I don't like fruits or vegetables. What can I do to have a healthy pregnancy? If you're not already…

I don't like fruits or vegetables. What can I do to have a healthy pregnancy?

If you're not already taking a daily prenatal vitamin, talk to your doctor or midwife about getting started on one. Prenatal vitamins, taken as directed, help you get the extra nutrients you need that you may not be able to get from food alone, especially if you eat few fruits and vegetables and drink no milk.

Following a balanced diet during pregnancy can be difficult, but eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is important. Try some of the following suggestions for adding these nutrient-packed foods to your daily diet. You may find options that make fruits, vegetables, and even milk more palatable for you.

At meals:

▪Add diced vegetables to soups, casseroles, spaghetti sauce, and scrambled eggs. Make the dices very small and they may be easier for you to enjoy. Try sliced veggies on sandwiches.

▪Roast vegetables (for example, carrots, sweet potatoes, peppers, zucchini) along with whatever entrée is in the oven. Roasting sweetens the taste of vegetables and changes their consistency, too.

▪Prepare quick meals like veggie wraps, stir-fries, and pita pockets loaded with colorful vegetables.

▪Make it a goal to have salad with dinner most days. Vary your greens (you may discover one you love), and add a few in-season fresh veggies. Fruit is delicious tossed into salads, too!

▪Choose fruit – fresh or frozen, perhaps stewed or baked, or stirred into a cup of yogurt – for dessert.

As snacks:

▪Pick your favorite vegetables (for example, baby carrots, or broccoli and cauliflower florets) and dip them in hummus, black bean dip, salsa, or dressing.

▪Dunk sliced fruit (for example, apple, banana, pear, strawberries) in yogurt or smear with almond or peanut butter.

▪Eat a piece of fruit with cheese or nuts such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, or cashews.

▪Make a smoothie or parfait with yogurt and frozen fruit.

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