Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to change your diet drastically. But you must ensure that what you eat is enough for yourself and your baby. By making healthy food choices, you can easily meet your body’s daily requirements without gaining excessive weight. Soups, for instance, are tasty, nutrient-rich, satiating, and there are numerous recipes.
Soup for pregnant women can be enjoyed in between meals or even as the main meal. If you use the right ingredients, there can be amazing benefits of having soup regularly.
So, what are the best soups for would-be-mommies? Let’s find out some Healthy soups for pregnant women with recipes.
Why Should Pregnant Women Have Soups?
Dieticians encourage expecting moms to include some healthy soup recipes in their diet. Ever wondered why? These are the top reasons:
- Bloating, constipation, and other digestive issues are common during pregnancy. As soups are digestive, they aid digestion.
- Hydration during pregnancy is very important. Having soup once a day is a great way of keeping your body hydrated.
- Studies have found that one can significantly reduce morning sickness during the first trimester by having soup.
- If you include beans, lentils, and vegetables, you’ll have a soup loaded with vitamins and minerals.
- Soups like bone broth can help develop the bones of the fetus.
- Even after you deliver the baby, you should continue having soups for quick postpartum recovery.
Best Nutrient-rich Pregnancy Soup Recipes
So, which soups are ranked the best soups for pregnant women? Here are the recipes:
1. Tomato Soup For First trimester
If you want something tangy, tomato soup is the first option that comes to mind in First trimester soup ideas. You’ll need very few ingredients like tomatoes, salt, onion, and black pepper. Just fry thinly sliced onions until they turn golden brown. Then add the tomatoes and cook them on medium and high heat till they are soft.
Benefits:
As tomatoes contain Vitamin C, folate, and Vitamin A, this soup will nourish you. Tomato soup can also reduce constipation, diarrhea, and hypertension.
2. Beef Soup Iron-rich soups for pregnancy
Are you a beef lover? Then you are bound to fall in love with this recipe of beef soup.
To make it, you’ll require chopped onion, chopped tomato, pepper, salt, grated ginger and garlic, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, and beef. Cook all the ingredients in a pressure cooker with ample amount of water and serve it hot.
Benefits:
During pregnancy, beef soup can be extremely beneficial as it’s high in protein and iron. If you don’t eat beef, you can replace it with mutton.
3. Chicken Shorba
Had a hearty meal few hours ago and want something light for dinner? Then a bowl of Chicken Shorba will fill up your tummy and it’s very flavorful.
The ingredients are chicken bones (500 grams), boneless chicken (100 grams), butter (1 teaspoon), oil (1 spoon), chopped garlic (10 cloves), cornflower slurry, pepper, and salt. First, boil the bones and then stir-fry the chicken. When the meat is tender, take some oil in a saucepan and add cumin seeds. Pour in the stock and the chicken along with all other ingredients. Simmer for a few minutes and relish it while it’s hot.
If you like experimenting with food, feel free to convert the basic chicken soup into a chicken noodle soup or something else that suits your palate.
Benefits:
It goes beyond saying that this soup is a great source of protein. It will also keep you full for hours and improve digestion.
4. Broccoli Soup Vegetarian pregnancy soup recipes
A healthy and delicious soup that everyone in your home can savor together is broccoli soup. This soup is prepared in milk and so, it’s flavorful and high on nutrients.
Saute onions in hot oil and wait for them to turn translucent. Then add the broccoli and 2 cups of water. After a few minutes, the broccoli will be soft. Let it cool down and then blend it. Lastly, boil the blended broccoli with salt, pepper, and milk. Isn’t this super easy to make?
Benefits:
An incredible source of folic acid and vitamin A, broccoli will provide strength to you during the first trimester and the last trimester.
5. Spinach Soup
If you’re a Popeye fan, spinach soup for pregnancy is worth trying. Start with melting butter in a pan. Next, add onion and garlic. Add stock, spinach, and chives. Boil for 4-5 minutes and blend. After that, add nutmeg and cream cheese. Serve the soup with a slice of multigrain bread.
Benefits:
Spinach has several vitamins along with fiber. So, although low on calories, the soup is packed with nutritious ingredients. Thanks to the presence of folate in it, spinach soup will prevent birth defects in the fetus.
6. Beans Soup
Bored of having the same rajma curry? Then a refreshing alternative to it is the beans soup. The ingredients needed are kidney beans (soaked overnight), chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, chopped garlic, oil, chilli powder, lemon juice, and salt.
In a slow cooker, cook the kidney beans with tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, chilli, and oil. When the kidney beans are cooked, blend and add 1 tsp of lemon juice. Garnish this delicacy with coriander leaves.
Benefits:
The soup contains carbohydrates, iron, and fibre. All of these are crucial for the baby and the mother.
7. Vegetable Pregnancy Soup recipe:
You don’t need to be a vegetarian to appreciate an instant pot of soup full of yummy veggies. It’s an easy recipe where you can add all vegetables of your choice after heating oil in a pan. For garnishing, use basil or coriander leaves.
Benefits:
Due to the wide variety of vegetables used, the soup will turn out delicious and nutritious. It will certainly soothe your digestive system as well.
8. Kale and Quinoa Soup
The last recipe on our list to support a healthy pregnancy is a unique one. It’s protein-packed and is perfect for those days when you feel too fatigued to leave your bed.
Cook the quinoa in broth (preferable vegetable). Then introduce celery, thyme, kale, and carrot. Add pepper and salt to enhance the taste once everything’s cooked.
Benefits:
Why should you have this soup at least once a week? Quinoa is known for its protein content and protein intake should take place every day. Kale has multiple vitamins that are necessary for prenatal health. Carrots have antioxidants, calcium, carotene, and folic acid.
The Bottom Line
We hope you liked our healthy soup recipes that will support your healthy pregnancy diet. The best thing about these recipes is that you can prepare them in no time.
So, now when you crave something delicious, don’t end up eating junk. Instead, pamper yourself with these nutritious pregnancy soups.
