Healthy Foods for Pregnancy – Recipes (and more) to Help You Start Out Right
Concise but thorough e-book to ensure your unborn baby and you are getting healthy foods for pregnancy. Eat the best foods for the best health during your pregnancy and after.
Included in the 34-page Healthy Food for Pregnancy e-book:
Folate
3 Reasons You Need Folate before and during pregnancy.
Which foods are high in Folate?
Folate Rich Lentil Stew
Iron (and Vitamin C)
The Importance of Iron
Best Sources of Iron and Vitamin C
Food Combinations to Boost Iron Absorption
Iron Rich Recipes
The Importance of Calcium and Vitamin D
Calcium in Selected Dairy Products
Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium
Calcium in Other Vegetables
Delicious Cream of Vegetable Soups Everyone Will Love
Omega-3s (Fish Oils)
The Importance of Omega-3s
Which Fish are Safe to Consume 2-3 Times a Week
Fish that are Safe to Consume 1 time a Week
Fish that are NOT Safe to Consume
Other Things That Are Important to Know
Pregnancy Weight Gain Recommendations
10 Best Foods to Eat When Pregnant
8 Reasons Why Exercise is Important When You Are Pregnant
There is a lot of hype these days over the idea of Superfoods. So, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss some of the foods. But first a definition. A Superfood is defined as “a nutrient-rich food especially beneficial for health and well-being.”
I created this recipe myself years ago when I had cottage cheese in the house and wanted to make it more interesting. This will make a complete meal with a few whole grain crackers or slice of bread on the side.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Total Time10 minutesmins
Servings: 4
Calories: 204kcal
Author: Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC
Ingredients
2wholeAvocadoscut in half, pitted and sliced
2cupLow-fat cottage cheese
2 tbspSalsa
Instructions
Cut avocados in half; remove pit, peel and slice
place 1/2 cup cottage cheese on small plate or bowl
place 1/2 of avocado around the outside rim of cottage cheese
The vibrant color of beets is your first clue that these unique vegetables are highly nutritious. But what is the nutrient behind the color of beets? The nutrients are called “Betalains.”
Betalains are members of the carotenoid family. Carotenoids are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect against damage from the sun and other environmental toxins.
To help you get a chance to try beets, below is a recipe my husband likes to make.
*NOTE: Beets are an excellent source of natural food colorings. Click here for an awesome website that teaches all about natural dyes, including beets.
Apple cider vinegar is the result of the fermentation of apple cider, which is made from fresh, crushed apples, including the cores, peels, and flesh.
Fermentation occurs when yeast is added to the apple cider mixture. This process produces acetic acid, also known as apple cider vinegar.
The healthiest form of apple cider vinegar is the unfiltered, unpasteurized form. This is because the enzymes remain active.
Regardless of whether it is pasteurized or not, however, studies show that the acidity in apple cider vinegar protects the stomach against pathogens.
The acid stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which is essential for proper digestion.
In some studies, apple cider vinegar caused leukemia cell death and inhibited tumor growth.
Apple Cider vinegar is also a source of polyphenols, protective ingredients found in plants.
Interesting Folklore on Apple Cider Vinegar
1. Hippocrates used vinegar to manage wounds.
2. Hannibal of Carthage used vinegar to dissolve boulders that blocked his army's path.
3. Cleopatra dissolved precious pearls in vinegar and offered her love potion to Anthony.
4. Sung Tse advocated hand washing with sulfur and vinegar to avoid infection during autopsies.
Smoothie bowls… the delicious concoctions that have quickly become everybody's favorite breakfast-snack-dessert-treat. This Antioxidant-Rich Beet and Berry Smoothie Bowl is made with probiotic-rich yogurt, healthy avocados, and bright pink beets and berries. It's easy and full of protein whenever hunger strikes! Click here for the free recipe.
I have good news for you. Fatty foods can be healthy.
Notice I said “can.”
The fact that fatty foods can be healthy doesn’t mean that doughnuts or deep-fried Twinkies have suddenly become health foods.
Not at all!
What it does mean is that you can throw those low fat diets out the window and enjoy some healthy fatty foods like avocados, olives, peanut butter, and even real butter and bacon.
Fat is an important part of a healthy diet. It’s what keeps you from feeling hungry.
Fats also allow you to absorb more nutrients from other foods. For example, Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble vitamins. Thus, they require fat to be absorbed by the body.
That’s why it’s okay to dress that colorful and super healthy salad with a dressing that's not necessarily low fat. And for good measure, throw a few nuts or avocado slices on top. This will turn a simple salad into a healthy meal that will keep you going for hours. The fat will ensure that your body can absorb all the vitamins in that beautiful fresh produce on your plate.
Good fats, like those found in olive oil and avocado, for example, nourish your brain, your eyes, hair, and even the walls of every single cell of your body. It’s also important for hormonal well-being, because hormones are mainly made up of fatty acids. In short, consuming healthy fats is important and there are quite a few fatty foods out there that are actually good for you.
Let’s quickly run through a few sources of healthy fats that you want to eat more of. At the same time stay away from trans-fats, which have been linked to an increased risk in heart disease.
Fatty Foods Can Be Healthy
Avocado
This is one of my favorite healthy fats. Add this delicious fruit to salads, sandwiches, wraps, or eat it on the side with eggs or grilled meat. Also, delicious mashed up on toast or turned into guacamole and even in smoothies!
Coconut Oil
Start your day with a healthy fat boost by adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to your coffee. This oil is also great for cooking eggs or sautéing veggies. Pure coconut oil should be tasteless, while some other versions leave you with a hint of coconut flavor.
Olives And Olive Oil
Olive oil makes a great base for salad dressings. It can be used to finish and flavor all sorts of food. Both olive oil and olives have long been staples of the Mediterranean Diet. Look for cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil. Olives make delicious portable snacks as well.
Nuts And Seeds
Speaking of nuts. Another healthy snack that you can keep at your desk, in your purse, and in your pantry is various nuts and seeds. They are full of healthy fats, vitamins and mineral. Eat them on their own, make your own healthy trail mix, or sprinkle them on your salad.
See Also:
(Note: this is a post originally written in 2020). Soup is one of the easiest ways to get a lot of nutrition in a very small bowl (or large bowl if you prefer)! 😉 Since I know that many of you are looking for healthy soup recipes, especially in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, I wanted to find some really good ones for you.
The fun thing about soup is that once you get one delicious, simple, healthy recipe, you can make tons of other similar, but different, and equally as healthy soup recipes!
The following delicious recipes should get your creative (and gastric) juices flowing.
These 10 healthy soups will help you keep within your calorie goals. PLUS they will provide you and your family with much-needed immunity against the illnesses of the season. For example, colds, flu, and the cursed COVID19 virus.
Low Calorie Soups
Healthy Vegetable Soup Recipes – The soups included in my free “kid-friendly vegetable soup recipes” booklet are the perfect way to get started on making soup. These recipes are simple, quick, and easy. The ingredients are similar except for the type of vegetable and seasoning/herb used. Thus, you don't have to have any special ingredients on-hand, which makes them budget-friendly as well.
These healthy recipes are derived from an older Better Homes and Garden Cookbook I own and are complete with appropriate seasoning for each soup. Our favorites are broccoli, potato and mushroom.
I just love cream soups. So, one of the things I do is use 2% or nonfat milk instead of whole milk. For example, 1 cup whole milk contains 150 calories, while 1 cup of nonfat milk contains only 90 calories.
This is an easy, painless way to cut calories. However, if nonfat is too extreme, you can use 2% milk which will still save you 30 calories per cup of milk. And it all adds up over time!
Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup – Everyone loves chicken noodle soup. And there is actual evidence that chicken noodle soup is therapeutic in treating colds and flu. When my husband makes chicken soup, he simply cuts some celery, onions, carrots, and uses leftover rotisserie chicken and chicken base. Sometimes, if he has them on hand, he will use a half package of frozen mixed vegetables as well.
Most basic soup recipes say to use 8-10 cups of water. But this is not set in stone, so you can add water to taste. Also, you can experiment with different types of noodles and pasta. Though I have found that the only type of noodles that don't soak up all of the broth are egg noodles. I prefer to use whole wheat ones if I can find them.
You can also use brown rice for chicken rice soup!
I created this recipe which is technically lentil stew. However, when I created it, I intended it to be soup. Stew, soup, what's the difference?! But seriously, if you want soup, you can add more water! 😉 Lentils are an excellent source of Folate, B vitamins, fiber, magnesium and more good stuff.
Here is another healthy lentil soup recipe for you to try:
Lentil Soup Recipe from Allrecipes.com – The cool thing about Allrecipes.com is that there are usually several variations of the same recipes. So if this one doesn't suit your fancy, you can look for another similar one!
Healthy Crockpot Soup
Most, if not all of these soups can be made in a crockpot. Remember a crockpot is simply a slow-cooker. So, if you choose to make a soup in a crockpot, just make sure you start the recipe early enough in the day. This will make sure it's ready in time for dinner. Usually 4 hours at high or 6 hours at low setting will do just fine!
And that is it for now! Let me know by leaving a comment below regarding what you think of the recipes and what else you would like to hear about from me.
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People have been asking me what they should be feeding their kids who have ADHD. One of the major things you want to try to achieve is a balanced diet.
What I mean by this is, regular meals and healthy snacks, sufficient protein, calcium and iron, and as natural as possible. So, I have put together three healthy alternatives for picky eaters to help make transitions easier.
Three Healthy Alternatives for Picky Eaters
Most kids love macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, and don't like vegetables much. This “problem” is exacerbated when the child will only eat macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets and won't eat vegetables. OR when all they are eating is boxed macaroni and cheese and frozen processed chicken nuggets.
This is often the case for children with autism, ADHD, and sensory processing difficulties. As a result, I have looked for and found three healthy alternatives for picky kids, that hopefully won't be too time consuming or difficult to make. Especially because you can double the recipes and serve as leftovers and/or freeze for a later time.
It's kind of a “Instead of this, Eat that,” scenario.
Healthy Alternatives for Picky Eaters Number 1
Hiding vegetables in sauce by pureeing the sauce and vegetables together.
I discovered a recipe “Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese” a couple of months ago through Pinterest. We finally made the recipe (I had previously posted the recipe from the website–THIS IS AN UPDATE).
I decided after thinking about it for a few months that this recipe would probably not be successful because of the cauliflower and butternut squash. Our son hates cauliflower, and the texture of squash is just too much for him.
I evaluated the nutrition facts on MyFitnessPal.com last night, after my husband made the macaroni and cheese and my son loved it.
The vitamin A in each serving is increased from about 7% to over 40% from our original homemade macaroni and cheese. This with only 1/2 cup of carrots. I would've liked to add more to the recipe but didn't want to overdo it because my son is so picky.
My son likes macaroni and cheese in all forms, except I have had a tough time recently getting him to accept whole wheat pasta with his cheese. My solution to this problem is to use lentil pasta. This is perfect for those of you who are gluten-free or who are trying to reduce the amount of wheat in your diet.
Lentil pasta is super high in protein, and an excellent source of iron, folate, magnesium, and fiber.
When I cook lentil pasta, I usually cook it a little longer than the package directions say. This is because it doesn't taste as good al dente, and my son complains unless it's just right–past al dente state.
Personally, I think we all could benefit from eating a wider variety of grains and legumes. In fact, I've recently been scratching my head wondering when did we start eating only wheat pasta and bread?
He likes this better than the original mac and cheese recipe
Healthy Alternatives for Picky Eaters Number 2
Making Cream of Fresh Vegetable Soups.
This is one I've been using successfully for years.
Broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms all make excellent pureed cream soups. And there are others as well. However, my son likes the broccoli soup the best, especially if I add cheese. (Can anyone say, “Cheese Sauce?”)
Processed chicken nuggets…Not only are they expensive, but most of them are filled with artificial stuff and preservatives galore. Plus, they are high in sodium. So, making homemade chicken nuggets (or tenders if you prefer), is a fantastic way to ensure you child is getting enough protein in their diet. The recipe below can be doubled or tripled, or even cut in half, and the rest can be frozen for future use.
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
2 pounds chicken breast meat (tenders, fillets) cut into 1-inch pieces/squares
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