Celebrate Spring With These Fresh Salads That Are Perfect For Pregnancy
May 22, 2023
As the weather warms up, many of us are excited to dine al fresco and enjoy the sunshine. However, when you’re pregnant, Spring and Summer can be challenging! This is where nutritious recipes that can help keep you hydrated come in. Celebrate the new season with these four Spring salad recipes perfect for pregnancy.
Summer Lovin’ Quinoa Salad
This is the ideal filling salad for lunch. The quinoa bulks up this salad recipe, while the cucumber, tomatoes, and mint keep it fresh.
Quinoa should be on your pregnancy nutrition checklist because it’s rich in fiber, iron, and protein. “If quinoa wasn’t a part of your pre-pregnancy diet, it’s worth adding to the menu now. The whole grain (which is technically a seed) delivers 8 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and nearly 3 grams of iron per cooked cup, along with small amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and zinc,” advises What To Expect.
Protein is absolutely essential for pregnant women, as it helps build and repair tissue, while also regulating blood sugar levels which is important for preventing gestational diabetes. This is a high blood sugar condition that can develop during pregnancy and can negatively impact you, your baby, and the birth.Tip: Download our Gestational Diabetes 101 guide here to learn what to eat to help manage and prevent this condition.
Gestational Diabetes Meal Plan, Diet, and Recipes
What to Eat When You Have Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy
Get the GuideIf you’re experiencing elevated blood sugar during your pregnancy, we’ve got you covered. From what gestational diabetes is to recommendations for foods to eat and avoid, this in-depth guide covers everything you need to know for handling gestational diabetes and keeping you and your baby as healthy as can be.
A peek inside:
- The most common questions about gestational diabetes—asked and answered
- Why gestational diabetes occurs
- How many meals a day you should be eating
- The best ways to balance starches and a list of non-starchy vegetables
- The best fats and proteins that we recommend for a gestational diabetes diet
- Ways to limit your carb intake (and why you should!)
- Examples of low carb-friendly snacks
The added slices of avocado in this salad are a great way to incorporate folate into your diet, as this vitamin is essential for cell growth and development in pregnancy.
Get the full recipe here.
Pasta-Less Pasta Salad
This is one of our favorite pregnancy pasta recipes sans pasta for our gluten-free mamas.
This healthy Spring recipe calls for artichokes, a veggie rich in magnesium. According to the National Institutes of Health, magnesium plays, “…an important role in maintaining nerve and muscle cell electrical potentials. It may reduce fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia as well as increase birth weight.”
Plus, this pregnancy-friendly recipe is a fantastic way to get vitamin K into your diet as it includes cucumbers (super hydrating), oregano, and basil. Vitamin K plays a key role in blood clotting, which is vital for preventing excessive bleeding during childbirth. It’s also important for the development of the baby’s bones as it activates proteins that are necessary for bone mineralization.
Get the full recipe here.
Tip: This salad is also lactation-inducing! So, save this recipe to make postpartum to support milk production.
The Best Foods to Eat While Breastfeeding
Lactation-Inducing Ingredients To Boost Your Milk Supply
Get the GuideIf you’re looking to make more milk by eating powerful superfoods, you’ve come to the perfect page. This guide includes a list of what to eat, drink, and savor for mamas wanting to encourage lactation!
A peek inside:
- The best fruits and veggies for increasing breastmilk supply
- Breastfeeding superfoods: nuts, herbs, seeds, and grains
- Lactogenic legumes
- Dairy (that’s right: milk intake = milk output)
Jalapeño Business Watermelon, Tomato, And Cucumber Salad
If you’re looking to get your spicy and sweet cravings satisfied, this is the ultimate refreshing lunch for warmer days!
Watermelon is a pregnancy superfood, as Parents explains, “Eating watermelon during pregnancy eases heartburn and reduces swelling; its high water content (92%) and fruit sugars can help alleviate morning sickness and dehydration; and the minerals it contains can help prevent third-trimester muscle cramps.” It’s also packed with vitamin C which is necessary for tissue repair, immune function, and antioxidant protection. Ensuring you have foods rich in vitamin C in your pregnancy meal plan and grocery list is essential, as humans cannot synthesize vitamin C and must obtain it from dietary sources.Get the full recipe here.
Super Energy-Boosting Spring Tabbouleh
This is the perfect easy pregnancy recipe to quickly whip up when you’re feeling low energy. This Spring salad recipe calls for peas, an ideal vegetarian source of thiamine. Thiamine, aka Vitamin B1, is key for converting food into energy!
For added crunch add pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds). This is a fantastic source of magnesium and iodine, both important nutrients for pregnant women. While magnesium helps with energy production and prevents constipation, leg cramps, and nausea, iodine is a vital micronutrient responsible for the production of thyroid hormones. The developing fetus is fully reliant on mama’s thyroid hormones until 16-20 weeks gestation, so daily requirements for iodine increase during pregnancy. Make sure to add magnesium and iodine to your pregnancy nutrition checklist.
Tip: Double the recipe and make extra lemon vinaigrette; store both separately in the fridge. This salad keeps well in the fridge for several days, and is the perfect side to have on hand for lunches and dinners.
Get the full recipe here.
Add these easy, healthy pregnancy recipes to your Spring meal plan for extra nutrients and hydration.
