When you’re pregnant, it is important to look after your health in order to nurture your baby. Making smart snack choices helps to provide your body with the additional nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are essential for your baby’s development.

Healthy pregnancy snacks – Pregnancy can wreak crazy havoc on your appetite – it can make you feel starving hungry, but nauseous at the thought of eating a meal. So, add these healthy snacks to your pregnancy healthy eating plan.

• Healthy pregnancy snacks: Fresh seasonal fruit

Keep a bowl of fresh fruits on the dining table. Whenever hunger strikes just pick one! Rich in fibre and nutrients, eating fruit is one of the healthiest ways to keep hunger pangs at bay. Citrus fruits have vitamin C, which helps your body to absorb iron from food.
Pick fresh seasonal fruits as often as you can and try to have the fruit with the peel, wherever possible. The peel has nutrients and fibre as well.

• Healthy pregnancy snacks: Home-made Nachos

Restaurant nachos are loaded with calories, fat, and sodium, but you can make a healthier version at home whenever you’re craving chips and cheese. Just take a handful of baked tortilla chips, sprinkle on a little-shredded cheese, and microwave a few seconds until the cheese melts. Top with a little-jarred salsa (which is generally fat-free and low in calories) and you have delicious healthy pregnancy snacks in minutes. Have a few more minutes? Make your own salsa with fresh tomatoes.

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• Healthy pregnancy snacks: Baked Potato with Toppers

Potatoes are another smart portable snack. They’re easy to make in the microwave but can also be eaten cold. The potato skin is high in insoluble fibre, so it can help you with constipation. Potatoes also have potassium, folate, and iron. Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body and plays a role in brain development. Vitamin C, another nutrient in the potato, helps your body better absorb iron, yet another reason to eat potatoes. Instead of using butter or sour cream to top your potato, try plain non-fat yogurt and a sprinkle of chives.

• Sprouts Bhel

The famous Indian street food – the ever-so tangy bhel can be transformed into healthy bhel for expecting mothers with some variations. Take some puffed rice (murmura), steamed sprouts, finely chopped onion, tomato and boiled potato, finely chopped green chilly (as per your taste) and coriander leaves. Add to this some sev. Add some tamarind sauce, a pinch of amchur (mango powder), and salt. Mix all these ingredients well. Sprinkle some chaat masala and relish the treat.
Puffed rice is rich in Proteins and Vitamin B. Sprouts makes the bhel even more nutritious.

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• Smoothies 

Smoothies can really help you to deal with the fatigue or exhaustion and make you feel fresh. Instead of going out for a smoothie that may be high in sugar and will also add to calories, prepare one at home using any fruit of your choice (avoid Papaya) like apple, mango, blueberries or raspberries. If you want your smoothie to be thick, choose frozen fruit. Cut the fruit into small pieces and blend it with the help of a blender. Pour milk on it, add some ice cubes and blend it again to make a puree. Do not overload it with too much sugar. Smoothie is ready. Fruits, milk and yoghurt are rich in calcium, proteins and loads of essential nutrients.

Read Also: Clean Eating Challenge for Moms

• Dhokla

Low on the calorie count but high in taste, dhoklas can be a great snack option. Fermented foods are generally high in probiotics, which help your digestive system along. Add boiled vegetables like carrots, French beans and corn to the batter for more nutrients. If you have a dhokla cold, straight out of the fridge, you might find it soothing in hot weather and easier to take in if you feel queasy often.

The challenge is that you get only a limited number of “extra” calories per day to play with, but they need to be nutrition-dense. These snacks for moms-to-be will help meet your need for essential pregnancy nutrients. They are easy to assemble, are generously sized, and clock in between 200 and 300 calories. And they’re all tasty, too.