As a baby shower planner, one of the most important things you have to focus on is the foods. It has been said in a number of tips about this type of occasion that baby shower foods should be healthy enough for the mom-to-be as well as to the baby inside her womb.
It is just necessary for you to determine the important food nutrients that must be present in the foods that you are going to include in the menu. One of these is the folic acid which is essential in the development of the baby’s nervous system. It also prevents the risk of neural tube defects in the baby. Another important food nutrient is iron. Pregnant women need to double their iron consumption to help produce adequate blood needed to supply nutrients to the placenta. Also, a pregnant woman must eat foods that are rich in zinc and calcium to aid in the development of the embryo.
Anyone of us is required to include green leafy vegetables in our diet. This requirement should be doubled for pregnant women. They need high amount of food nutrients present in this type of food. Vegetables like spinach, kale, and turnip are good sources of calcium, iron, and folate. Broccoli is also rich in calcium. Plus, it contains fiber and disease-fighting antioxidants. You may also get good amount of fiber, potassium, calcium, and iron from figs. In addition, you can have soy foods, dried beans and lentils which contain lots of protein needed to avoid cases of constipation. Whether you are serving a vegetable salad, soup, cream, or stew in this special event, you have to make sure that these dishes are well-cooked to get rid of the harmful substance in vegetables called toxoplasmosis.
It is also nice to include breakfast and snack type of foods in the baby shower foods menu. Yogurt is perfect for preventing yeast infection during pregnancy, aside from being a good source of protein and calcium. Plain oatmeal is rich in carbohydrates and it helps in lowering the cholesterol level of the body, which is a common problem during pregnancy. If possible, you can include fortified breakfast cereal that is rich in folate and vitamin B. Also, whole-grain bread is an ideal food that contains much fiber, iron, and zinc while orange juice is a perfect drink as it has high vitamin C and folic acid (vitamin B9) content. Besides, orange juice has been proven effective in lowering blood pressure.
Moreover, it is also best to have banana which contains the potassium needed to avoid cases of pregnancy fatigue. Various dried fruits, except for banana, are also ideal for desserts. Meanwhile, lean meat must be cooked enough if you want to include a more iron-rich food. It is also important to have protein rich baby shower foods by adding up hardboiled eggs. You should never forget to include foods that are rich in calcium. Cheddar or mozzarella cheese is a good example for this food. If you like to include milk, you must settle for a non-fat one for good calcium content and safer contents.