Eat These Foods Everyday to Up Your Prenatal Nutrition Game

Sep 17

While I always recommend taking a prenatal as insurance policy, I encourage foods first when looking for how to incorporate critical nutrients in your diet to nourish your pregnancy.

There is so much we don't know about how various components of foods work together to affect bioavailability and metabolism of key nutrients, so I believe it's always important to try to include food sources of critical nutrients for optimal pregnancy and fetal outcomes.

That being said, thinking about what to eat to make sure you are getting enough of each nutrient is a challenge! Of course, I also aimed to have a wide-variety of nutrient dense whole foods like vegetables, fruits, meats and low-mercury seafood, but knowing I was already covering a lot of bases with these foods daily made me feel supported and able to relax a bit more.

Here are 5 foods I ate on repeat pretty much daily that are filled with vital pregnancy nutrients, are a diverse food source for my microbiome and myriad other benefits making them no-brainer pregnancy fuel.

Top 5 foods to eat everyday for wholesome prenatal nutrition

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with number 5.

1. Leafy greens (kale, spinach, collard greens etc.)

Leafy greens are packed with phytonutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin which aid in proper vision development of the fetus. They also contain fiber and folate making them an important addition to your daily plate. I hear you, though—getting something green in during the first trimester can be TOUGH. I opted for adding greens to smoothies until I was able to stomach them on their own again.

2. Chia seeds

These tiny little seeds are a true powerhouse! They have a neutral flavor profile yet are filled with plant-based omega-3's, calcium and iron, as well as magnesium. Not to mention they are filled with fiber so work wonders for keeping the all too common pregnancy constipation at bay.

3. Pumpkin seeds

I'm all for high-quality animal sources of nutrients, but eating beef or oysters every day is often not realistic. That's why having a zinc source I could reach for daily was crucial. Pumpkin seeds are the best source of plant-based zinc, and are also rich in magnesium and iron. The perfect afternoon snack. Couple with some berries for vitamin C to enhance iron absorption.

4. Pasture-raised eggs

Eggs are a great source of protein, but even more importantly, a great source of choline and b vitamins. Although is now starting to be added to high-quality prenatal vitamins, it often isn't in sufficient quantities, so making sure you're getting good food sources of choline is critical for proper neural tube and brain development of the fetus. But make sure you are eating those yolks! That is where most of the nutrients are housed including vitamins A and E. They are also one of the few non-seafood options for Omega-3 DHA, which can contribute to your daily intake. These nutrients are all in higher quantities in pasture-raised eggs. If cholesterol is a worry for you, just know that cholesterol is necessary for proper hormone function, and reducing it actually does not reduce the risk of heart disease. Cooked eggs are very safe to eat when pregnant and very nutrient dense, so definitely prioritize them if you tolerate them!

5. Grass-fed butter

I think everyone will be happy to see this last one make the list. I am here to argue that 100% grass-fed butter is actually a superfood! It is rich in vitamin A, vitamin K2 and the short-chain fatty acid butyrate, which is anti-inflammatory and the literal fuel of colonic cells that is critical for optimal gut health. It is also one of the richest sources of pentadecanoic acid (C15:0), which has been emerging as a newly-declared essential fatty acid that has anti-inflammatory properties and is beneficial for metabolic health.

Bonus if well tolerated: 100% grass-fed full fat fermented dairy

High quality fermented dairy is usually much better tolerated and is a rich source of beneficial bacteria. It also ups your calcium intake, which is critical especially during the third trimester for proper skeletal and cardiac development of the fetus and helping to reduce the risk of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. Food sources of calcium are much better utilized in the body and should be prioritized over supplementation.

Want a recipe that could knock all of these out in one meal?

Enter the egg and greens savory oats bowl.

Oats are rich in magnesium, zinc and soluble fiber, making them a nutrient dense source of complex carbs to keep up your pregnancy energy. To prepare, sauté greens of choice (my favorite are brussel sprout greens if you can find them at your farmers market) with shallot and/or garlic in ghee or other cooking fat. Remove greens and fry an egg in the same pan. Heat up 1/2 c soaked oats and then mix with a 1 tbsp butter. Salt to taste and top with chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, the greens and fried egg. Feel free to hard boil eggs for the week and batch prepare the sauteed greens to make this breakfast so quick yet totally satisfying. If dairy is well-tolerated, add a dollop of full-fat yogurt—I love Icelandic Skyr because it is higher in protein but has a creamier/less tart flavor profile than greek yogurt.

A note on Oats

Oats are a comparatively nutrient-dense grain, but they do have the potential to affect your blood sugar if not prepared in a balanced way. So be mindful if you are prone to higher blood sugar and pass if you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Listen to how your body feels after eating oats— do you feel hungry an hour after eating them? Or experience midday sugar cravings and energy slumps? These are signs they could be affecting your blood sugar a bit too much.

But if they are well-tolerated and balanced they are a very nutrient dense carb option.

To minimize blood sugar spikes, be sure to balance with healthy fats and proteins and I recommend limiting it to no more than 1 cup prepared oats. Mix in collagen or protein powder, add nuts and seed, or top with grass-fed butter and pasture eggs.

I like to soak a large batch for the week in kefir and water (if dairy not well-tolerated you can use non-dairy kefir or water with a tbsp of lemon or ACV) to simultaneously soak and sour the oats rendering them much more digestible and the nutrient content more bioavailable. Be sure to choose steel cut or rolled oats—not instant or quick oats—as the latter can cause blood sugar to spike much more rapidly.

In postpartum, they can be beneficial for increasing milk supply as well!

Beans would be an excellent swap here if you tolerate them well. They are such a rich source of folate, choline and packed with soluble fiber to keep you fueled without blood sugar spikes. Unfortunately, beans were just not settling well with me during pregnancy so I had to minimize them.

So there you have it— 5 awesome foods to increase your pregnancy nutrition without even blinking an eye.

You've got this!

I’d love to hear in the commments your favorite nourishing pregnancy food getting you through the day! Drop it down below to share with everyone here.

Interested in working together to optimize your pregnancy nutrition or prepare for postpartum? Book a complimentary consult here.

Allison Gregg MS, CNC

Certified Nutrition Consultant specifically trained in nutrition for fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and baby’s first 1000 days.

I also hold a Masters degree in biology with an emphasis in microbiology and have expertise in the gut microbiome, probiotics and food safety.

I started Flora & Fauna Nutrition to provide critical gut health and nutrition information to give babies the absolute best foundation and to help mothers not only recover—but thrive—to be able to feel their best for themselves, their families and their community.