Evening Diet for a Pregnant Woman

What to eat for dinner when pregnant: recommendations and restrictions

For dinner, it is recommended to consume easily digestible nutritious dishes that are mostly digested by the body before bedtime. This also justifies the timing for the last meal: dinner should ideally be eaten 2-2.5 hours before bedtime. So, what can pregnant women eat at night?

In the study of human physiology, it has been established that it is most beneficial for pregnant women to eat the following products in the evening:

• dairy;
• fish;
• grains;
• greens;
• vegetables low in starch;
• bananas, dried apricots, sesame seeds – sources of tryptophan.

From this list of products, you can create an excellent dinner menu. By combining dishes in different ways, each evening you can delight yourself with delicious meals without noticing dietary restrictions during pregnancy. A nutritionist from the online course will help you understand the nuances of nutrition for pregnant women and provide recommendations regarding the evening meal.

A dinner portion during pregnancy should be moderate; you shouldn’t get carried away and yield to the temptation to eat “for two.” It’s preferable to choose stewed or boiled dishes, and consume some products raw.

Having figured out what pregnant women can eat in the evening, it’s worth moving on to the question of what is better avoided during pregnancy. During gestation, it is not recommended to have dinner consisting of potatoes in any form, pastries, cakes, sweets, as well as overly fatty foods. It cannot be said that these dishes are completely forbidden, it’s just better to eat them in the first half of the day.

In addition, when preparing evening meals, it is advisable to avoid using seasonings that stimulate appetite: anise, pepper, garlic, rosemary, caraway.

Bedtime Snacks: What Can Pregnant Women Eat at Night If Waiting Until Morning Is Unbearable?

The issue of increased appetite before sleep affects many women, including pregnant ones. As mentioned above, it is advisable to plan the last meal 2 hours before going to bed. However, if dinner was not filling enough, or if a woman goes to bed later than planned, the stomach might demand an ‘extra portion.’ In such a situation, it is best for pregnant women to try not to eat anything high in calories and nutrients at night. Appetite comes with eating – this is a fact that works against a woman who decided to have a light snack before bed. After receiving a small portion of food, the body will ask for more and more.

If enduring light hunger in the evening is not possible, light drinks come to the rescue: kefir, milk with honey, smoothies, yogurt.

Improperly chosen evening meals result in nighttime hunger. This disrupts healthy sleep and causes significant discomfort – a pregnant woman already often experiences sleep problems. Here’s what pregnant women can eat at night to ease their well-being:

• tofu cheese;
• dried apricots;
• banana;
• sesame;
• dairy products.

Raw vegetables rich in fiber – pumpkin, carrots, cabbage – are also suitable. They can be eaten as a salad or sliced.