Green Smoothie Recipe
At my last visit with my midwife, she said I should work on increasing my iron. I'd really rather not have to take an additional iron supplement (my prenatal already has 167% of the recommended amount). Too much iron can lead to constipation, which is already something that pregnant people have been known to struggle with.
Instead, I'm going to try and incorporate more iron-from-food into my diet and see if that brings me up to adequate levels for birth. As a vegetarian, I think the easiest way for me to do this is through spinach.
Now that I'm sailing into the second trimester (I'm due in mid-February), I think I can start eating vegetables again. I was so repulsed by pretty much every vegetable for the first couple months (especially leafy green ones!). I still have a hard time eating salads (even though I used to eat them at least four times a week before I was pregnant!). So instead of salad, I'm going to get back into green smoothies.
Today's recipe:
So smooth! The flavor is very mild. I think I'll start bringing one of these to work with me every morning and sip on it as the children and I settle into our day.
As I was putting together this post, I started investigating the iron content in spinach, and it turns out that it might not be the best place to get my additional iron, due to absorption issues. But still, eating a cup of spinach every day has got to have a ton of health benefits, right? Maybe I'll try to get more iron through edamame and prunes, as well...
Instead, I'm going to try and incorporate more iron-from-food into my diet and see if that brings me up to adequate levels for birth. As a vegetarian, I think the easiest way for me to do this is through spinach.
Now that I'm sailing into the second trimester (I'm due in mid-February), I think I can start eating vegetables again. I was so repulsed by pretty much every vegetable for the first couple months (especially leafy green ones!). I still have a hard time eating salads (even though I used to eat them at least four times a week before I was pregnant!). So instead of salad, I'm going to get back into green smoothies.
Today's recipe:
- 1 cup tightly packed baby spinach
- 1 banana
- 1 cup frozen mangoes
- filtered water to make the blender work
- crushed ice
So smooth! The flavor is very mild. I think I'll start bringing one of these to work with me every morning and sip on it as the children and I settle into our day.
As I was putting together this post, I started investigating the iron content in spinach, and it turns out that it might not be the best place to get my additional iron, due to absorption issues. But still, eating a cup of spinach every day has got to have a ton of health benefits, right? Maybe I'll try to get more iron through edamame and prunes, as well...
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5 comments:
morning! :)
smoothies are definitely a good idea!
doesn't kale have a lot of iron too?
i couldn't eat veggies either for the first few months--especially spinach! i am glad to not be the only one!
have a great day--it's our first day of school (for teachers) here!!
mandy :)
Hey Sarah,
To be able to absorb all that iron you might need to have something with some vitamin C in it (http://www.dorchesterhealth.org/vitcandfe.htm). What I always do with my morning smoothies is add orange juice instead of water whenever I add spinach as well. It's very yummy!
It's interesting that your midwife suggested more iron, why is that?
I've been trying to consume more iron, too. Lately, I've been making this recipe for spinach & white bean dip - it's a great substitute for hummus!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/spinach-and-cannellini-bean-dip-recipe/index.html
My chiropractor told me that one of the ways to add iron to your diet is to cook with a cast iron pan.
The food cooked in it absorbs some of the iron. She said it's better than supplements which tend to be harsh on the body. Maybe that can help too if you have one.
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