Meals for Trimesters 1 & 2

With Chef Adam from At Dad’s Table 

The day you find out you are pregnant is also the day when you will need to start adapting your diet to keep you and your baby as healthy as possible. You will need to reduce your caffeine intake, cut out alcohol and avoid foods such as raw shellfish, pate and some cured meats.

While the ‘eating for two’ mantra may be something of a myth, it is still important to increase your intake of key ingredients and vitamins to make sure your body and mind are healthy for when your baby arrives.

We spoke to Adam from At Dad’s Table - he has two young children and trained to be a chef at the famous cookery school Leith’s. When his wife found out she was pregnant with their first child he wanted to cook delicious food for her. He looked for places for inspiration and found there were a lot of lists of foods not to eat but no great recipes to follow.

He decided to start experimenting with quick-to-cook, healthy dishes himself. This not only helped him look after his wife and keep her and their baby healthy, but also made him feel part of the pregnancy when often partners can feel slightly redundant.

Here are some of Adam’s suggestions for foods to consider including in your diet during pregnancy.

Note: Adam is not a doctor or nutritionist so if you have any specific worries please consult a medical professional.

First trimester: 

This is often when a pregnant woman is feeling the most exhausted and may be suffering from nausea or morning sickness.

Creating a new life takes up a lot of energy. This is why you often crave carbs or other beige food and that is not a problem. You should listen to your body and give it what it wants, but it is important to also include protein and folate at this time.

Folate is found in any green vegetable such as spinach, peas, kale, carrots and peppers. These ingredients can be hidden inside other dishes such as pasta or risottos.

Pesto is a great way to use up spinach. Just blitz it all up with cheese, nuts and olive oil and then you can use serve it with anything such pasta, soups or as a marinade for fish or chicken.

Soups and sauces are a great way of including loads of different vegetables.

Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t manage to eat lots of vegetables each day. Try turning your ‘beige craving’ into a ‘brown craving’ instead by swapping to wholegrain bread or pasta, brown rice or sweet potato.

There will be days when cooking and eating a healthy meal is the last thing you fancy doing and that is absolutely fine.

Second trimester:

For most people this trimester is when you start to feel better; the morning sickness has passed and your energy levels are higher.

You should eat whatever you want during this time. If you had a healthy diet before you became pregnant then you are likely to want to carry on with this healthy diet. If you didn’t have a healthy diet then you may want to start introducing more vegetables, pulses, grains and fresh fruit.

This is the stage where the baby really starts growing so you will want lots of magnesium, calcium, vitamins and protein in your diet. Cheeses like feta and halloumi are great because they are lower in calories but full of protein.

Salads with fish and lean meat are great in summer months and you can top them with salad sprouts and seeds.

Aim to eat 2-3 portions of fish such a tuna, salmon, prawns and sea bass a week.

When you are cooking a meal think about what else you have in the fridge or cupboard that you can add to it to make it even more healthy and delicious such as nuts, herbs or lentils.

If you are vegetarian you should just make sure you’re eating extra eggs, cheese, tofu. Tofu stir fries are really easy.

Some pregnant women experience heartburn eating and this can be a reaction to the acidity in some types of fruit. It can also happen after eating tomatoes so when cooking pasta or soups, try swapping to a cream-based sauce.

As you get bigger you may find that eating three large meals a day leaves you feeling uncomfortable. Instead try eating little and often with 5-6 small meals a day and this should keep hunger at bay and your energy levels up.

:: For information from the NHS about what foods are safe to eat in pregnancy click here

More of Adam’s recipes can be found @at_dads_table