How To Eat Healthy In Pregnancy

Good u have a fridge, Pinky..that makes it easy to store milk, curd, fruits and veggies and other perishables...your husband comes to meet u in alternate Sunday's..u give him a list of items you need, in advance so he can purchase and bring them for you when he visits u..u don't run around doing shopping and straining yourself in such remote areas..
Your husband is the father of ur child, he has some responsibility as well..as both of u are in separate place he cant cook for u or help u in cooking, the least he can do is to get food items for u..let him take smaller tasks like buying food and pregnancy related stuff for u, ..whatever u need like maternity clothes, etc available online , he can order online based on your selection, get it delivered to his place and then pass them on to u..after delivery he will have much bigger responsibility and he should be ready for it now itself..involve him in checkups and scans as well, if he sees baby in the ultrasound he will have more affection for his child and will be more willing to help.

 

Hi @pinky2cute

sorry for the delayed response!

I saw your other threads on your pregnancy update. I wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy! Hope all ends well!

Since you have gestation diabetes, you might want to completely cut off rice. Get brown rice and
quinoa. You can easily make quinoa and it is tasty as well (at least for me). Get some nice seasoning
herb mix and sprinkle it on the cooked quinoa with olive oil dressing. It will make a healthy meal. I had gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy and managed just with food. I did not take any insulin.

About the raw salads: I always had it ingrained that when we eat veggies as a side for rice, it always have to be cooked. But it may not necessarily be so. Some raw vegetables as a side are tastier than cooked ones IMHO. Also, I like the taste of vegetables (both raw and cooked) very much. Since you are not very fond of it, I will tell you one thing that might work for you. My DH is also like you. he would not eat any veggies. The key to make the salads tasty is the dressing. Just a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing give a unique taste to the salads. Sour cream also works well but it might not be good to eat a lot of it. Another thing that worked for my DH is the addition of raw garlic/onion to the salad. Since he is a spice love, addition of raw garlic/onion gave a kick to the salad. When you add this, do not add a lot. I typically add only one garlic clove (crushed or very small cut pieces) and half of medium size big yellow onion and I cut it very small.
Here are some of the salads that we like:

1. Raw Cabbage salad:
Shred cabbage finely. Sprinkle some salt on it and then use both your hands to crush/squash the cabbage well. This is done so that it will soften. Then let it sit for 30 minutes.
You will see that the shreds softened after 30 mins. Then add crushed black pepper to it.
If you have access to refrigerator, then you could store it in it fior a few days like this.
Before eating, add lemon juice and olive oil. It tastes yummy. I like it like this better than the cooked one.

2. Raw carrot salad:
Shred carrot finely. Add crushed garlic cloves 1 or 2 depending on your liking, vinegar, salt and sugar. You can skip sugar for now. Then roast onions and add pepper to it. Add this roasted onions to the carrot mix and mix well. let it sit for an hour so that the flavors set in. You can also store this in refrigerator for a few days.

3. Raw bell pepper salad:
Thinly slice bell peppers. Different colors of mini peppers is preferred. Then, add it to a handful of thinly sliced onions. You can choose white onion/green onion if you prefer less spicier. Add salt. Now prepare the dressing - crushed/very finely cut garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and crushed black pepper. Add dressing to the salad and let it sit for some 20 mins. If you like, you can add dill/coriander leaves just before eating. It gives a nice flavor and taste.

4. Tomato Cucumber cheese salad:
Chop tomatoes and slice cucumbers. Mix it together with cheese. I like feta cheese. You can also add paneer. As long as you portion control cheese and also select the right kind of cheese (some cheese kinds are not okay for pregnant woemn; google it), you should be fine. Make the dressing similar to the above salad and add it.

5. Radish cucumber salad:
Mix sliced radish, sliced cucumber and cut green onions. Add sour cream and salt. If you dont have sour cream, you can substitute with yogurt too. Sour cream is the best choice IMO. I use the small round red radishes for this salad.

6. Avocado cucumber salad:
Mix small cubed avocados with sliced cucumbers. Add chopped green onions, salt, pepper. I like this salad very much. If you have fresh coriander leaves, it gives a nice flavor to this salad.

7. Cooked chickpea salad:
This is not fully raw since you need cooked chickpeas for this. You can replace chickpea with any other dry bean too. Add cooked chickpea, shredded carrot and thinly sliced onion. Add pepper and salt.

I think by now you must have got an idea. You can add, remove your own ingredients (green leaves like spinach, dill, coriander etc) and make your version. You can add chat masala too instead of just pepper powder.Add seasonal veggies as you get. A general rule to keep in mind is that salad dressing is added just before serving only.

Take care!

 

Hi
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
Just want to add in few points here
As you said you don't like raw veggies.. you can do flashcooking of any veggies in OPOS - one pot one shot cooking (Check in OPOS videos in YouTube/ Facebook)...you have to just add cut veggies ,some chilli powder,salt in pressure cooker and cook it for two whistle. It's very less time consuming , no need to stand ,stir continuously and life saver if we learn the techniques properly...I am also learning to cook with this method now.

 

Hello Dear,
Here are some tips to manage your diet-
Begin your day by eating dry fruits- almonds, dry grapes, walnuts and figs - a fistful when combined and chew them well.
A glass of milk with beverages like mother's horlicks or anything of your choice or even otherwise just the plain way.
Regular breakfasts like idli, dosa, chappati, etc are fine.
Except papaya include fresh these fruits in your diet- apples, oranges, mosambi, pomogranates and grapes(wash them in salt water before having)
Also these vegetables- cucumber, carrots, ashgourd(it is a rich source of zinc and feels tasty when mixed with yoghurt in grated form), lauki(it prevents feet swelling -common during pregnancy)
Hydrate yourself well by having water and tender coconut(at least twice a week)
Eat only when you feel hungry and fulfill your cravings in a healthy way.
Things to avoid-
Processed, junk and too very spicy foods
Aerated, caffeinated, alcoholic and tannin drinks
Foods that cause heat(as in Ayurveda)-Papaya, Sesame seeds, mango-based foods or drinks, excessive dry fruits especially - dates, sometimes too much of chappati is also not good.
Instant foods - you mentioned maggi however I suggest you avoid that as well.

Hope these help. All the best!