What To Eat For Lunch When Pregnant

How Much Of What Do I Eat

Make sure your diet is varied and includes adequate amounts of the following:

• fruit and vegetables
• grains, such as high fibre breads and cereals
• dairy foods and calcium fortified plant milks
• lean meats and meat alternatives .

You dont have to eat more but you do have to eat more variety. The following table offers an overview of the variety of food you should eat for optimum health during pregnancy.

What Should I Eat Daily During Pregnancy

Many people forget about eating a nutritious lunch during their pregnancy. Lunch provides a chance to unwind and take a breather from the stress of the days activities. It is also an opportunity to eat foods high in protein, fiber, healthy fats, and iron. The optimum diet for pregnancy includes a variety of lean proteins, vegetables, whole grains, and fruits.

Soups can be healthy options that can be stored in the fridge for days. Soups can provide plenty of water, and contain plenty of nutrient-dense ingredients, such as lentils and beans. You can also buy store-bought soups that contain less than 450 mg of sodium per serving. For a quick lunch, consider a bowl of nutrient-dense soup.

In addition to fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds are great snacks for pregnant women. Nuts are high in protein, fiber, healthy fat, and minerals. They provide an energy boost and dont require large portions. This is ideal for women who experience nausea or have a hard time eating large meals. They also provide a satisfying snack for those who are prone to nausea and feel hungry quickly.

What Can I Make For A Quick Evening Meal

• Pasta is a great pantry essential, with a variety of shapes available to keep things interesting. Make tomato-based sauces at the weekend and freeze them for use during the week.
• Grill or roast a piece of chicken or salmon, and serve it with a large salad or steamed broccoli and a crusty roll.
• Stir-fry spring onion, capsicum, snow peas and pak choi or broccoli and serve with well-cooked chicken, tofu or prawns for a speedy dinner. You can buy packs of pre-sliced vegetables if time is tight, but give them a good wash before you use them, even if the packet says theyre pre-washed.
• If you have a good canteen at work, you could eat a cooked meal for lunch, and a lighter evening meal.
• Prepare double quantities of meals, such as chilli con carne or spaghetti bolognaise, at weekends, and freeze portions ready for when youre too tired to cook or youre working nights.

Read Also: Does Medicaid Cover Dna Testing While Pregnant

Pregnancy Recipes: Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Besides being an excellent source of protein pork is an outstanding . This essential mineral supports a baby’s growth and development during pregnancy as well as your immune system, which is more susceptible to certain infections now that you’re pregnant.

And while you’re probably most familiar with the health benefits of whole grains like brown rice or whole wheat, barley is similarly a great source of fiber, to keep your digestive system moving, and magnesium, to potentially promote better sleep. This healthy pregnancy meal incorporates chickpeas for another dose of fiber, as well as folate and plant protein . Dried apricots and currants add a flash of sweet flavor plus nutrients and disease-fighting antioxidants.

Fish With High Levels Of Mercury

Seafood such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, some types of tuna and tilefish are high in levels of methylmercury, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and should be avoided during pregnancy. If a person eats high-mercury fish regularly, the mercury can accumulate in their bloodstream and, if pregnant, this mercury can be passed on to a woman’s baby and damage their developing brain and nervous system, said the Mayo Clinic. Canned light tuna has less mercury than albacore “white” tuna and is safer to eat during pregnancy, according to a study published in 2004 in the journal Environ Res.

Don’t Miss: How Can You Prevent Getting Pregnant

Is Rice Good For Pregnancy

If you are pregnant, you might wonder whether rice is good for your growing fetus. Rice is a great food for expecting mothers-to-be, since it contains important nutrients for the developing fetus. Moreover, it can help strengthen the babys body and improve milk quality. Besides, eating rice can improve your complexion, clear your skin, and make your skin feel softer.

While pregnant, it is best to consume approximately 2200-2900 calories a day. In addition, try to stay away from processed rice such as cereal and crackers, since they are loaded with arsenic. Instead, try to eat more fruits and vegetables. Avocados, guava, and bananas are rich in vitamins C and E, and are recommended for the first trimester. Rice is an excellent source of these nutrients.

In addition to being an excellent source of carbohydrates, rice contains several vitamins and minerals that are essential to the human body. Almost 90% of rice is made up of starch, which is broken down into simple sugars by the body. The two types of starch are amylose and amylopectin, which have different properties. Rice rich in amylose is difficult to digest, and is considered resistant starch.

How Many Times Should A Pregnant Woman Eat A Day

The sample meal provided below will give you an idea of what a pregnant woman should normally take in a day in order to maintain a balanced diet throughout pregnancy, but it is not exhaustive. For a general rule of thumb, three modest, but well-balanced meals and three light snacks throughout the day are sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of you and your kid.

Don’t Miss: Is It Normal To Have Slight Cramping In Early Pregnancy

What Can A Pregnant Woman Eat In The Afternoon

Delicious pregnancy snack ideas for turning midday munchies into nutritional noshes.Healthy protein snacks for pregnancy Hummus and whole wheat crackers. Youll get protein and healthy fats from the chickpea dip, plus wholesome carbs from the crackers. Edamame. A handful of nuts. Roasted chickpeas. Hard-boiled eggs.

Diet During Pregnancy = Healthy Eating

Therefore, we recommend avoiding popular diets such as Atkins, South Beach, The Zone, Raw Food Diet, and so on. The type of diet we encourage during pregnancy refers to fine-tuning your eating habits to ensure you are receiving adequate nutrition for the health of you and your baby. Healthy eating during pregnancy is critical to your babys growth and development. In order to get the nutrients you need, you must eat from a variety of food groups, including fruits and vegetables, bread and grains, protein sources and dairy products.

Typically, you will need to consume an extra 300 calories a day.

Read Also: Can I Get Pregnant After Abortion Pill

What Should A Pregnant Woman Eat For Breakfast Lunch And Dinner

A pregnant woman should aim to include protein, fruit, and veggies at most meals, along with whole grains and water. By involving a range of foods, you can consume the nutrients that both you and baby need to feel strong and healthy. Pregnant women are encouraged to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day.

Pregnancy Recipes: Ratatouille With Eggs

Get the health benefits of eggs in this healthy pregnancy meal. It also has eggplant and tomatoes both excellent , which helps to maintain healthy blood pressure. In fact, research suggests that including more potassium-rich fruits and veggies in your diet is an important part of an overall healthy-living strategy to reduce the risk of preeclampsia .

What’s more, tomatoes are a good , which not only boosts your immune system but helps your body to better absorb iron from plant foods like leafy greens. That’s especially important during pregnancy, since your body needs iron to produce blood to supply your baby.

Recommended Reading: How To Control Thyroid During Pregnancy

Pregnancy Recipes: Zucchini Noodles

While it’s perfectly healthy to reach for the whole-grain noodles throughout your pregnancy, incorporating veggie-based pasta into your routine helps satisfy pasta cravings and work in more veggies. In addition to whole-wheat pasta, this recipe uses sliced zucchini, an excellent to support your baby’s eye development.

A nut-based sauce gets bonus points for being both savory and nutrient-packed. It uses tahini and peanut butter, which both offer a dose of filling monounsaturated fats and fiber along with antioxidant-rich vitamin E.

What Are The Healthiest Pregnancy Snacks For Work

• Strips of pepper, carrot and baby sweetcorn. Fresh, raw vegetables will last the day if kept cool and in an airtight bag or container. Dip them into pots of hummus or guacamole to make them extra tasty and to give you and your baby more nutrients.
• Fresh fruit of any kind, or a handful of mixed dried fruit, such as figs, prunes and apricots. These offer a healthy energy boost and are high in fibre.
• A tub of seeds or nuts, such as almonds or cashews. These are rich in magnesium so are great for you and your baby.
• Savoury wholegrain crackers, bread sticks, rice cakes, oat cakes and healthy cereal bars.
• Wholegrain bread rolls and sliced malt loaf.

You May Like: How To Make Sure You Become Pregnant

Easy Pregnancy Lunch Ideas

Breadcrumb

HomePregnancyHubBeing pregnantBeing healthy during pregnancyEating well in pregnancy 7 easy pregnancy lunch ideas

Here are some quick and easy ideas for lunchtime meals. Keep soup hot in a flask and keep sandwiches cool in an insulated bag. Try to have a variety of fruit and vegetables each day as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Pizza, but not as you know it!

Quick and easy ‘pitta pizza’. Put chopped tomatoes and other vegetables such as peppers or mushrooms onto a baguette and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Put it under the grill to melt the cheese. Mozzarella and cheddar cheese are great for melting and both are safe to eat during pregnancy.

Find out more about foods to avoid during pregnancy.

Get your portion of fish

Tinned sardines or mackerel on wholemeal toast with sliced tomato.

You should aim to eat one portion of oily fish a week, such as salmon, trout, mackerel or herring. Oily fish helps your baby’s nervous system to develop. However, you should not eat more than 2 portions of oily fish a week as they may contain pollutants that can harm your baby.

An easy way to hit your 5-a-day

Vegetable soup, with a wholemeal bun.

A simple classic

Baked beans with some bread or toast on the side.

Veggie chickpea dahl

Find the recipe for this veggie dish from First Steps Nutrition Trust.

A home-prepped, packed lunch

Perfect for lunch on-the-go! Tuna and sweetcorn pasta, carrot and cucumber sticks, yoghurt, and a carton of orange juice.

Lunches For Pregnancy To Avoid

Now you know what to eat as lunch for pregnancy, but it is better to know more about which foods to avoid consuming as lunch meal while pregnant. Lunch meat, high mercury level fish, raw sushi, soft cheese, sugary yogurts, unpasteurized or undercooked eggs, undercooked meat.

These kinds of food should be avoided, because they can put you at the high risk of food poisoning during pregnancy.

Therefore, you should not add foods like, undercooked hot dogs, salami, bologna, shark, swordfish, tilefish, cheese like, camembert, brie, queso blanco, etc. to your lunch meal during pregnancy. Instead of these unhealthy foods, consume options mentioned above to meet your nutritional needs during pregnancy. Suggest you read Articles

Pregnancy is the time that needs extra attention, especially when it comes to consume foods during this period. Easy pregnancy lunches ideas are of the top search of pregnant women, because most of them dont want to stay at stove and want to prepare their food as much as possible.

There are several options such as, soups, sandwiches, grain bowls, and quiches that pregnant women can consume as lunch meal. Always keep in mind that you should add pregnancy-safe options to your diet, and also it is better to consult your doctor or health care provider before adding any kinds of food to your meal plan during pregnancy.

Don’t Miss: What Can I Do For Headaches While Pregnant

Snack Foods To Eat While Pregnant

What you eat becomes more important than ever when youre pregnant. You need more vitamins and minerals to help your baby grow and maintain your own health. And because your body is working hard at supporting both of you, you need to consume more calories in the second and third trimester.

While it may be tempting to think of those extra calories as a green light to indulge in less healthy snacks, dont head to the vending machine just yet, say nutrition experts. If youre regularly having healthy, balanced meals, a treat here and there isnt going to hurt. But ideally, you want most of those extra calories to come from nutritious food.

If youre mostly snacking on things like dessert, chips or another less healthy food, think about what makes that food so appealing to you right now, try to get that same quality in something that provides more nutrition.

Have A Healthy Diet In Pregnancy

A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle at any time but is especially vital if you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Eating healthily during pregnancy will help your baby to develop and grow.

You do not need to go on a special diet, but it’s important to eat a variety of different foods every day to get the right balance of nutrients that you and your baby need.

It’s best to get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat, but when you’re pregnant you need to take a folic acid supplement as well, to make sure you get everything you need.

There are also certain foods that should be avoided in pregnancy.

You May Like: Can You Get Fired For Being Pregnant

If You Eat Healthy Drink Healthy Too

Water is a wonder drink. It addresses many different kinds of health issues and pregnancy is no exception. As much as possible, drink the recommended amount of water every day. Staying hydrated may help alleviate pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness and nausea. In contrast, dehydration, especially if this occurs during your third trimester, can lead to contractions and pre-term labor. Hydrate with water but never with energy drinks.

Cut back on soda and caffeine intake. Switch to fruit drinks and juices as a substitute for soda and caffeine, but still try to limit the amount of fruit juices so you are not taking in too much sugar too quickly. Even better would be to eat a small serving of fruit to help satisfy the sugar or caffeine craving.

And by all means, avoid any kind of alcohol as this will impact your babys health. Even once the baby is born, youll want to follow these same precautions while breastfeeding. Continuing these precautions while breastfeeding is important because unsafe foods, like alcohol, can pass through the breast milk to the baby. We consider this the fourth trimester of pregnancy.

Pregnancy Recipes: Steak Fajitas

Fajitas are tasty way to add more iron-rich red meat and veggies to your diet. This recipe incorporates flank steak, a leaner cut with fewer calories and saturated fat as well as more protein than other red meats. It’s grilled a healthier cooking method that locks in a satisfying smoky flavor.

This pregnancy recipe includes a variety of other nutritious foods. Bell peppers are loaded with vitamin C, with helps with the absorption of iron to reduce the risk of anemia . Nutrient-packed avocados are a great source of filling unsaturated fats, potassium, folate, magnesium, choline, and more. And whole-grain tortillas give you energy with a dose of constipation-fighting fiber.

Recommended Reading: How To Boost Immune System While Pregnant

Why Do I Need More Calcium When Pregnant

Calcium is a nutrient needed in the body to build strong teeth and bones. Calcium also allows blood to clot normally, muscles and nerves to function properly, and the heart to beat normally. Most of the calcium in your body is found inside your bones.

Your growing baby needs a considerable amount of calcium to develop. If you do not consume enough calcium to sustain the needs of your developing baby, your body will take calcium from your bones, decreasing your bone mass and putting you at risk for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis causes dramatic thinning of the bone, resulting in weak, brittle bones that can easily be broken.

Pregnancy is a critical time for a woman to consume more calcium. It may help prevent high blood pressure while you’re pregnant. Even if no problems develop during pregnancy, an inadequate supply of calcium at this time can diminish bone strength and increase your risk for osteoporosis later in life.

The following guidelines will help ensure that you are consuming enough calcium throughout your pregnancy:

Are Food Cravings Real

It is common for women to develop a sudden urge or a strong dislike for a food during pregnancy. Some common cravings are for sweets, salty foods, red meat or fluids, Krieger said. Often, a craving is a body’s way of saying it needs a specific nutrient, such as more protein or additional liquids to quench a thirst, rather than a particular food, she said.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.

Additional resources

• The Institute of Medicine has a BMI calculator to help pregnant women figure out the right amount of weight to gain.
• Find answers to frequently asked questions about nutrition during pregnancy from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
• Learn about safe food choices and food safety risks from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Editor’s note: This reference page was updated on April 24, 2021, by Live Science contributor Sarah Wild.

You May Like: How To Get Rid Of Saggy Skin After Pregnancy