10 Awesome Foods that Nourish Pregnant and Breastfeeding Moms

Every pregnant mom and breastfeeding moms need to eat good foods that will nourish them.

Being a mom of five, it’s okay to say I have been pregnant five times. 🤭😄

It means that I have enough experience.

So, I would like to share with you what kept me nourished when I journeyed for nine months, 5 different times, say 45 months altogether.

Did you get the maths?😅😅.

Journey with me let’s explore 10 foods that kept me nourished and made my baby healthy and nourished.

What are the foods that nourish pregnant and breastfeeding moms?

1. Calcium for Strong Baby Bones:

As a pregnant mom, you need a lot of calcium every day to build your baby’s teeth and bones.

Not getting enough could harm you too.

Little or no calcium intake may cause bone loss and tooth damage.

This is because your body drains calcium from your bones to strengthen the baby’s, which could lead to osteoporosis as you get older.

Some calcium-rich foods for moms include:

Bread, oatmeal, and orange juice.

Fortified cereals such as Total, Raisin Bran, Corn Flakes (They have a lot of calcium in one serving.),

Fortified orange juice, Soybeans, Cheese, Yogurt Milk, and Sardines.

Dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, turnips, and collard greens.

2. Protein Rich food:

Protein-rich foods are vital for your tissue growth as well as your baby’s.

“Protein intake during pregnancy needs to meet the requirement for growth of the placenta, breasts, uterus and the mother’s expanded blood volume.”

And protein helps repair the cells that are stressed by the changes brought on by pregnancy which helps you avoid pregnancy fatigue.

Some protein-rich foods that I had were:

Beans; eggs; low-mercury fish; lean cuts of beef, properly cleaned pork (we can’t trust the roadside hustle, so I buy and clean by yourself) and lamb; seafood; dairy foods; peanut butter, Chicken, Yoghurt, nuts.

3. Brain building fats:

As a Pregnant mom, I would advise that your daily calorie intake should consist of 25 percent to 30 percent healthy fats.

These healthy fats are important for your baby’s brain and vision.

Dietary fat is one of the basic building blocks in the formation of fetal cells.

The fat in fish has been found to aid the development of your baby’s brain tissue and central nervous system.

This brain-building fat is what we call the omega-3 fatty acid found mainly in cold-water fish.

To avoid mercury and other contaminants, choose wild Pacific salmon, mussels, and other safe varieties.

Some sources of brain-building fats are:

Canola or flax oil, fish, avocado, nuts, and seeds.

Awesome Foods that Nourish pregnant and breastfeeding moms

4. Folate; Foods that prevent birth defects in babies:

It’s not an easy deal for moms who birth babies with defects.

Although there are different reasons for defects in babies.

I am sure as a mom you would be willing to do all in your power to birth a total and well-child.

Folate, a B vitamin found in certain foods, and folic acid (the synthetic form of folate) help reduces the risk of neural-tube defects.

Because birth defects of the brain and spine occur in the first few weeks of pregnancy, usually before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

As a result, it’s important to start getting the recommended daily amount of folate as early as possible.

Ideally before conceiving.

If you are already expecting, the recommended amount increases to 600 micrograms daily.

You’ll likely need a folic acid supplement if your diet and prenatal vitamins do not supply all you need.

Some folate-rich foods are:

Lentils, cereals, pasta, white rice, fortified grains, and folate-rich foods.

Dark-green leafy vegetables, cabbage, cauliflower, green peas, oranges, melons, chickpeas, and spinach.

5.) Vitamin C: To help avoid preterm birth.

Preterm birth is any delivery before 40 weeks.

And most preterm births put moms at the edge because they are unsure of their baby’s health.

This is because there could be complications associated with delivering before your due date.

Vitamin C aids in strengthening your body’s membranes, including the amniotic membranes—if these rupture, preterm delivery can result.

Moreso, foods rich in vitamin C also enhance absorption of iron; this mineral is essential for the formation of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood.

Eating vitamin C foods with vegetable sources of iron will help the iron get absorbed into your body.

So, why not try these foods to help you get through till you get to your EDD( expected delivery date)?

Cantaloupe, broccoli, citrus fruits juices, mangoes, tomatoes, strawberry, and red pepper.

6. Iron for cell production:

During my first pregnancy, every day I went for my antenatal, my gynaecologist would always send me for an iron test.

And anytime the result was low my doctor frowned at it, and automatically I was placed on some drugs and these food items I would want to share with you moms.

They are; Green leafy vegetables (such as kale and turnip greens), liver, molasses, canned oysters.

You also need vitamins B6 and B12 (both found in many protein foods) to aid this blood-volume increase, as well as to maintain healthy brain and nerve function.

These vitamins help the baby and mother use protein, carbohydrates and fats for energy and for building baby’s tissues.

7. Whole Grains with lots and lots of water:

The iron in your prenatal vitamin—as well as pregnancy itself—can lead to constipation.

You’ll need about 25 to 35 grams of fiber in your diet every day.

Try to get about 10 grams each at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and remember to drink water throughout the day.

I remember I could run down about 5 litres everyday.😅

Consuming fiber without fluids won’t get things moving as quickly as they should.

Fiber-rich foods are: Beans, fruits, vegetables

8. Foods for Muscle and Organ Development:

Mom! For muscle building for you and your baby the importance of protein can’t be over emphasized.

Protein is the building block of human tissue, and you need 60 to 70 grams of it daily when you’re pregnant.

Protein provides amino acids that join to form the baby’s muscles and organs.

Protein-rich foods are very important in the last trimester to help maximize fetal growth.

Bonus: Most protein sources also are high in iron and zinc.

Sources of these protein-rich foods are;

Eggs, lean cuts of pork and lamb; dairy foods; legumes; low-mercury fish; poultry; peanut butter.

9. Vitamin D:

As a pregnant mom, food rich in Vitamin D is essential as it keeps you away from Osteoporosis at old age.

Yes!!! Osteoporosis at old age, this is a quick reminder that our lifestyle today has a lot of results in our old age.

How is this possible?

If you don’t consume enough calcium, your baby is going to leach it from your bones, which could lead to reduced bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue.

This puts you at risk of having fractures at your old age.

Also, because you can’t absorb calcium without vitamin D, be sure that the milk you buy is vitamin D-enriched.

In addition, try to get 15 minutes or more of sun exposure every day.

Sources of Vitamin D are SunshineCod liver oil, egg yolks, fatty cold-water fish such as wild Pacific salmon, sardines and herring,

10. Ginger Tea:

Oh yes, As a first time mom I remembered I had morning sickness and I spat every time the clock ticked.

I was so drained until I got to know this secret weapon for fighting these two off.

I consumed about 4 cups of ginger tea per day.

It was my doctor who encouraged me to try ginger tea, it was so helpful.

Indeed nature has blessed us with so much

Conclusion

During the period of pregnancy and breastfeeding, your body needs a lot of nutrients.

This is because your baby depends on the nutrients in your body to stay nourished.

As a result, you must do all that you can to ensure that you are eating properly.

Not just that, ensure that you are eating healthy nutritional foods.

Use the tips in this article as a guide and share this article with every mom that you know.

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Keep being #fabulous 💋

Rooting for you,

Viv 🧡