Best Pregnancy Snacks with 8 Tips for Healthy Snacking
An increased appetite is common during pregnancy as your body requires more nutrients to support you and your baby. Finding healthy snacks that satisfy hunger, prevent blood sugar spikes, and provide key nutrients is essential. This guide reveals the Best Pregnancy Snack options for each trimester along with tips to promote glowing pregnancy nutrition through smart snacking.
Best Pregnancy Snacks Benefits During Pregnancy
Healthy snacking provides key advantages for expectant mothers including:
- Preventing low blood sugar – Avoiding dips in blood glucose helps curb fatigue, irritability, shakiness, and sugar cravings.
- Alleviating nausea – Maintaining a stable blood sugar can ease nausea and vomiting which often spike when hungry.
- Boosting nutrient intake – Snacks provide an opportunity to get extra portions of food groups you need more of like protein, fiber, calcium, and omega-3s.
- Supporting weight gain – Most women need 300 extra calories a day, especially in 2nd and 3rd trimester. Snacks help increase calorie intake.
- Managing heartburn – Smaller frequent meals may prevent the fullness and indigestion that spur heartburn flares.
- Overcoming aversions – If you have food aversions, snacks allow you to get needed nutrition from foods you can tolerate.
Choosing snacks with protein, fiber, and healthy fats is key to stabilizing blood sugar, managing weight gain, and meeting increased vitamin and mineral needs.
Best Pregnancy Snacks Top First Trimester Snacks:
Alleviate nausea and fatigue with easy-to-digest snacks like:
- Rice cakes or crackers – Carbs help stabilize blood sugar when nausea strikes. Top with nut butter for protein.
- Yogurt and berries – Cool, creamy yogurt provides protein. Berries add fiber and vitamin C.
- Veggies and hummus – Folate-rich veggies paired with fiber and protein from chickpeas make a balanced choice.
- Cottage cheese – An excellent source of protein, calcium, and probiotics. Add fruit like pineapple or peach.
- Avocado toast – Healthy fats from avocados help curb nausea. Whole grain toast offers complex carbs.
- Fruit and cheese – Something small like grapes, apple slices, or melon with low-fat string cheese or cottage cheese.
- Oatmeal or cereal – Go for whole grain kinds with some protein added from nuts, seeds, milk, or Greek yogurt.
Best Pregnancy Snacks Smart Second & Third Trimester Snacks:
As appetite ramps up, rely on Best Pregnancy Snacks with staying power:
- Trail mix – dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and coconut flakes offer fiber, healthy fats, and protein.
- Smoothies – Blend milk or yogurt with fruit and add nut butter, protein powder, wheat germ, or ground flax.
- Hummus veggie wraps – Spread hummus in a whole wheat tortilla with shredded carrots, cucumbers, and peppers.
- Cottage cheese pancakes – Mix cottage cheese, eggs, oats, and cinnamon then pan fry small pancakes.
- Protein energy balls – Bind ingredients like oats, nut butter, protein powder, flax, and cocoa powder into a handheld snack.
- Apple and peanut butter – Fiber-rich apple with nutritious monounsaturated fats from nut butter makes a nutrient-power couple.
- Hardboiled eggs – An easy protein source. Combine with fruit or whole-grain crackers.
- Greek yogurt parfait – Layer yogurt, fruit, chopped nuts, and top with seeds, shredded coconut or granola.
Best Pregnancy Snacks Tips for Healthy Pregnancy Snacking:
Follow these guidelines for optimal snacking:
- Stock up on nourishing grab-and-go options – boiled eggs, cheese sticks, cut-up produce, nuts.
- Avoid added sugars, trans fats, and excessive sodium. Select whole food options.
- Pair carbs with protein or fat to balance blood sugar response.
- Hydrate with water, milk, kefir, and herbal tea. Limit caffeine.
- Make homemade trail mixes and healthy baked goods to control ingredients.
- Portion snacks to avoid overeating – measure nut butter, and cut cheeses into servings.
- Time snacks 1-2 hours before meals so they don’t ruin appetite.
- Seek variety to obtain a multitude of nutrients.
Satisfying pregnancy hunger pangs with regular nourishing snacks supports energy, nutrition, and ideal weight gain for you and your baby. Speak with your doctor or dietitian about any specialized nutrition needs requiring snacks tailored to your condition.
FAQs about Best Pregnancy Snacks:
Q1: Why is healthy snacking important during pregnancy?
Answer: Healthy snacking during pregnancy has several benefits, including preventing low blood sugar, alleviating nausea, boosting nutrient intake, supporting healthy weight gain, managing heartburn, and helping overcome food aversions.
Q2: What should I look for in a healthy pregnancy snack?
Answer: Healthy pregnancy snacks should contain protein, fiber, and healthy fats. It’s essential to choose whole foods and avoid options with added sugars, trans fats, and excessive sodium.
Q3: What are some healthy snacks for the first trimester of pregnancy?
Answer: Healthy first-trimester snacks include rice cakes or crackers with nut butter, yogurt with berries, veggies with hummus, cottage cheese, avocado toast, fruit with cheese, and oatmeal or cereal with added nuts, seeds, milk, or Greek yogurt.
Q4: What are some healthy snacks for the second and third trimesters of pregnancy?
Answer: Nutrient-dense snacks for the second and third trimesters include trail mix, smoothies with added protein, hummus veggie wraps, cottage cheese pancakes, protein energy balls, apples with peanut butter, hardboiled eggs, and Greek yogurt parfaits.
Q5: What are some tips for healthy pregnancy snacking?
Answer: Tips for healthy pregnancy snacking include stocking up on nourishing grab-and-go options, avoiding added sugars and trans fats, pairing carbs with protein or fat, staying hydrated with water and herbal tea, portion control, timing snacks 1-2 hours before meals, and seeking variety in your snacks to obtain a range of nutrients.
Conclusion:
Snacking wisely with real foods that offer protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats and key vitamins and minerals helps pregnant women meet increased nutritional needs while managing hunger between meals. Small frequent snacks also provide nausea relief, sustain energy, regulate blood sugar, and supply additional calories necessary for mom and baby during this vital time of growth and development. Pregnancy is an opportunity to cultivate healthy snacking habits with whole foods that become lifelong positive behaviors.
Best Pregnancy Snacks Sources:
