense snacks such as:
- Wholegrain crackers
- Breadsticks
- Rice cakes
- Plain popcorn
- Nuts
- Wholegrain toast
can really help during pregnancy as they don’t have too much flavor, but are enough to give you a good hit of energy to perk you up. Try and opt for wholemeal options wherever possible, for a slower release of energy.
For a big energy boost, nuts are the perfect food. Nuts are easy to carry around and energy dense, but also contain a good bulk of protein, fats and fibre to give you plenty of nutrients at the same time.
It’s also fine to have peanuts during pregnancy, as long as you’re not allergic to them yourself, and, it might even help reduce the risk of peanut allergy in your baby.
Aside from the above and whether you’re suffering with any pregnancy related symptoms or not, having a list of go to healthy snacks can be a real help during pregnancy. So I’ve listed below some great, healthy and quick fix snack ideas for pregnant women.
My Top Ten Healthy Snacks During Pregnancy:
- Apple and cheese slices (try grating the cheese so it goes a little further)
- Walnuts and raspberries with plain/Greek yogurt
- Pitta bread and vegetable fingers with hummus
- Mashed avocado on toast
- Egg and soldiers
- Wholegrain cereal or oats with milk and fruits
- Vegetable smoothie made with milk or yogurt
- Low sugar banana bread (pop some homemade stuff in the freezer to tap into)
- Dried fruits and nuts
- Nut butters with crackers/bagels/muffins
Other great snack ideas for Healthy Snacks During Pregnancy include:
- All fruits and vegetables – fresh, dried, or frozen
- Plain yogurts
- Overnight oats
- Wholemeal toast and marmite/PB
- Homemade soups
- Beans on toast
- Oatcakes and marmite
There are plenty of other ideas for healthy snacks during pregnancy, but a point to note is that when you are ‘snacking’ during pregnancy, it should be just that – a snack and not a whole meal as you don’t need to eat for two during pregnancy! This may mean that you need to be more mindful of your portion sizes, even if you are choosing healthy foods.
Feel free to send in your own favourite healthy pregnancy snack foods to Nutritionist Charlotte and I may feature them on a video/blog post too.
Also check out my Feeding your foetus article which covers all you need to know about eating during pregnancy. You can also check out my video on fertility foods on youtube if you’re currently trying for a baby. Lastly, advice on alcohol during pregnancy has recently been updated too..