Welcome to the guide on Best foods to eat while pregnant in second trimester – the comfortable and enjoyable trimester of your pregnancy.

In this article:

Second Trimester- Nutrition Requirements and Food items

Delicious recipes for second trimester – Author’s favourites

10 Healthy Habits and tips for Second trimester

After crossing the three months of morning sickness and constant nausea you are entering the arena of involuntary farts, burps and chronic full bladder. LOL! ! ! I am not trying to scare you . Believe me  this is a very relaxed trimester. The risk of miscarriage has dropped considerably and the baby weight hasnt begun to bother you yet.

You just need to take care of your Diet and adopt some healthy habits

The baby’s bones and brain are rapidly growing in the second trimester and so you must take utmost care of your diet. I have curated a list of vital nutrients and the best diet for pregnant women.

So, choosing the right food is important but don’t stress about it. Stress and pregnancy should be poles apart.


SECOND TRIMESTER – BEST FOODS TO EAT 

It is recommended that pregnant women should increase their caloric intake by 300 to 500 calories per day BUT BY FEEDING ON WHOLESOME NUTRITIOUS FOODS. Here’s a list of vital nutrients and food items you should include in your diet.

Nutrients Required Why it is important Food Items
Folic Acid /

vitamin B9 /

Folate

Most Essential micronutrient. 

Prevents Neural tube defects(birth defects

of the brain, spine, or spinal cord)

-Oranges

-Strawberry

-Green Leafy vegetables

-Kidney Beans

– lobia

-Nuts

-Cauliflower

-Beets

-Broccoli

Protein Key for muscle development of mother

Helps muscle development of baby

Supports Uterine Tissue growth

-Greek Yogurt 

-Eggs

-Chicken

Calcium Growth of baby’s teeth and bones

Avoiding brittle bones in mother

-Milk

-Cheese

-Yogurt

-Dark leafy vegetables

Iron For production of extra blood for

mother and baby

For adequate supply of oxygen to baby

-Tofu

-Spinach

-Seafood

-Beans

-Chicken

-Eggs

Vitamin – C For Bone and Tissue development of baby

Helps in Absorption of iron in body

-Orange

-Broccoli

-Strawberry

-Kiwi

-Red Bell Pepper

-Sweet potato

-Tomato

Omega- 3

Fatty acids

Neuro development of baby -Chia seeds

-Flax seeds

Potassium Maintaining blood pressure -Banana

-Apricots

-Avocados


DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR SECOND TRIMESTER – AUTHOR’S FAVOURITES

Reading all these items, your head spins thinking how to have them especially when your tongue has a mind of its own during pregnancy. I have listed some tempting dishes which were my favourite during the second trimester. In addition to these, you can savour on the recipes I mentioned in my previous article on Best foods to eat while pregnant- First Trimester Food guide and Tips. 

1. Sooji cheela/ uttapam with coconut chutney

BEST FOODS TO EAT WHILE PREGNANT- SOOJI UTTAPAM- SECOND TRIMESTER

SOOJI UTTAPAM

  • In a large mixing bowl soak Sooji/ Rava in curd plus water mixture for 10 minutes.This batter will swell and become thick. 
  • Meanwhile  in a large bowl finely chop  some onion, capsisum, tomatoes, beans, carrots, chillies, ginger. (If you are short of time, put everything except tomatoes in a mixer jar and give a quick whirl to get chopped effect).
  •  Add some chopped curry leaves and mustard seeds (rai sarson). The aroma of curry leaves is very appetising during pregnancy. 
  • Mix the vegetables with soaked sooji to make a fine batter with consistency thicker than dosa batter. Add water if required. Now using olive oil/ ghee make delicious spread the batter evenly on a non stick pan in circular shape. 
  • Toast from both sides to get a crisp and golden brown cheela. 
  • Enjoy with coconut chutney / tomato ketchup/ mint & coriander chutney/ andhra tomato chutney.

2. Oats Porridge

SECOND TRIMESTER- BEST FOODS TO EAT WHIL PREGNANT- OATS PORRIDGE

OATS PORRIDGE

  • In a pan of hot water, add a cup of rolled oats/ quaker Instant oats. Add some milk/ almond milk to get slurry slurry consistency and let it simmer on low heat.
  • Add cinnamon, a drop of vanilla essence if you like, chopped walnuts (soaked for an hour), black raisins and cook for a minute.
  • Meanwhile whisk and puree the bananas. Add to the oats mixture and give it a stir. Add sugar / jaggery as per your taste Do Not overcook after adding bananas.
  • Garnish with almond shaving , drizzle some maple syrup, melted chocolate on top and enjoy this heavenly desert. It’s the quickest dessert you can have after a bar of chocolate.
  • BONUS : You can even prepare this as a cold morning meal. For cold desert, keep the consistency of batter less thick. After you have added bananas and sugar, pour it in a wine glass/ normal broad glass tumbler. Refrigerate it overnight. Top it up with mango cubes/ kiwi cubes/ chicco cubes/ apple slices and other dry fruit / maple syrup/honey/ chocolate you like. The porridge is delicious in the morning without any topping too. Treat yourself with this healthy cum yummy porridge.

3. Baked Vegetables with double twist

Stir fry brocolli Second Trimester Best foods to eat while pregnant

Baked vegetables

  • Take a pan of boiling water and add to it chopped vegetables of your choice like – beans , carrots, cauliflower, bell peppers,baby corn, peas, mushrooms, capsicum, corn. 
  • Boil the vegetables till they are half cooked and strain them. (Don’t throw the water, it makes a yummy soup with a dollop of butter on top). 
  • Twist 1– In a pan, add some butter and olive oil. Put a tablespoon of powdered oats( We will not use maida) and roast a little. Add some milk to it to get consistency of white sauce.You can also add the vegetable stock to this sauce, it gives a great aroma and taste.
  • Next, heat some oil in a pan and saute the chopped onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. 
  • Then add the boiled vegetables, zucchini and saute them.Season it with salt and black pepper. 
  • Add half of the white sauce and combine them properly. Grease a baking tray with butter and preheat the oven at 180*c.
    Add the sauteed vegetables to the baking tray and pour the remaining white sauce over it. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the vegetables and bake for 10-15 minutes till light brown. 
  • Garnish with parsley and serve it hot on your plate.
  • Twist 2- This is an optional variant. When you pour vegetables in the baking tray, you can top it with a layer of spinach. For the spinach layer, blanch and puree fresh spinach leaves.Heat some oil in a pan and saute the chopped onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. 
  • Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Now Add spinach puree and cook till assimilated well. 
  • Your spinach is ready. (You can freeze this spinach to keep handy for further use) 
  • Adding spinach to this recipe skyrockets its nutritional value. So mummies, enjoy this recipe in solace or with your husband- he’ll love it too.

4. Raitas – all varieties

Baked vegetables Second Trimester Best foods to eat while pregnant

Raita

Curd / Yogurt is a rich source of protein and calcium. You can make this item delicious by adding a variety of ingredients.A prerequisite for all these recipes is to hang the curd for an hour (if curd is home-made) else strain the curd if using packaged curd. Add a pinch of salt, some powdered sugar, jeera powder and mix well for curd mixture. 

  1. Fruit raita – To the curd mixture, add your choice of chopped fruits-  mangoes, grapes, pomegranate, banana.
  2. Beetroot raita – Thinly grate beetroot, cucumber and carrot and add to the curd mixture to get your bowl of delicious raita.
  3. Chaat raita – Add chopped tomato , onion and cucumber to the curd mixture and top it with some chaat masala and mint powder to get a refreshing raita. You can skip sugar powder in this recipe 
  4. Dessert raita– Take plain strained curd and add some chopped soaked nuts to it. Drizzle some honey / maple syrup and enjoy this quasi dessert.

5. Beetroot tikki

Beetroot Tikki Second Trimester Best foods to eat while pregnant

Beetroot tikki

  • In a pan or pressure cooker, boil both the beetroot and potatoes together with some salt and enough water for 7 to 8 whistles on medium flame. 
  • Drain all the water. Then peel and grate the beetroot in a bowl. 
  • Grate the potato in the same bowl. You can also add grated carrot to this.
  • Add dried mango powder( amchur), garam masala, jeera powder, chaat masala,, green chili, salt and rice flour/soaked bread slices.
  • Mix everything well with your hands. Now shape them into round patties or tikkis.
  • Take some roasted semolina (rava) in a plate and evenly coat the cutlets on all sides by the semolina
  • Deep fry, shallow fry or pan fry the patties in hot oil or you may air fry or bake them. Top up with some chaat masala and freshly chopped coriander if you like.
  • Eat hot with mint chutney/ tomato ketchup along with a lemonade 
  • Thanks to the numerous benefits of beetroot, this recipe is great for your health post-delivery too.

6. Milk Shakes

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Having Milk shakes is the easiest way to get the required calories in a healthy quick manner. Make yourself strawberry / mixed berry / banana/ peanut butter and banana / banana and strawberry. Top it with a dollop of ice cream / nuts of your choice for a power packed meal especially when hunger strikes out of of-where

7. Stir fry broccoli, mushrooms and sprouts

Stir fry brocolli Second Trimester Best foods to eat while pregnant

Stir Fry broccoli, mushroom & sprouts

  • Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Then, add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.
  • Add the broccoli, mushrooms, bean sprouts and thinly sliced capsicum and saute on high flame till you reach the desired tenderness.
  • Garnish with thyme or parsley.

 

 


10 HEALTHY HABITS AND TIPS FOR SECOND TRIMESTER

  1. Keep some appetising chutneys and sauces like mint , andhra, mango, hummus, andhra tomato on hand. They are a great delight to your taste buds in sudden cravings.

  2.  Keep items like roasted makhana (fox nuts) , flat rice, fresh coconut slices , soaked walnuts and almonds in your bag when going out.

  3. Take lots of carrot , beetroot and tomatoes. They help you keep up the Hemoglobin levels

  4. Staying hydrated is utmost essential. Drink water, lemonade, coconut water, cucumber, watermelon, orange to keep up the water levels.

  5. Keeping the body active and strong will give the mom-to-be more energy, a better night’s rest, strength as the growth of the belly continues, as well as help with making smarter nutritional choices

  6. Avoid refined products like maida , instead include whole grains like wheat ,ragi bajra, barley

  7. A note of caution: Often prenatals include iron pills which can often lead to constipation. Make sure to drink plenty of water, and eat lots of high-fiber foods (like bran, fruits and veggies)

  8. Focus on building more strength in your back to help with the increase in weight on her front side

  9. Doing yoga and stretching exercises are also very helpful and relaxing.

  10. Stay relaxed, calm and enjoy this trimester. The next one is tough.

 

Good Luck for your second trimester  and cheers to the coming one ! Email me / whats app me to tell which recipe did your baby kick on. You can also share your favourite recipes and I would love to share them with fellow moms and make you a part of this “new mother support”.