Our Bodylove Mamas expert nutritionist,  Zoe Dent,  gives us some great tips for wholefood eating during your Second Trimester.

Second Trimester Foods

During your second trimester, it’s especially important to eat foods that are rich in calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D as these nutrients will help your baby grow strong bones and teeth. It’s also beneficial to eat foods containing omega-3 oils, which are vital for your baby’s brain development. As a guide, I’ve listed my top 5 food sources that will help power you through this stage in your pregnancy:

1. Pasture-Fed Butter

When looking for food sources of Vitamin D it’s important to note that Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin.  If you choose good quality cultured pasture-fed butter then you’ll get your Vitamin D and fat source in one go.

Butter is also high in vitamin K2, which is critical for the proper skeletal
formation and genetic expression.

TIP – Sauté some steamed leafy greens in butter for breakfast and top with a cooked egg and chopped avocado and you’ll be ahead from the start.

2. Bone broth

Ok, so once thought of like a hipster brew, the popularity of bone broth has gone mainstream for good reason.

Homemade broth from organic bones slowly simmered for 24 hours or more is rich in many critical minerals important for overall health and fertility, including calcium and magnesium.

It’s also rich in gelatin, which contains the collagen your body needs for growing tissues, and to bring elasticity to expanding bellies (which can prevent stretch marks)!

TIP – Have a cup of soup made with bone broth with dinner or you can reduce broth down into stock and keep freeze into cubes in the ice tray ready to add it to a stir-fry.

3. Full Fat Dairy

Provided you can tolerate it, full-fat dairy is a great source of calcium. I recommend sheep’s milk yoghurt as it’s easier to digest and is usually just sheep’s milk plus cultures (and not the dizzying array of sweeteners found in supermarket ‘yoghurts’).

TIP – Good quality hard cheeses also make a great snack- you can’t go wrong with the classic apple and cheese slices to squash your afternoon cravings.

4. Nuts & Seeds

Almonds & tahini (sesame seed spread) are both great sources of dairy-free calcium. Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are especially high in magnesium.

TIP – Pack a handful of mixed nuts and seeds to snack on the go, or spread some tahini on a cinnamon roasted sweet potato for a delicious dinner side.

5. Leafy Greens

Yes, they will appear in every trimester guide! They are such an important source of numerous vitamins and minerals- magnesium and folate included.

TIP – Did you know that there are 85 micrograms of folate in just four spears of asparagus? To up your intake, add greens to your morning smoothie, throw in your salad for lunch, or add to stir-fry for dinner.

Also remember, that just like trimester one you need to make sure you are getting enough protein and omega 3’s to nourish yourself and your growing bub.

Aim to include at least one source of good quality protein, fat and vegetable in every meal or snack.

Zoe Dent.

Advanced Diploma Nutritional Medicine, Bachelor Health Science (Western Herbal Medicine), Bachelor Marketing Communications (Advertising and PR)