Five Healthy Drinks To Enjoy When You’re Pregnant
We often focus a lot on what we can and can’t eat during a healthy pregnancy but what about when we need to quench our thirst?
Here are our top five thirst stoppers for any pregnant mama…
1) Water
We all know water is the best thing to drink whether pregnant or not and keeping up your fluids with water is great to avoid dehydration plus it has many other health benefits.
Try to drink two litres of water a day, more or less as you feel is right for you. If you find drinking water difficult and ‘boring’ then liven things up a bit:
- Put water in a stylish drink bottle and take it with you wherever you are throughout the day. You’ll be surprised at how much you will drink when you just sip on it continuously throughout the day.
- Add some slices of lemon, a few fresh mint leaves or even some frozen berries and keep water in a jug in the refrigerator. The flavours from the fruit will give your water a lovely taste.
- Mix up plain water with bubbly mineral water and add some ice cubes, slices of lime and a few squeezes of lemon juice. Pour into a glass with a straw and you’ll have the perfect pregnant “cocktail”.
2) Herbal Tea
Decaffeinated herbal teas are lovely to drink when pregnant and some people find they can help ease the symptoms of morning sickness. Be sure to speak to your doctor or a medical professional about which teas are right for you and how many cups you can drink a day but generally speaking herbal teas like chamomile, peppermint, jasmine and ginger are usually safe during pregnancy.
Add a slice of fresh lemon or a few bits of grated ginger to spice things up a bit. Or make a batch of your favourite herbal tea, allow to cool and then place in the refrigerator in a jug with ice cubes, mint leaves, some apple slices and a few frozen berries and you have your own healthy iced tea.
3) Smoothies
A homemade smoothie is not only a good drink choice when pregnant but also great when you need a healthy snack in between main meals. Try the Healthy Mummy Pregnancy Smoothie which is a convenient and easy supplementary food, designed to complement your existing pregnancy vitamins or supplements, to help you meet the extra protein, vitamin and mineral requirements during your pregnancy.
The Healthy Mummy Pregnancy Smoothie is designed to complement, not replace, your prenatal vitamin intake. It is ideal as a high-protein, high-calcium snack in pregnancy.
Make your favourite smoothie combination with some fruit – bananas and frozen berries are a good start, some yoghurt, your preferred milk of choice and some ice cubes. Blitz until smooth and sit back, relax and enjoy.
4) Fresh Fruit And Vegetable Juices
If you feel like something with a lot of flavour then try a fresh fruit and vegetable juice. Make your own if you have a juicer or try the local health food shop or cafe to have your favourite combo made up.
Remember that juice is very concentrated i.e. you sometimes need four to five apples to make a small glass of apple juice and therefore there is a lot of natural sugar in each glass.
To combat this add some vegetables as well as just fruit and even combine a smaller amount of fresh fruit juice with some bubbly mineral water for a fruity “mocktail”.
Adding some of The Healthy Mummy Pregnancy Smoothie powder to a fresh juice will give it an extra nutrient boost too or try our Hydrating Blended Juice For Pregnant Mamas recipe here.
5) Coconut Water
Coconut water is a natural isotonic beverage that is safe to drink when pregnant whereas most pre-made isotonic (or sports) drinks are not suitable for pregnant women.
Coconut water helps prevent dehydration and can assist in relieving exhaustion as it replenishes the natural salts lost by your body when you sweat.
You can find coconut water in many supermarkets, corner shops and health food shops these days so try it after you’ve done some healthy pregnancy exercise to rehydrate.
Drinks To Avoid
Your doctor will advise which drinks you should avoid but in general alcohol is best avoided whilst pregnant.
There are many opinions about caffeine consumption when pregnant but having one cup of fresh coffee (or two cups of instant coffee) a day should be ok. Speak to your doctor to find out what is best for your pregnancy.
Sugary and caffeine-loaded drinks like soft drinks aren’t the healthiest options whether you are pregnant or not as they contain a lot of sugar and often many artificial flavours. Drinking these types of drinks or cordials in moderation is of course your choice but talk to a professional if you have any concerns or want to learn more.
Sticking to drinks that are the most natural is usually the best option.
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