6 Pregnancy Breakfast Ideas for On The Go
So you know eating a nutrient-dense breakfast while pregnant is super important… but what are some healthy choices for when you’re in a rush? Try out these 6 pregnancy breakfast ideas for on the go today!
Pregnancy Breakfasts on the Go Are a Bit Different.
You used to roll out of bed in the morning, grab a cup of coffee and head straight off to work.
Things are quite so simple anymore.
When you’re pregnant, and caring for a life other than your own, you have to be much more intentional about each decision you make. Now you probably need to skip or reduce your morning coffee, and skipping breakfast isn’t really an option anymore — although the rolling out of bed still sounds about right (especially if you are in the second half of your pregnancy already!).
Grabbing an on-the-go breakfast may be the perfect solution for your busy mornings and
nutritional needs.
Importance of Breakfast When You’re Pregnant
Doctors and popular pregnancy and postpartum plans like The Perfect Pregnancy Plan and Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan all agree on the importance of a healthy breakfast.
Whether you were a food-in-the-morning person before or not, you’ll soon discover carrying a baby creates several reasons to have a bite early in the day.
What are the Benefits of Eating Breakfast During Pregnancy (Even On The Go)
Lower Your Risk of Preterm Labor
When you’ve gone all night without anything to eat, you and your baby both need some
nourishment. Skipping breakfast deprives you of that and can drastically reduce your blood sugar levels.
Some doctors believe routinely missing the first meal of the day can increase your
chances of going into preterm labor.
Have More Energy
Between growing a human and losing out on your morning coffee, you probably feel more
exhausted than ever. You feel a bit foggy, and good old pregnancy brain isn’t there to lend a hand.
A well-balanced, healthy pregnancy breakfast can give you the energy you need to make
it through the morning.
Decrease Your Risk of Gestational Diabetes
All pregnant women carry some risk of developing gestational diabetes. So, it’s vitally important to keep control of your blood sugar. Eating a regular breakfast can restabilize your levels first thing in the morning and set you up for success throughout the day.
Make More Nutritious Food Choices
When you don’t eat breakfast, you often end up extra hungry by mid-morning and will find yourself reaching for the easiest thing to satiate your stomach. In these moments, you aren’t likely to eat the most nutritious food choices.
Improve Pregnancy Symptoms
Even an on-the-go breakfast can improve your energy levels and combat your pregnancy brain.
Surprisingly, having some food can also decrease your feelings of morning sickness. It settles your stomach and prevents your prenatal vitamin from causing further upset.
Provide Your Baby With Important Nutrients
Most importantly, your baby needs a new influx of nutrients. Just like after they’re born, babies need food frequently. What you eat supplies them with the essential building blocks for healthy growth.
We now know that what you eat during pregnancy actually has the power to “turn on” good genes and “turn off” bad genes within your baby. Positively or negatively affecting them for their entire lives.
The ONLY prenatal nutrition plan that details how to eat to grow the healthiest baby possible with the most up-to-date prenatal nutrition advice is The Perfect Pregnancy Plan. There are a bunch of delicious pregnancy breakfast ideas in that program too!
Creating the Best Breakfast for Pregnancy
The best breakfast for pregnancy creates a balance of different food groups, is not heavily processed, and provides the essentials for a healthy pregnancy and baby.
You should generally eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats, sometimes a bit of whole grains, and some healthy fats. The Perfect Pregnancy Plan breaks down exactly how much of each micronutrient and macronutrient you need during each trimester of pregnancy to grow the healthiest baby possible.
What Nutrients Are Important In An On The Go Pregnancy Breakfast?
The on the go pregnancy breakfast ideas a bit later in this post are simple and nutrient dense for how quickly you can grab and go. If you are piecing together more pregnancy breakfast ideas, there are certain nutrients and foods you will want to include.
Mayo Clinic created a guide to nutrients that are exceedingly important for
pregnant women and you can use that information to build healthy pregnancy breakfasts for on the go!
But just which nutrients are important to focus on?
Folate
Folate is essential to healthy brain and spinal cord development. Getting enough of this nutrient can prevent problems like neural tube defects. (Make sure you learn the difference between folate and folic acid, it’s important!)
Leafy greens and citrus fruits are good sources of folate. Here are the top sources for folate.
Calcium
Calcium strengthens your baby’s bones and teeth. It also supports the circulatory, muscular and nervous systems. Dairy products are the most accessible sources of calcium, but you can also find a decent amount in salmon and spinach.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D works in tandem with calcium to help your baby’s bones and teeth grow strong. The primary food source is fatty fish like salmon. However, many foods like juice, cereal and eggs come fortified with this important vitamin and though fortified in no way equals naturally sourced, can be a decent way to fill some nutritional gaps.
Protein
Protein is essential to your little one’s healthy growth and overall development. Lean meats, dairy products, and seafood all contain some of your daily needs of this nutrient.
Try to consume various forms for the most well-rounded diet.
Iron
While pregnant, your body will need to nearly double its blood volume to accommodate the needs of your growing baby. Your body needs iron to continue producing new blood cells, so if you’re deficient in this nutrient, you may become anemic.
Lean meats your best bet for getting enough iron.
On-the-Go Breakfast Ideas
For those mornings when you just don’t have the time to sit down and get the best breakfast for pregnancy, these on-the-go breakfast ideas can still support your needs.
Breakfast Burritos
Breakfast burritos are easy to wrap up and take with you on your morning commute. One or two of these can supply a broad range of essential nutrients.
You can choose a whole wheat wrap for extra fiber, or wrap it in lettuce or cabbage leaves to increase it’s nutritional density.
Filling it with delicious scrambled eggs, steak, and cheese will add protein, calcium and vitamin D. Add even more nutritious goodness by including a leafy green like spinach and other colorful vegetables like tomato and bell pepper.
You may want to skip the salsa, though, if you’ve been experiencing indigestion.
Overnight Oats
Don’t have time to prep anything in the morning? Overnight oats are such a simple solution.
Whip up a batch the night before, store it in your fridge in a mason jar overnight and you’ll have a delicious on-the-go breakfast by morning.
The oats and milk are excellent sources of fiber, protein and calcium. Add in any toppings you love, like nut butter, walnuts or berries.
Parfait
Greek yogurt has more calcium than most other dairy products, and it’s also a good source of protein. Top it with nuts and seeds for even more protein and other nutrients.
Use honey, stevia, monk fruit, or fresh fruit, like berries or bananas, for added sweetness.
Breakfast Sandwich
Breakfast sandwiches come in countless varieties. Possibly the best breakfast for pregnancy, though, is fried eggs on a whole wheat English muffin topped with spinach.
The nutritional value is similar to the breakfast burrito, and you can add whatever topping you like including veggies or more protein like steak or turkey.
You can also make an open-faced sandwich with those extra veggies on top for a pregnancy breakfast closer aligned to The Perfect Pregnancy Plan way of eating for the healthiest baby possible.
Baked Oatmeal Square
If you don’t like the consistency of overnight oats and prefer yours drier, baked oatmeal squares might be for you.
You can pop a tray of these tasty treats into the oven on Monday and enjoy them all week long.
Pair it with a handful of nuts or a hardboiled egg for the ultimate on-the-go breakfast.
Just avoid recipes that add white sugar, opting instead for a more healthy sweetener like honey, monk fruit, or stevia.
Smoothie
Smoothies are the perfect mobile breakfast — you don’t even have to stop to chew. Add
ingredients like protein powder, spinach, greek yogurt and plenty of your favorite fruits to boost the nutritional value.
There are so many amazing pregnancy smoothie recipes loaded with the exact nutrients you and your growing baby need the most! (Plus there are some pregnancy smoothie recipes that help ease morning sickness.)
Wrapping Up Healthy Pregnancy Breakfasts for On the Go
Even a small on-the-go breakfast is better than skipping the meal altogether. If your morning sickness is making a healthy pregnancy breakfast a challenge, try splitting it up into a few snacks throughout the morning instead.
There’s no one right way to handle pregnancy. Do your best with what you know, do research through trusted books and programs like The Perfect Pregnancy Plan, and trust your mother’s intuition for the rest.
Created by Beth, the Managing Editor and content manager at Body+Mind. She is a well-respected writer in the personal wellness space and shares knowledge on a variety of topics related to nutrition, mental health, disease prevention and holistic health. In her spare time, Beth enjoys cooking healthy recipes and trying out new fitness trends.
