Low-Fat Recipes for the Third Trimester of Pregnancy
Like any future mother, you want to have a balanced diet in the third trimester of pregnancy, and that includes low-fat recipes. This helps you provide your baby with all the necessary nutrients so that his or her development is as healthy as possible.
Below we’ll offer some helpful suggestions for maintaining an ideal weight during pregnancy.
The 3 types of fats
1. Saturated fats
Saturated fats are found in dairy products like butter, cheese and ice cream. They’re also present in most meat products (such as sausages) and in vegetable oils (such as palm oil).
These types of fats aren’t bad in themselves, but excessive consumption can cause damage to your health and make you prone to suffer from high blood pressure or gain more weight than you might wish.
2. Unsaturated fats
They help lower cholesterol. There are two types: polyunsaturated fats, which includes omega 3 and is very important to consume in your diet, and monounsaturated fats, which are found in olive oil and nuts.
3. Trans fats
These fats increase cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides. They can be found in potato chips, margarine, cereal bars and processed foods.
Check the labels first! Check how many fats foods contain so that you don’t eat more than you should. You should also look at the type of fat to avoid consuming those that don’t bring any good to the body.
Low-fat recipes for pregnant women
Now that you understand which fats you can consume and which ones you should stay away from, below we suggest some low-fat recipes to help you maintain a balanced diet and a healthy pregnancy.
Your diet is important at this stage of pregnancy. You should eat at least 5 times a day: breakfast, snack, lunch, another snack and then dinner.
Healthy breakfasts are important. You have to start the day with energy. For this, you can include dairy products in your breakfast, such as: yogurt with granola and fruit, toasted bread and a vegetable omelette.
A healthy breakfast
To start the day, prepare these delicious oatmeal and banana pancakes to get the energy you need.
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 cup instant oatmeal
- 2 cups skim milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Preparation
- In a blender, pour the oats, milk, sugar, vanilla, banana and pinch of salt. Blend until everything is integrated.
- Then, add the egg and liquefy a few more minutes until the mixture is homogeneous.
- Next, pour the mixture into a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- When it begins to bubble, you can flip it and wait for the other side to cook.
And that’s it, you’ve prepared your banana pancakes. If you like, you can add honey, jam or fruit to the top.
For your healthy snacks, you can include yogurt with cereal granola, fruit, mango smoothies, blueberries, strawberries or any fruit of your choice.
A rich option for lunch
For your lunches, you can choose between a sautéed vegetable, rice with chicken, spaghetti with pesto, etc. This is another low-fat recipe for the third trimester of pregnancy that is easy to make.
Ingredients
- Garlic
- Onion
- Basil
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 9 ounces of pasta
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Tomato paste or puree
- 1.5 pounds of ground beef
Preparation
- In a frying pan, sauté the chopped onion over low heat with oil. When they’re golden, add the seasoned meat with salt and pepper to taste. When the meat is cooked, add the tomato puree.
- Cook everything over low heat until it cooks, and add basil leaves.
- In a pot with boiling water, add the pasta and cook approximately 10 minutes or until al dente, then drain.
- Pour into a bowl and add Bolognese sauce.
- Serve and enjoy.
A delicious dinner
The best dinner meals are light and healthy. It’s good to have dinner at least 2 hours before going to sleep. You can make a squash cream and avocado salad with chicken. This one is particularly good for reducing nausea.
Undoubtedly, it’s one of the healthiest and most affordable recipes. You can prepare this cream with just a few ingredients. Although it seems simple, it’s tastier if you eat it freshly made. It’s just what you need on those cold nights.
Ingredients
- 1 potato
- 1/2 onion
- 4 zucchini
- 1/2 cup cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Preparation
- Wash the vegetables well, finely chop the onion, and cut the zucchini and potato.
- In a pot, pour in the olive oil and fry the onion.
- After a few minutes, place the vegetables to fry with the onion over medium heat. Add water to cover the vegetables and let them cook for about 10 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are well cooked.
- Turn off the heat and blend the vegetables until they’re creamy.
- Return to the heat and add the cream, salt and pepper.
- Remove from the heat and serve.
It’s necessary for your pregnancy and for your baby’s development that you have these low-fat recipes at hand during your third trimester of pregnancy, as they’ll help you maintain a balanced and healthy diet.
As a final tip, don’t forget to drink enough water, since this is a basic habit to keep yourself hydrated.
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.
- Szajewska H., Szajewski T., Saturated fat controversy: importance of systematic reviews and meta analyses. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2016. 56 (12): 1947-51.
- Shahidi F., Ambigaipalan P., Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and their health benefits. Annu Rev Food Sci Techonl, 2018. 9: 345-381.
