Healthy Lunch Menu Ideas for the Pregnancy Diet

During pregnancy you really are eating for two. Which means eating smaller, healthier meals more frequently. By lunch time you should have eaten at least twice already, maybe even three times.

Remember, during pregnancy it is important to keep a constant intake of nutrients for your baby. See the articles about healthy breakfasts for a pregnancy diet and healthy snacks for a pregnancy diet menu for ideas about what to eat throughout the day.

Here are some healthy lunches suitable for the pregnancy diet.

~Spinach Salad -Dressing: 1/4C sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1tsp dry mustard, 1tsp poppy seed, 1Tbl onion juice, 1/3C cider vinegar, 1C olive oil, 1 C cottage cheese. Mix dressing ingredients together.

Salad: 2 lb fresh spinach leaves, ½ lb turkey bacon slices crisped and broken into pieces, 2-3 hard boiled eggs chopped or sliced, fresh mushrooms sliced, 2 Tb sesame seeds (can be sprinkled on top or added to dressing portion).
Combine all the spinach salad ingredients. Pour dressing on top immediately before serving.

This recipe has a lot of the foods that are desirable during pregnancy for good health. Eggs are important as a source of iron and protein, cottage cheese provides calcium and protein, spinach is high in folic acid and iron, etc. All important aspects of a healthy pregnancy menu plan.

~Sautéed vegetables - Mix and match from the following vegetables to create a delicious meal with little prep time: Brussels sprouts, kale leaves, red peppers, winter squash, green beans, spinach or collard leaves cut in strips. Sauté in a bit of vegetable or chicken brother instead of oil. Add herbs and seasonings such as basil, minced garlic, salt and pepper as desired.

~Creamy vegetable soup - By adding a can of evaporated milk to any soup recipe you can increase the calcium content significantly. See this article about Calcium and Magnesium During Pregnancy for more details on the importance of calcium during pregnancy.

~Baked Potato (with the skin on) - It isn't the baked potato that gets you in trouble; it is the poor topping choices that get you in trouble. Choose healthy toppings while pregnant to make sure you are following a healthy pregnancy menu plan. Good topping choices include: tomatoes, turkey bacon (lower in fat and sodium than pork bacon), green onions, mashed avocado, salsa, fresh parsley or cilantro, cottage cheese and shredded cheese.

~Salmon - Fish is an excellent lean source of protein and Omega 3 fatty acids and many nutritionists recommend fish at least once a week during pregnancy. Top your salmon fillet with Italian dressing and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until done. I like to top mine with parmesan cheese and lemon juice.

~ Pregnancy Tuna Salad Sandwich - Tuna or salmon from a can make an excellent sandwich filling when mixed with some other ingredients. Try mixing a can of fish with law fat (or fat free) mayonnaise, 1 Tbl green onion chopped, ¼ C grated carrot, ¼ grated lettuce (romaine or spinach are good choices), ½ tsp of sunflower seeds. I also like celery with mine. Serve cold on whole wheat bread.

~Pregnancy Chicken Wrap - A boneless skinless chicken breast grilled or roasted with baby spinach leaves, red pepper slices and 2 Tbl low-fat cream cheese. Serve hot in a whole-wheat tortilla topped with salsa.

~Peanut Butter Sandwich - On whole wheat bread of course and topped with a dab of honey or natural fruit preserves.

Being pregnant doesn't have to mean a death sentence to eating yummy foods. Being pregnant just means paying more attention to what you choose to eat and how often you are eating it. Remember, during pregnancy you have a whole life depending on you to make healthy food choices.