During your pregnancy is probably one of the MOST IMPORTANT times to eat healthily. Eating good healthy foods during your pregnancy will make sure that you and your baby are getting the nutrients for a healthy baby and pregnancy.
Eating healthy foods has many rewards and benefits. Yes, it is easier to eat unhealthy food especially in the first trimester….ugh stinking morning sickness. Unhealthy foods may actually make you feel better. However, in the long run you want to eat POWER foods!
The reward for these 23 superfoods to eat during your pregnancy are HUGE!
Stanford Children’s Health talks about the importance of eating healthy during your pregnancy. They say “Approximately 300 extra calories are needed daily to maintain a healthy pregnancy. These calories should come from a balanced diet of protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, with sweets and
The whole “eating for two” is not entirely true. Eating an extra 300 calories a day is another bowl of cereal or a healthy late night snack.
Okay, enough said there. But before we dive into the 23 superfoods to eat during
Mommy Guilt
Looking back at my first pregnancy I felt so bad about the candy or hamburgers that I ate. Even during my current pregnancy. In my first trimester all I wanted was corn dogs! I would have 2-3 a day! My corn dog craving only lasted a week but I felt like such a terriable mom.
You might feel this same guilt sometime during your pregnancy.
But, let me stop you right there.
This list might seem overwhelming or just too much. The last thing I want to make you feel is guilt about not eating healthy. Before you check out the list, I want you to ask yourself one thing.
“What Is one superfood can I start eating this week?”
You may even be surprised that you are already eating a lot of superfoods. If you are not don’t feel bad! Just start by eating one superfood!
This will be a more achievable goal and you will have much more success just by taking it one baby step at a time.
Another thing I want you to do for me is this. If you eat something unhealthy, don’t feel bad! then for your next meal or snack eat a superfood!
Truth is mama, I am far beyond perfect at eating healthy all of the time. I truly believe that if your pregnant body is craving something unhealthy or healthy there may be something in that food that your body needs.
During my second pregnancy for a straight week all I wanted was corn dogs. And I ate probably 2-3 a day. Yes, I know that is not good but I needed like NEEDED corn dogs. After a week they sounded gross and haven’t had one since!
Don’t feel like a terrible mom if you eat something unhealthy. What is important is that you try your best to eat a healthy and balanced diet.
20 Superfoods To Eat During Your Pregnancy
Okay, I will no longer delay this superfood list. This list of superfoods (and water! don’t forget to drink water) can help you have a healthy pregnancy, baby and even recovery from birth quicker.
1. Spinach
Spinach is a powerful superfood. It is packed full of all sorts of healthy minerals and vitamins such as Iron, Zinc, Vitamins A, C, E and, K, Calcium, Folate magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and copper. If you have a hard time eating a spinach salad or even steamed spinach you could always add a cup of spinach to a fruit smoothie!
I usually start my mornings off with a fruit smoothie. My daughter loves smoothies so I will add a cup of spinach in our morning smoothie so that she can get her dark leafy greens too!
2. Kale
This is another super awesome and healthy superfood to eat. You may not like the texture of Kale so this is another great leafy green that you can add to a smoothie.
One thing I love is that you can’t even taste Kale in your smoothies so you don’t even know it’s there! Were as adding too many cucumbers to a smoothie makes your whole smoothie taste like cucumber.
You could also try sautéing kale with some butter it is super yummy cooked this way. Another great place to find kale recipes is Pinterest! No matter how you eat it just make sure you include some Kale in your diet.
3. Sweet Potatoes
I LOVE sweet potatoes! I will often use them instead of regular yellow potatoes since they are so much healthier. One of my favorite ways to eat sweet potatoes is to add bacon, blueberries, and cinnamon with maple syrup on top of a steamed sweet potato. It is super filling and tastes AMAZING!
4. Collard Greens
I never had collard greens before so I was super nervous to try it. To my surprise it tasted really good. Just like spinach and kale. Collard greens contain a lot of vitamins that are beneficial to the growth and development of your baby. Anything that is dark. leafy and green is a great superfood!
5. Eggs
In my first pregnancy, I could not stand the smell or taste of eggs. Because of that I would try and find recipes that needed eggs. Eggs have a great source of protein which can help keep morning sickness away.
During my second pregnancy eggs and toast have been one of my go to breakfast meals. When ever I am feeling nauseous I will quickly scramble me up some eggs and my nausea will go away!
Eggs are great brain food for your baby’s growing and developing brain. If you can’t stand the smell or taste of eggs like how I was. Finding healthy recipes that need eggs will help you make sure you are getting eggs in your diet.
6. Nuts
Tree nuts such as almonds, cashews, hazelnut and many others are also a good source of protein, fiber, calcium, and vitamin E. Plus they make for the perfect snack! Since you need to be eating or snacking all of the time during pregnancy. Nuts are a great snack to keep in your purse so when you are getting hungry to nauseous you can snack on something healthy.
7. Berries
Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and any other word ending in berries is such a good superfood. I usually try to keep some fresh berries in the house so that when I am feeling snacky I can quickly grab something healthy and good for me and my growing baby.
8. Yogurt
Probiotics are super important during pregnancy and what better way to get some probiotics than yogurt right? Probiotics are important to your digestive system and for baby. Make sure when you are shopping for yogurt to get some that doesn’t have added dyes or sugar. You want a “natural” as you can get.
Side note: Greek yogurt is one of the yogurts that is highest in protein which is the key to feeling well (especially in the first trimester) Yogurt has been my BFF during both of my pregnancies. Plus yogurt is great to eat while your breastfeeding.
If you are not a fan of yogurt or are allergic to dairy (like our daughter is) then you will want to get probiotics another way. I take these probiotic capsules. They are amazing! plus they help with constipation which can but a huge problem during pregnancy.
9. Whole Grains
Try to stay away from white flours because they are super inflammatory and can cause lots of digestive problems. Whole grain foods are a great superfood to add to your diet. You can start by eating whole grain bread, or instead of buying white spaghetti noddles get whole grain ones.
Since your digestive track slows down when you are pregnant it is important that you are eating foods that aren’t going to back up your system. Plus white flours are a lot more processed than whole grains. The less processed a food is the better it is for you!
10. Broccoli
One of the best things about broccoli is that it is an amazing source of folate. Or other wise known as folic acid which is SUPER important to take during your pregnancy. It is an essential nutrient for your growing baby. Without folate, babies can develop birth defects.
Prenatal vitamins contain folate however, enriched foods that have folate in them will be absorb better into your body then folate found in prenatal vitamins. Steamed broccoli is super yummy or once again. Search on Pinterest to find yummy recipes with broccoli.
11. Avocados
Our daughter LOVES avocados! It was one of the first foods I introduced to her. She will eat a whole avocado plain and she will even want more after having 1 whole avocado. Now, I am not as much as a lover of avocados and our daughter is but, I do love
I will even add them to my smoothies and they do great at thickening up the smoothie since I can’t add yogurt since our daughter is allergic to dairy. Avocados are high in potassium and healthy fatty acids. Which your body and baby needs!
12. Bananas
One of my quick morning foods to eat is a banana. I will usually eat a banana while I am making breakfast for my daughter and myself. They are cheap and easy to add to your purse so you will have something to eat while on the go.
Another amazing thing about bananas is that they contain potassium. Which helps with those painful leg cramps that you get in the second or even third trimester. I use to get leg cramps SO bad when I was in the third trimester when I was pregnant with our daughter.
I would try to eat 2-3 bananas a day and when I did I wouldn’t get any leg cramps at night. Plus bananas are super yummy anyways!
13. Bone Broth
Bone broth is good for your gut and it is rich in minerals that support your immune system. During pregnancy your immune system is lower so it is easier to catch a cold. To help keep your immune system high try to consume bone broth daily or weekly. It is great just to drink as a soup or to add it to soups or other foods you are cooking.
You can either buy bone broth but even better you can make it homemade. Head here to see how to make homemade bone broth.
14. Coconut Oil
I love cooking with coconut oil. I love the smell and it gives our food a
As an added bonus coconut oil is also another great immune booster! Lately, I have been popping popcorn in a pan with 2 T of coconut oil and it is SUPER YUMMY! It is healthier than added butter plus I am a coconut lover!
15. Dates
I got some big news about for you. Eating dates in the last few weeks of pregnancy can help the cervix get ready for labor by softening and opening it. Which can shorten labor and reduce risks for both mom and baby.
Dates are also great to give you a boost of energy and they are high in fiber which can help with constipation problems. Everything about dates are amazing! They help shorten labor, gives you energy and can help with constipation…um eating dates is a no brainer!
Conclusion
As I said earlier don’t get overwhelmed by this list. Start by eating one thing and then add more in as you go. If you eat something unhealthy don’t guilt trip yourself eat something healthy for your next snack or meal.
Eating these superfoods will help you and your growing baby tremendously. When I eat healthy I feel so much better. Eating healthy helps you to slowly gain weight which decreases your chance of getting stretch marks or less then you would get if you ate unhealthy foods and gained weight quickly.
Keep in mind that if you are taking prenatal vitamins that is not all you need. You need good vitamins and minerals the comes directly from food since your body will absorb it better and get more nutrients to your baby then prenatal vitamins alone will.
With that said I hope you enjoyed this list. If you have any superfoods that should be added to this list then let me know in the comments below!
Pamela R Arteaga
Tuesday 21st of September 2021
Hi Kara, it's really nice of you to put all the necessary info in a single place. May I suggest you to include more details like an online shop or a quick recipe. Thanks!