Food that We Prepare Yourself for a Healthy Baby

“ Hurry!! We are Pregnant ”

these exciting words and spine-tingling time also gives us little stress in our mind regarding the development of a healthy baby. Knowing everything we can do to deliver a healthy baby is absolute bliss.

Value of Food During Pregnancy

A woman develops her pregnancy from the reserve of her Protein, Calcium, Fibre, and Folic acid and with Vitamin A, B, and C complex to develop her fetus. So she needs these nutrients incessantly throughout the 9 months of the gestation period.

Nutritious foods are required for all the 3 trimesters of pregnancy because depending upon the changes in the body and transition through each trimester some may experience discomforts like heart burning sensation, morning sickness, nausea, and acidity.

Recipes for Yummylicious Food

Homemade yummylicious food can be craved any time during pregnancy and making these foods are also easy peasy and also perfect for anyone.

1.Paasi Payiru Dosa/Green Dosa

To Grind

• 1 Cup of Paasi Payiru/Green Gram

• 1-inch ginger 

• 3-4 cloves of  garlic

• 1 cup of Coriander and Mint leaves(washed)

• 2 Green Chilli

• Salt as required

Seasoning

• ½  Onion

• 1 tsp of jeera

• Pinch of asafoetida

• 1 sprig of curry leaves

Method

• Soak Paasi Payiru or Green Gram overnight or 8 hours of soaking is required.

• Once done grind along with ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and green chili in a mixer until you get the dosa batter consistency. Add water, if required, and ensure it doesn’t turn runny.

• Add onion, jeera asafoetida and curry leaves, and salt.

• Once done, heat a tawa and add a few drops of oil. Pour a spoonful of dosa and move it in a circular motion, if needed can add a few more drops of oil along the edges 

• Turn the dosa and remove it from the flame when both sides are crispy.

• Serve hot dosa with Coconut chutney and sambhar.

Green Gram is rich in Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid which helps to produce new blood cells apart from rich high-quality protein.

2. Adai Dosa

Ingredients

• 1 cup Idly Rice

• 1 cup Raw Rice

• 1 cup Par-boiled Rice

• ½ cup Urad Dal

• 3 tbsp of Channa Dal

• ½ cup Toor Dal

• ½ cup Moong Dal

• ¼ cup Green Gram

• ¼ cup black Channa

• 3 tbsp White Channa

• ½ tsp of fenugreek

• 10-15 red Chillies

• 6-7 Cloves of Garlic

Seasoning

• A pinch of Asafoetida

• ½ Onion (chopped)

• Sprig of Curry leaves

• A handful of Chopped Coriander

• 1 tsp of Cumin

• Salt to taste

Method

• Soak all the rice and dals (except garlic and red chilies) overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours.

• Grind it in a mixer to dosa batter consistency with red chilies and garlic. Add water as required and make sure the batter doesn’t turn runny.

•  Season the batter with cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves, coriander

• Add salt as required

• Heat a Pan. Pour a few drops of Oil and make yummy -yummy hot dosas.

• Serve Hot with Coconut Chutney.

This Dosa is a nutrient-packed food. Dals are instant energy providers that fulfill the nutrient requirement of the body.

• Rich in calcium and minerals

• Fatty acids help in Foetal Brain Development

• Dals are Fibre Rich.

3. Ginger Chutney

Ingredients

• 1 Chopped Onion 

• 1 Chopped  Tomato 

• Thumb size of Ginger Washed and Peeled

• Small size Tamarind

• 1 tsp Urad Dal

• 2 Dry Red chilies

• 1 tsp of Jaggery

• 1 tsp of Oil

• Salt as Required

Seasoning

• 1 tsp of oil

• ½ of Mustard

• ½ of Urad Dal

• 1 Sprig of Curry leaves

Method

• Heat a pan with oil and add onion, tomato, urad dal, and red chilies.

•  Add ginger and tamarind, and fry till the raw smell goes.

• Cool down and grind it in a mixer by adding jaggery and salt.

• Season with Mustard and urad dal and curry leaves.

This chutney contains spiciness, tanginess, and sweetness. Ginger aids in digestion and taking it in small quantities could ease nausea and vomiting.

4. Drumstick Leaves Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Drumstick leaves

• 1 big tomato

• 10 small onions

• 5-6 garlic cloves chopped

• 1tsp of cumin

• 1 inch Ginger chopped

• ¼ tsp of Turmeric

• ½ tsp of black pepper powder 

• 4 cups of water as required

• Salt as required

  
  
  
  

Method

• In a Pressure Cooker, add 4 cups of water and boil.

• Add all the ingredients to the boiling water

• Pressure Cook it for 20 minutes.

• Strain the Soup and serve hot.

Drumstick leaves contain more nutrients than whole foods. They are rich in calcium, iron, protein, and vitamins A, B, and C.

5. Pasalai/Palak  Kootu

Ingredients

• 1 cup Palak Leaves

• Sambhar Powder-1tsp

• 3 tbsp Toor Dal

• 1 Tomato Chopped

• ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder

• A pinch of Asafoetida

To Temper

• 1 tbsp oil

• 5 shallots

• ½ tsp cumin seeds

  
  

Method

• Pressure cook for 4 whistles Toor dal with chopped tomato, asafoetida, turmeric powder, and a few cups of water.

• In a Pan, add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add onion and fry until it turns translucent.

• Add the palak leaves and sauté them for a minute and add sambhar powder.

• Add the cooked dal along with water and add the required salt and simmer for 5 minutes.

Palak is rich in calcium and protein and it's flooded with folates it’s a good analgesic that cures the pain of pregnancy and delivery.

6. Dates & Banana Smoothie

Ingredients

• ¼ cup of Dates

• ½ cup milk

• ½ Banana

  
  

Method

• Soak the dates for 15 mins in warm milk.

• Blend the ingredients in a juicer. Banana acts as a natural sweetener.

It’s a perfect smoothie during the first trimester of pregnancy it gives instant energy during morning sickness. It provides the required calcium, iron, and protein.

Pregnancy is the joy of Motherhood so enjoy having all the healthy foods. A bit of planning and a proper diet can provide multi-nutrient-rich food for a healthy pregnancy.