It can be tempting to stop at the fast food drive-thru on your way to work or even skip breakfast altogether if you are running short on time. For your own pregnancy diet, finding healthy options to eat can be challenging. Here are some of our favorite and most healthy options to eat for breakfast during your pregnancy:
Add Hot Quinoa with Fresh Fruit to Your Pregnancy Diet
Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah") is quickly becoming one of the most popular and versatile foods for any meal of the day. It makes a great salad with chopped fresh vegetables and a sprinkle of your favorite spices. Quinoa can add nutrition to soups and bread recipes. It contains all nine essential amino acids and about six grams of protein per serving.
For a healthy breakfast option, try cooking quinoa (add double the amount of water per serving of uncooked quinoa), adding some fresh sliced fruit such as peaches, mangoes, bananas or berries. For additional protein, add slivered almonds. You can sweeten the quinoa with honey or maple syrup but do not use artificial sweeteners.
Eggs (Cooked Any Style) with Fruit is a Healthy Option for Breakfast
Eggs are one of the best forms of protein and a great food item to add to your list of what to eat for breakfast during pregnancy. If you can pay the higher price tag, it is worth purchasing organic eggs, which are available in most grocery stores.
You can try your eggs soft-boiled, poached or scrambled. If you are in a hurry, why not hard-boil you eggs the night before and take one or two with you before you head out the door in the morning? Skip the toast or reduce the amount you eat to one slice to avoid too many empty calories.
You might enjoy your eggs with a serving of fruit depending on what is in season. You can usually get apples, bananas, grapes and oranges regardless of the season.
Try Quiche (with Spinach, Broccoli, Tomatoes or Turkey Sausage) as a Breakfast Option
Another way to enjoy a healthy breakfast is to mix up eggs, cheese, milk and vegetables and/or meats in a quiche. One of the best things about quiche is that you can make it ahead of time and then enjoy it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
To add more protein to this healthy breakfast option, add ham or turkey sausage to your quiche; however, be sure to use meats with no nitrates.
Nonfat Yogurt with Nuts and Fruit is a Quick Option for Your Pregnancy Diet
When time is limited, another thing to try for breakfast during pregnancy is adding some nuts to nonfat yogurt. Ideally, you should use organic yogurt since non-organic dairy products come from cows that may have been treated with artificial growth hormones and other chemicals. You may decide to add additional fruit to your nonfat yogurt breakfast if you prefer.
What to Do About Drinking Coffee During Pregnancy
Much research has been done on the effects of caffeine during pregnancy and whether or not expectant mothers can drink coffee. New information shows that even a small amount of caffeine (equivalent to one cup of coffee) during pregnancy can increase the baby's risk of low birthweight. It is best to limit or avoid caffeine while you are pregnant, so you might want to re-think drinking coffee until after the baby is born.
References:
www.mayoclinic.com
www.whfoods.com
www.quinoa.net
Konje, J. "Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy and risk of fetal growth restriction: A large prospective observational study" CARE Study Group, British Medical Journal, November 2008.
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