8 yummy “fast foods”
It’s unfortunate that many great-tasting fast foods are full of preservatives and ingredients pregnant mums should steer clear of. But here are a number of healthy ‘FAST’ foods that will pep you up nutritiously, when you need a quick fix snack to tide you over to your next full meal.
- Fruits
Take your mango, banana, apple, pear, or whatever other favourite fruit. It could be orange, watermelon, pineapple, berries, pears, grapes, or tree tomatoes. Enjoy differently coloured fruits for a healthy range of vitamins. - Crunchy mix
Put a handful of your favourite dried fruits (it could be dried cherries, currants, almonds) and nuts int a cup of whole grain cereal and roasted nuts and shake it up for a good mix. Put the mix in a re- sealable bag and keep it in your desk or handbag. A teaspoon near your mix will help you munch on it when the hunger pangs strike. - Salad
There are restaurants that serve vegetable salad. Brim your plate with tomatoes, carrots, spinach, celery, and cucumbers. Add nuts, chickpeas, and kidney beans for a protein boost. Crown that with raisins for iron, fibre, potassium and great taste. - Carrots and all
Carrots have lots of vitamin A and fibre. Dip them in olive oil or yogurt for a douse of extra nutrition and the yummy effect. A dab of salad dressing on the carrots would also entertain your taste buds. For a ‘FAST’ dinner, stir fry your carrots together with veggies, say, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach - Whole grain cereal
Almost all breakfast cereal is fortified with vitamins and minerals – including folic acid. Keep a supply of these in your office desk for a FAST and filling snack. - Low fat or fat free cottage cheese
You know you need protein and calcium. This is a great source. Accompany it with sugar-free biscuits, nuts or dried fruits – so that it is not just cheese. - Yoghurt
A small glass of this classic nutritious and ‘fast’ food can provide 25 per cent of your daily calcium requirement, protein, vitamins and minerals. If the label says ‘live and active cultures’, you’ll be equipped with probiotics – helpful bacteria that improve your digestion as they protect your digestive tract. - Orange juice – with calcium and vitamin D
Half a glass of orange juice fortified with calcium and vitamin D provides half of your daily vitamin C requirement, and 15 per cent of your calcium needs. Have this in a bottle when you’re on the run.
END: PG 48 /28-29