Dairy During Pregnancy: Build Tastier and Healthier Snacks

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Dairy During Pregnancy: Build Tastier and Healthier Snacks
MyPlate.gov

Eating dairy during pregnancy has many benefits. It is often recommended that expecting moms incorporate snacks throughout their day as their need for more calories and nutrients rises throughout each trimester. Needs and appetite vary, but snacks are a great way to get more nutrients to support mom and baby. Dairy foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese contain 7 of the 14 nutrients the American Academy of Pediatrics identified as essential in a baby’s early brain development. Wow! Keep reading for tips on how to build a balanced snack and some recipe inspiration.

How to Build Balanced Snacks

We want to try to build snacks that will keep us full or satisfied until our next mealtime. One strategy to do that is by building balanced snacks that incorporate multiple food groups. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ MyPlate is a great visual of the five food groups. I recommend incorporating at least three of the five food groups for snacks. This is my recommendation for everyone, not just pregnant mothers. Having balanced snacks with multiple groups is a great way to increase nutrition in a simple, tasty way.

Dairy During Pregnancy and Beyond with Delicious Balanced Snacks

Yogurt Parfait with Fruit & Granola – 1 cup of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt meets almost 40% of an expecting mom’s daily needs for iodine. Score! Top with fruit and granola (“Grains” food group) and you’ve got yourself a balanced snack.

Charcuterie Board —also known as the “Snack Plate” or “Girl Dinner” — Load up a plate with whole grain crackers (Grains), nuts (Protein), pasteurized cheeses (dairy) and fresh or dried fruits. During pregnancy, it is recommended to avoid cured meats, deli meats, and raw cheeses to avoid harmful foodborne illnesses.

Smoothies – Whip up fresh or frozen fruits, veggies like spinach, yogurt, and milk for a delicious, balanced snack. Give this Tropical Smoothie Refresher a try.

Bowl of Cereal – Boost your bowl of cereal and milk by tossing in some fruit, sprinkling in some seeds or nuts (sliced almonds, pumpkin, flax, chia, or hemp work great!) and maybe adding in a healthy fat like peanut butter. My favorite combo is a whole grain cereal with milk, frozen blueberries, a scoop of peanut butter and a sprinkle of chia seeds and sliced almonds.

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