Snacking is essential while pregnant to keep energy up and ensure you get optimal nutrition. Ensuring you have healthy snacks on hand and ready to go will help you to eat properly and save you from breaking the bank on store bought fast food snacks when you are too hungry to even think about meal prep! Here are some quick & easy snacks you should try to keep on hand for when you need a quick snack. These would also make excellent additions to your birth bag to ensure you keep your strength up during labour!
Veggies & Dip
When you get home from the grocery store, try to wash and chop all of your veggies and store them in ziploc bags, mason jars or other containers to make them quick grab and go snacks to bring in your purse. The dip you choose is up to you, whether it be a ranch dressing or hummus – the options are endless. The more protein and healthy fats in the dip the better!
Fruit with Nut Butter
Apple slices with almond butter and a sprinkling of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts is one of my all time favourite snacks! It’s quick and easy and hits all the main categories: carbs from the apple, protein from the almond butter and essential fatty acids in the hemp hearts. This snack is filling, delicious and is excellent if you’ve had an early lunch and know you’ll have a late dinner! Banana with nut butter is also a wonderful snack, just a bit squishier to prep :).
Avocados & Bars
Have you ever had an avocado with nothing on it? One of my favourite quick snacks when I was pregnant was a ripe avocado cut open and eaten with a spoon. Sometimes I would add a squeeze of lemon or a touch of himalayan sea salt, but that was it. It’s simple, tasty and chock full of good fats and B vitamins to keep you and your growing baby satisfied! Bars are also quick and easy go to’s, and can be quite cost effective if you or someone you know has a Costco membership!
Bone Broth
Especially great if you’re having digestive troubles or think you may be coming down with a cold, bone broth is full of protein and essential minerals that help you and baby in many different ways. Your digestive system gets plenty of nourishment and rest with bone broth, and when your digestive system is happy so is your immune system. The minerals in bone broth not only act as natural electrolytes but also help provide baby with an extra boost of bone building goodness! While bone broth may not be ideal for your tastebuds in labour, I highly recommend taking it as often as possible when pregnant, especially in the winter months.
Smoothies
For vegetarians or vegans who can’t have bone broth, smoothies are an ideal replacement. Also full of minerals and high in vitamins, green smoothies have the added bonus of being customizable so that you can add in extra protein and healthy fats and other items that can help with some common pregnancy issues like constipation (flax seed), heart burn (dark leafy greens) and fatigue (avocado). Check out our Quick Morning Green Smoothie recipe!
Durham Region Doulas 
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