201 Organic Smoothies and Juices for a Healthy Pregnancy: Nutrient-Rich Recipes for Your Pregnancy Diet
Authors: Nicole Cormier
Organic
Smoothies
& Juices
for a
Healthy Pregnancy
Nicole Cormier, RD, LDN
This book is dedicated to all moms and moms-to-be.
I would like to acknowledge all of the farmers and locavores I have connected with over this past year. You have helped me and the community understand more about where our food comes from and the importance of staying connected to it.
Part 1: Pregnancy Smoothies and Juices 101
CHAPTER 1: A Healthy Pregnancy Diet
CHAPTER 2: Smoothie and Juicing Essentials
Carrot Top of the Morning to You
Orange You Glad You Got Up for This?
Ginger and Spice Make Everything Nice
A Berry Delicious End to the Day
Raspberry Immune System Smoothie
Pleasurable Pregnancy Smoothie
Beta-Carotene Cantaloupe Smoothie
H
ow can smoothies and juices help you sail through the nine months of pregnancy stress-free? Well, maybe you suffer from low energy or morning sickness? Maybe you’re concerned that you’re not eating the right foods to make sure your baby-to-be develops healthy bones or a strong nervous system? Maybe those pregnancy cravings have you up in the middle of the night scrounging through your fridge looking for something (anything!) that will hit the spot?
Fortunately, the 201 recipes for organic smoothies and juices found throughout this book will help you calm those cravings, quell that morning sickness, and feel good knowing that you’re giving your baby all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients he needs to grow healthy and strong.
In
Part 1
you’ll learn everything you need to know about why you should choose organic, how juices and smoothies can help you—and your baby!—get all the nutrients you need during your pregnancy, and what you need to create all the smoothies and juices found throughout the book. In
Part 2
you’ll find recipes for 201 organic, nutrient-filled smoothies and juices and information about how these recipes can be particularly beneficial over the next nine months. The recipes’ ingredients run the gamut from sweet to savory and each will do something different for your body and your baby, such as the Turnip Temptation that will help your baby’s developing nervous system, the Blackberry Delight that will strengthen both you and your baby’s immune systems, and the Pumpkin Spice that will help keep your digestive system on track.
So get your blenders ready and your juicers powered up! You only have nine short months to enjoy all the benefits these smoothies and juices have to offer and you don’t want to miss a single sip. Enjoy!
Pregnancy Smoothies and Juices 101
So why should you go organic during your pregnancy? What nutrients do you really need to take in on a regular basis, and how much more of each do you need while you’re pregnant? How do you make smoothies and juices, anyway? This Part answers all those questions and more to help you know what you need for the healthiest pregnancy possible—for both you
and
your baby-to-be.
A Healthy Pregnancy Diet
A healthy pregnancy diet needs a balance of dietary components that pack as many nutrients per calorie as possible. These nutrient-dense calories are key to a healthy pregnancy. One way to increase your intake of nutrient-dense calories during pregnancy is to add the right kind of juices and smoothies into your diet. These tasty additions pack in important macro- and micronutrients essential to a healthy pregnancy.
As your baby is growing, so will your caloric needs. On average, the caloric needs of a pregnant woman will increase by around 300 calories a day. In order to make sure you are getting the most of each of those calories, you want to make sure they are packed with the necessary nutrients for a healthy pregnancy, such as folic acid, calcium, and iron.
There are a number of different benefits and sources for these pregnancy nutrients. Here’s a brief overview as to why these nutrients are important during pregnancy and what types of foods provide them.
Folic Acid
Folate, found naturally in foods, is one of the B vitamins; it is also known as folic acid. During pregnancy, this vitamin helps to properly develop the neural tube, which becomes the baby’s spine. When taken in daily optimal amounts at least one month before becoming pregnant and during the first trimester, folic acid can help prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, called neural tube defects (NTDs). Though the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies still states that the recommended intake is 400 micrograms (mcg) for women of childbearing age, recent studies show that to decrease the risk of birth defects, folic acid should be increased to 800–1000 mcg daily (the amount in most prenatal vitamins) in those who are pregnant or are attempting to become pregnant. So your doctor will likely prescribe a prenatal vitamin with this higher amount.
Because most women do not know that they are pregnant right away and because the neural tube and the brain begin to form so quickly after conception, taking optimal amounts of folic acid on a daily basis is important for all women in their childbearing years.
GOOD SOURCES OF FOLIC ACID
- Cranberries.
High in vitamins C, B complex, and A, and folic acid, cranberries help prevent bladder infections by keeping bacteria from clinging to the wall of the bladder.
- Pears.
Rich in fiber, vitamins B and C, folic acid, niacin, and the minerals phosphorus and calcium, pears help your bladder and constipation.
- Oranges.
A rich source of vitamins C, B, and K; biotin; folic acid; amino acids; and minerals, oranges cleanse the gastrointestinal tract, strengthen capillary walls, and benefit the heart and lungs.
- Apples.
Rich in vitamins A, B
1
, B
2
, B
6
, and C; folic acid; biotin; and a host of minerals that promote healthy skin, hair, and nails, apples also contain pectin, a fiber that absorbs toxins, stimulates digestion, and helps reduce cholesterol.
Other B Vitamins
Vitamin B
6
is necessary in helping your body make nonessential amino acids (the building blocks of protein). These nonessential amino acids are used to make necessary body cells. Vitamin B
6
also helps to turn the amino acid tryptophan into niacin and serotonin (a messenger in the brain). In addition to those functions, this vitamin helps produce insulin, hemoglobin, and antibodies that help fight infection. Requirements are increased slightly in pregnancy due to the needs of the baby. The recommended level during pregnancy is 1.9 milligrams (mg).
Requirements are also increased for vitamin B
12
during pregnancy to help with the formation of red blood cells. The increase is slight, from 2.4mcg before pregnancy to 2.6mcg during pregnancy.
Calcium
Calcium is a mineral that deserves special attention throughout a woman’s life, especially when it comes to pregnancy. Calcium is important for strong bones and teeth, a healthy heart, nerves, muscles, and the development of normal heart rhythm and blood-clotting abilities. Not consuming enough calcium and/or not having good calcium stores will force the baby to use calcium from your own bones. Consuming plenty of calcium before, during, and after pregnancy can also help to reduce your risk for osteoporosis, or brittle bone disease, later in life.
Intake Requirements
Whether pregnant or not, calcium needs for teens (age fourteen to eighteen) is 1,300mg and 1,000mg for woman age nineteen to fifty. Women older than fifty need 1,200mg of calcium daily. The tolerable upper intake level for calcium is 2,500mg daily.
GOOD SOURCES OF CALCIUM
- Grapefruit.
Rich in vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium as well, grapefruit helps strengthen capillary walls and reduce indigestion, varicose veins, obesity, and morning sickness.
- Strawberries.
Strawberries are packed with vitamin C, iron, calcium, magnesium, folate, and potassium—essential for immune system function and for strong connective tissue.
- Broccoli.
Packed with fiber to help regularity, broccoli is also surprisingly high in protein, and it’s full of calcium, antioxidants, and vitamins B
6
, C, and E.
- Beets.
Both the beet greens and beet roots are juiceable and highly nutritious. The roots are packed with calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C.
Iron
Iron is another essential mineral that merits special attention as part of your diet before and during pregnancy. Iron is essential to the formation of healthy red blood cells, which are responsible for carrying oxygen through your blood to the cells of your body. Almost two-thirds of the iron in your body is found in hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body’s tissues. The increase in blood volume that takes place during pregnancy greatly increases a woman’s need for iron. If you do not get enough iron and/or do not have adequate iron stores, the growing baby will take it at your expense. Iron deficiency during pregnancy can cause anemia, extreme fatigue, a low birth-weight baby, and other potential problems.
The greater your iron stores before you become pregnant, the better iron will be absorbed during pregnancy.
Intake Requirements
During pregnancy, your iron requirement climbs from 18mg for women between nineteen and fifty years old to 27mg per day. Again, as with many other vitamins and minerals, too much iron is not always best. Iron has a tolerable upper intake level of 45mg. Foods that supply iron include meat, poultry, fish, legumes, and whole-grain and enriched grain products. Iron from plant sources (or “nonheme iron”) is not as easily absorbed as that from animal sources (or “heme iron”). Supplementing your meals with a beverage rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits or juices, broccoli, tomatoes, or kiwi, will help your body better absorb the iron in the foods you consume.
GOOD SOURCES OF IRON
- Radishes.
Small but mighty in taste and loaded with vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and potassium, radish juice cleanses the nasal sinuses and gastrointestinal tract and helps clear up skin disorders.
- Spinach, kale, and Swiss chard.
Popeye was right all along. You’ll be strong to the finish if you eat your spinach, kale, and chard, which are similar in nutritional value and provide ample supplies of iron, phosphorus, fiber, and vitamins A, B, C, E, and K.
- Lettuce.
Deep-green lettuce is a good source of calcium, chlorophyll, iron, magnesium, potassium silicon, and vitamins A and E. All types help rebuild hemoglobin, add shine and thickness to hair, and promote hair growth.
Beta-Carotene
Vitamin A promotes the growth and health of cells and tissues for both the mother and the baby and, in the form of beta-carotene, vitamin A also acts as a powerful antioxidant. Beta-carotene, which forms vitamin A, does not pose any danger to expectant mothers. However, too high of doses of the preformed vitamin A, not beta-carotene, can cause birth defects and liver toxicity.
Your body easily converts beta-carotene to vitamin A only when the body needs it. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin A is measured in micrograms (mcg). In supplements and on nutrition facts panels, it is measured in international units (IU). The need for vitamin A increases only slightly during pregnancy, from 700 to 770mcg (for women nineteen to fifty years of age), which adds up to 2,334 to 2,567 IU.
GOOD SOURCES OF BETA-CAROTENE
• | • |
• | • |
Vitamin D
Another important fat-soluble vitamin that’s essential during pregnancy is vitamin D. This vitamin aids in calcium balance and helps your body absorb sufficient calcium for you and your baby. Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because the body can make vitamin D after sunlight hits the skin. It is important to get enough vitamin D throughout your life as a way of helping to avoid osteoporosis (or brittle bone disease). Since vitamin D is stored in the body, too much can be toxic. Toxic levels of vitamin D usually come from supplements, not food sources or sunlight. During pregnancy, women should get 5mcg or 200 IU per day.
GOOD SOURCES OF VITAMIN D
- Sunflower seeds
- Sprouts
- Mushrooms
- Fortified milk
, including cows’ milk, almond, soy, and rice
Vitamin C
Vitamin C produces collagen, a connective tissue that holds muscles, bones, and other tissues together. In addition it helps with a variety of other functions, including forming and repairing red blood cells, bones, and other tissue; protecting you from bruising; and boosting your immune system.
GOOD SOURCES OF VITAMIN C
- Watermelon.
It is very high in electrolytes and vitamin C. It will help re-energize you, especially if you’re working out during your pregnancy.
Zinc
Almost every cell in the body contains zinc, which is also part of over seventy different types of enzymes. Zinc is known as the second most abundant trace mineral in the human body. Your requirement for this mineral increases slightly during pregnancy from 8 to 11 mg (for women nineteen to fifty years). Zinc is needed for cell growth and brain development. Too much iron from supplements can inhibit the absorption of zinc.
Women who are having multiple babies have slightly higher recommended intakes for some vitamins and minerals. Your doctor can advise you as to your recommended nutritional intake.
GOOD SOURCES OF ZINC
- Broccoli.
It is rich in vitamins A, B, C, and K; fiber; zinc; folic acid; magnesium; iron; and beta-carotene.
Sodium
Although sodium sometimes gets bad press, it is still a mineral that is essential to life and to good health—and that also means during pregnancy.
Sodium has many important functions in the body, such as controlling the flow of fluids in and out of each cell, regulating blood pressure, transmitting nerve impulses, and helping your muscles relax (including the heart, which is a muscle). Sodium chloride and potassium are known as electrolytes, compounds that transmit electrical currents through the body. As a result of these currents, nerve impulses can also be transmitted.
Recommended Amounts
The terms “salt” and “sodium” are often used interchangeably, yet they are two different things. Sodium is an element of table salt, which is technically known as sodium chloride. How much sodium is in table salt? A single teaspoon of salt contains 2,000mg of sodium. Generally, articles and guidelines that warn of the dangers of eating too much salt are concerned with sodium only.
