Nutrient-rich, and yes, mostly raw food made up for 50-60% of my pregnancy diet. I follow this diet plan even today, and it works wonders for my body. Cooking your food usually kills essential enzymes and nutrients in the food that can help fight chronic diseases. So whenever you can, have it raw!

The Meal Replacing Smoothie

Sometimes it’s nice to be able to drink up your meal rather than spend a whole lot of time chewing away. And why not, when it’s full of nutrients and also fills your tummy? I used to experiment with multiple versions of smoothies every morning for the right boost to start my day! Here’s a recipe for you to try.

Ingredients:

For juicing:

4 peeled Carrots
1 Orange (or Pomegranate)
1 Apple (or Pear)

For blending:

Strained juice from the ingredients above
Add 1 tablespoon of the fibre left behind while juicing
1 scoop of Protinex (or any other organic Protein powder) to make the smoothie balanced with Protein
1/2 a Banana
2-3 pieces of Papaya (or Mango or Chikoo)
1 tablespoon Flaxseed powder or oil
1 tablespoon Goji Berries
1 teaspoon Chia seeds (soaked or powdered)
Water as per preference to adjust consistency

PLS  NOTE – do not use Whey Protein varieties

Process:

Pop the first three ingredients in a juicer and blend well. Discard the fibre, keeping only1tablespoon or more depending on your texture preference. Add the rest of the ingredients to the juice along with the fibre mix and blend it well. Feel free to adjust the quantity of the fruits or add water to get your desired texture. Remember to use a high-speed blender if possible. I have a Vitamix blender that works very well. High-speed blenders are advisable to keep the nutrition intact and prevent oxidisation.

“THE AWESOME WHOLESOME ” Salad:

I’m not sure what else to name this other than “THE AWESOME WHOLESOME ” salad because it always was and is such a staple part of my diet. Not as easy on my jaws when compared to the smoothie, but totally enjoyable. I’ve put down a compilation of the ingredients below for you to try.

Ingredients:

2 cups Iceberg Lettuce
1 small handful of baby Spinach (from the kitchen garden. Have you started yours, yet?)
1 tablespoon each of shaved Almonds, Walnuts, Pine nuts, Raisins and Apricots
1 peeled and deseeded Orange
1 small cup steamed Broccoli
2-3 pieces of sun-dried Tomatoes
1 boiled egg or 1 small cup of a grilled Chicken Breast (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoon Honey
Drizzle of Lime
Salt and Pepper to taste

Toss it all up together and enjoy this delicious piece of heaven.

Sprouty Breakfast:

Though I didn’t really have any cravings during pregnancy, I loved having my palate feel fresh with juicy ingredients. Whip up this recipe for breakfast tomorrow and you are sure to crave more than you can eat.

Ingredients:

2 small cups of soaked Sprouts (add different varieties)
1/2 – small sized boiled Potato
Few pieces of chopped Cucumber
Few pieces of chopped Tomato
2-3 dates cut into small pieces
Chopped Coriander
1 small cup of grated fresh Coconut
1 tablespoon of roasted Sesame powder
1 teaspoon of Olive oil
1 teaspoon of Jaggery powder
Pinch of Chaat masala (optional)
Lime, Salt, Green Chillies (deseeded) – to your taste

Mix it all up and enjoy this nutritious, refreshing and of course yummy breakfast. Adding sprouts to your meals is a great way to release all the vital nutrients present in whole grains. These are also very easily digested and assimilated by your body.

Added to this for hydration, I would sip on non-caffeine based herbal teas such as Chamomile, Tulsi, or Berry blends – Black Currant, Blueberry, Strawberry, with Honey +Ginger+Lime +Organic Honey +Mint (or Tulsi).
To this day, this is my all time favourite blend and aaah!! So natural!