People tend to steer away from healthy eating, because often a healthy diet is portrayed as being hard to follow, cook and afford. Luckily for your pregnant self, this is not the case.
Eating well means you have to make it easy, and definitely tasty... also including foods that your baby needs and that will curb your ‘bad food’ cravings. An eating plan during pregnancy is not a diet – you are not cutting back on the amount of food you eat, rather it’s about making better food choices.
Here is a list of different breakfast, lunch and dinner options for you. You can mix and match them so you don’t get bored, and they fit with what you may feel like eating.
Remember that you need to follow the safe rules on what you eat:
- Stay away from anything raw unless it is a fruit or vegetable.
- Make sure your eggs are cooked until hard and your meat is on the well-done side.
- Also read: 10 foods to avoid while pregnant
The snacking options will give you ideas of what to eat between your three big main meals, to keep your sugar and nutrients levels as regular as possible.
Monday
Breakfast
- Low-Gi muesli
- Natural yoghurt
- Few slices of your favourite fruit
Lunch
- Chicken salad with avocado, leafy green veggies and cheese with a balsamic and olive oil dressing.
Dinner
- A non-fatty steak, with a fresh mushroom sauce and spinach.
Snack option
- Boiled egg
Tuesday
Breakfast
- Boiled or poached egg on wholewheat bread with slices of avocado.
Lunch
- Vegetable wrap including red, green and yellow peppers, grated carrots, lettuce, tomato and some humus.
Dinner
- Chicken fillets stuffed with feta cheese and a side of vegetables.
Snack option
- Cracker breads with cottage cheese.
- Also read: 7 superfoods to help you during pregnancy
Wednesday
Breakfast
- Breakfast wrap filled with scrambled eggs, tomato and feta or mozzarella cheese - your choice.
Lunch
- Chicken mayonnaise toasted sandwich on health bread.
Dinner
- Pizza with whole-wheat crust, topped with fresh tomatoes and veggies of your choice.
Snack option
- Home-made air popcorn.
Thursday
Breakfast
- Breakfast oats wiht honey and a fruit on the side.
Lunch
- Vegetable soup for those overcast days. Throw as many veggies in the pot as possible.
Dinner
- Either a meat or vegetable stew with brown rice.
Snack option
- Oat bars.
Friday
Breakfast
- Ready-made whole-wheat waffles, with fruit and honey on top.
Lunch
- Couscous salad with cucumber, tomato and other veggies you may want to add in.
Dinner
- Vegetable sushi (no raw fish in it whatsoever) for a night out meal.
Snack option
- Carrots and cucumber with hummus dip.
Saturday
Breakfast
- Bran cereal with two-percent fat milk with sliced banana on top.
Lunch
- Baked potato with cottage cheese and chives on top.
Dinner
- Vegetable, meat or chicken tacos with an assortment of veggies and sprinkled with cheese.
Snack option
- Smoothies with left over yoghurt and fruit.
Sunday
Breakfast
- Whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and a fresh fruit on the side.
Lunch
- Pasta salad with added mushrooms, peppers and mozarella.
Dinner
- Hake fillets, with a lemon butter sauce, a side of baked potato and a green salad.
Snack option
- Fruit.
Which foods did you eat during your pregnancy? Did you have any cravings? Are there particular foods that made you feel good and others that made you feel bad? Tell us by commenting below or emailing chatback@parent24.com and we may publish your comments.
Read more about your trimester mealplan:
Read more about foods to eat and others to avoid during pregnancy:
- Best and worst foods to eat during pregnancy
- 6 common questions about eating carbs during pregnancy answered
- Why it’s important to eat well when you’re pregnant
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