Health Tips for Pregnant Mums

We are excited to announce that Kylie Stowe will be joining our team as a Nutritionist and a Health Coach. Kylie draws on her extensive knowledge of Naturopathy, Nutrition, Behaviour Psychology, Meditation & Mindfulness to build comprehensive individualised Health Protocols.

Over the coming weeks, Kylie is really excited to share some practical tips, recipes and personal experience to help you navigate these beautiful, yet somewhat challenging times!

Health Tips for Pregnant Mums

Focus on whole unprocessed nourishing foods

There is a lot of pressure on pregnant Mums, to eat the ‘perfect diet’, this can be incredibly confusing due to the plethora of conflicting information available. You are not alone if this has been a source of guilt because you feel you’re not eating the way you should be, particularly when morning sickness can make eating anything but ice-blocks & dry crackers impossible - you do what you have to do to get through in those early months.

Nutrient requirements during pregnancy are more substantial and supplying a growing baby can often deplete our own nutrient stores. Focusing on building nutritious meals from whole unprocessed foods is always a great option as they are a rich source of essential nutrients. Heavily processed foods are often lacking in nutrients hence being labelled as empty calories.

Think good quality protein such as free-range / grass-fed meats where possible, seafood, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds. Aiming for at least four serves of colourful vegetables, two servings of fruit, some whole grains such as quinoa, steel-cut oats or brown rice, some quality pasteurised dairy (if tolerated) and some healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and avocado.

If morning sickness is making eating healthy meals difficult in those early months, I found smoothies really helped to get more nutrients in. My go-to smoothie was Nuzest’s Clean Lean Protein (this is a good quality protein powder with no nasty fillers) nut butter, banana, berries, greens & almond milk).

Staying hydrated is also really important, aim for 2 glasses of water on rising as we often wake needing to rehydrate, followed by another 2 litres throughout the day. After the first trimester, this can include 1-2 cups of pregnancy tea such as Artemis pregnancy tea which is supportive and nourishing. If nausea makes staying hydrated difficult try taking small sips often.

It is not always possible to supply all the nutrients you need with diet alone, this is where the addition of good quality prenatal supplements that includes Folate, Iodine, Vitamin D & DHA is a great idea. It is always important to get advice on supplements from your LMC or health professional to discuss your own personal requirements.

Another important aspect of health is movement, even if it’s just getting out for a walk. The fresh air & an added benefit of Vitamin D can boost mood, the immune system and help support joints & fitness throughout pregnancy. There are lots of specialised prenatal fitness & yoga classes available & these are also great for meeting other Mums to be, some of the Mums I met through yoga have become great friends and support throughout my motherhood journey.

I always say to aim for progress, not perfection when it comes to nutrition & health. Realising that it is a constant work in progress can lift some of the stress over striving for perfection. If you want to take a more in-depth look at Prenatal nutrition I highly recommend Dietician Lily Nichol’s book, Real Food for Pregnancy, it is packed full of great information & recipes.

Kylie Stowe

@melawholefoods

kylie@redefined.nz

Creamy Chicken With Cauliflower Mash

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of diced free range chicken thigh

• 6 cloves of garlic

• 2 finely diced shallots

• A handful of roughly chopped fresh thyme

• 1c of quartered mushrooms

• 1c of diced zucchini

• 1c of fresh baby beans

• 1c of good quality chicken stock or bone broth

• ½ c of cream or coconut milk

• 1 large cauliflower

• Knob of butter (optional)

• Seasoning

Method:

Saute garlic, shallots, mushrooms & chicken in a pan until lightly browned then add in the stock/broth and reduce by half over medium heat. Approx. 10 minutes.

Add in the zucchini, beans, herbs and cream then simmer until thickened and chicken is cooked through. If using frozen beans put in right at the end. Season to taste.

For the cauliflower mash

Roughly chop a whole head of cauliflower, put into a large pan of boiling water then cook until very soft - approximately 10 minutes. Drain the liquid and using a stick blender or a potato masher, mash the cauliflower as you would potatoes. I add in a knob of butter and season with Himalayan salt & cracked pepper.

Serve the creamy chicken over the mash - Enjoy!