Carbohydrate-Rich Recipes for The First Trimester of Pregnancy
In today’s article we’ll provide a few carbohydrate-rich recipes for the first trimester of pregnancy.
There are plenty of common misconceptions regarding carbohydrates, especially during pregnancy. The truth is that carbs are essential for the body because they provide energy, which is particularly important for women when it comes to dealing with common pregnancy symptoms.
Even though carbohydrates are necessary for pregnant women, their consumption must be balanced. We’ve picked these carbohydrate-rich recipes very carefully, making sure they’re healthy options for both mother and child.
Carbohydrates during pregnancy
Carbohydrates are divided into simple and complex. It’s important that you focus on the complex ones more since they provide more minerals, protein, and fiber to you and your baby.
Although there’s no exact amount recommended, according to some nutritionists, carbohydrates should make up, on average, about 60% of a pregnant woman’s daily calories.
Among complex carbohydrates, you can find vegetables, brown rice, beans, potatoes, whole grain bread, and fruit.
Simple carbohydrates have fewer calories and energy, and they don’t have a lot of nutritional value. Among them, you can find white bread, pasta, rice, cereal, and sweets.
3 wonderful carbohydrate-rich recipes for the first trimester of pregnancy
For the preparation of these recipes, make sure you take the following aspects into account:
Women during their first trimester of pregnancy:
- Should only gain between 500 grams to 3.3 pounds.
- Their digestive system will begin to work a lot slower.
- Should consume highly nutritious foods to achieve a greater absorption of nutrients.
Carbohydrate-rich breakfasts
The following breakfast options will provide pregnant women with the energy they need during the first trimester of pregnancy:
- Milk or yogurt with whole grain toast, with a touch of oil and fresh tomato.
- Rye bread with fresh tomato and oil, with a glass of milk or yogurt.
- Milk or yogurt with whole grain bread and cooked ham.
Carbohydrate-rich recipes for lunch
Lunch should be very complete. The following recipes are ideal, but you can also make them for dinner if you like!
Pasta with broccoli and sautéed sesame
These two foods are great because they contain folic acid. Broccoli is a vegetable that should be consumed slightly raw or cooked, and sesame seeds contain phosphorus and zinc.
Ingredients:
- 250 grams of pasta
- 1 small broccoli
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil
- 5 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 onion
- 100 grams of ricotta cheese
- Pepper
- Mint leaves
Preparation:
- Boil the pasta and set aside once it’s ready.
- Cut the broccoli into bouquets, cook it and set aside.
- Cut the onion into julienne strips and sauté with a tablespoon of oil.
- Mix the garlic, the lemon juice, the pepper, the oil, the mint, and the sesame seeds. Once the paste is uniform, go ahead and add the cheese.
- Finally, mix the sautéed onion, the pasta, and the broccoli so that the flavors mix together.
- Serve and add the sauce.
Zucchini, Emmental cheese and wheat germ “coca”
All the ingredients in this recipe contain folic acid and vitamins.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of pasta
- 1 zucchini
- 20 cherry tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons of wheat germ
- 4 tablespoons of pesto sauce
- Salt
- 100 grams of mozzarella cheese
- 50 grams of Emmental cheese
Preparation:
- Heat the oven to 180 ºC (350 F)
- Wash all the ingredients and proceed to slice the zucchini and the cherry tomatoes into 2 pieces.
- Once they’re ready, mix the zucchini, the tomatoes, the wheat germ, and the pesto sauce in a bowl and add seasonings.
- Spread the dough on a tray covered in vegetable paper.
- Pour the content of the bowl on the dough. Then, add the Emmental and the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Once it’s ready, set aside for a few minutes and then cut it into pieces and serve.
These 3 carbohydrate-rich recipes for the first trimester of pregnancy will be of great help. Don’t hesitate to get a little creative and invent new recipes with other ingredients.
Remember to include complex carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables to the recipes you make. They not only give you energy, but they also help reduce some of the unpleasant symptoms that come with the first trimester of pregnancy. We hope you enjoy them!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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- Cano A., Chedraui P., Goulis DG., Lopes P., et al., Calcium in the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis: EMAS clinical guide. Maturitas, 2018. 107: 7-12.