What should you eat for lunch during pregnancy?
When you’re expecting, you may be more careful about your food choices, which may shake-up what you eat for lunch. If you’re on the hunt for new recipes, we have you covered in this guide.
Read on to discover 49 pregnancy recipes perfect for lunch!
Pregnancy and Food Diet
When you’re pregnant, the amount of nutrients you need changes. You need more protein, folic acid, and iron. You also need to consume enough iodine, choline, calcium, vitamin D and more.
You might wonder if there’s a pregnancy food diet or pregnancy food plan. Although there’s no specific plan you should follow for eating healthy food during pregnancy, there are some things to keep in mind when planning your meals:
- Prioritize produce. Whole fruits and veggies should make up a big part of your diet. Consider incorporating fruit and veggies into your lunch either as a side or as part of your main meal.
- Whole grains. Always choose whole grains. For example, brown rice over white rice and whole-wheat over white bread.
- Include protein. No meal is complete without protein. Whether you choose meat, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, quinoa or tofu, make sure to include some protein in every meal to help you keep full!
- Choose healthy fats. Healthy fats include nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils.
- Stay hydrated. Make sure you’re staying hydrated throughout pregnancy. In addition to what you drink, soups can also add to your fluid intake.
- Get some form of dairy. Dairy—whether soy milk or cow’s milk—provides important nutrients like calcium and vitamins A and D.
- Consider foods high in folic acid. Although you should already be taking a prenatal vitamin, consider getting folic acid through your diet as well. Folic acid is found in foods like dark leafy green vegetables (ex. spinach or romaine lettuce), beans, whole grains, sunflower seeds and peanuts.
- Consider foods high in iron. Your prenatal vitamin will probably contain some iron, but you should also make sure to get some in your diet. Food high in iron includes dark leafy green vegetables (spinach and broccoli), nuts, seeds, dried fruit, tofu and iron-fortified cereals.
Pregnancy Meals to Avoid
Along with the foods you should be eating, there are some foods to avoid when planning your lunch meals during pregnancy.
- Hot dogs. Hot dogs are a no-no during pregnancy unless you heat them until they’re steaming hot, which would kill any bacteria present that could make you sick.
- Cold-cut meats. Similar to hot dogs, you should avoid sandwich meats during pregnancy because they pose a risk of food poisoning. Although this means sandwiches are generally off-limits, there’s one exception: sandwich meat is okay if you heat it until it’s steaming hot. To ensure it’s safe, you can pack your sandwich meat separately, heat it in the microwave and assemble your sandwich.
- Pâté and meat spreads. If you generally indulge in meat spreads for lunch, you’ll have to find an alternative. Since these spreads pose a risk for bacteria and food poisoning, which is riskier during pregnancy, you should steer clear during this time.
- Soft cheeses when unpasteurized. When using soft cheeses in your lunches, make sure the label states that it’s pasteurized!
During pregnancy, you’ll also want to make an extra effort to follow safe food-handling practices. These include how to safely wash, clean, cook and store food to avoid illness.
Pregnancy Lunch Ideas: 49 Pregnancy Recipes
Looking for pregnancy recipes and lunch ideas? Below is a list of recipes that are easy to make for lunch throughout the week.
Salad and Protein
Salads are a great idea for lunch because they can fill you up without making you feel over-stuffed. The key to a satisfying salad is to include a variety of toppings and a delicious protein, like chicken or salmon.
When choosing a salad recipe, consider the nutrients in the leafy green you’re choosing. For example, spinach offers folic acid and iron—making it a great choice during pregnancy.
Remember, if you include meat on your salad, make sure to heat it up before adding it to your salad to kill any potential bacteria! Consider these 5 recipes for a healthy lunch salad:
- Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad
- Spinach Salad with Grilled Veggies & Herb Chicken
- Spinach Salad with Smoked Chicken, Apple, Walnuts, and Bacon
- Balsamic-Salmon Spinach Salad
- Salmon Salad with Asian Ginger Sesame Dressing
Bean and Lentil Salads
For those who want to go meatless, beans and lentils are a fabulous alternative for protein in a salad. Beans are also high in folic acid and iron too!
Here are 7 bean and lentil salad recipes that would make for a great pregnancy lunch:
- Mediterranean Lentil Salad
- French Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese
- Lentil Salad with Fresh Herbs
- Greek Lentil Salad
- Ridiculously Easy Bean Salad
- Fresh Black Bean Salad
- Three Bean Salad
Chicken Breast Sandwiches
Although cold cuts are a no-no (unless you heat them up), chicken breast sandwiches can be a great choice while expecting.
To make these sandwiches during pregnancy, consider prepping a few chicken breasts for the days ahead. According to the USDA, cooked chicken lasts about three to four days in the fridge. Remember to always heat up your chicken before eating to kill any potential bacteria!
Here are 5 recipes for chicken sandwiches for pregnancy lunch meals:
- Chicken Spinach Sandwich
- Rosemary-Chicken Panini with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich
- Avocado, Tomato & Chicken Sandwich
- Antipasto Chicken Sandwich
Wraps
If sandwiches aren’t your thing, try wraps! You can add cooked chicken, salmon or tuna as your protein. Don’t forget to add a dark leafy green vegetable for extra folate and iron.
Here are 7 healthy wrap ideas for a great lunch during pregnancy:
- Chicken Club Wraps
- Greek Chicken Wrap
- Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Salmon Wrap
- Mediterranean Salmon Wraps
- My Go-To Tuna Wrap
- Spicy Sriracha Tuna Wraps
Frittatas and Quiches
Frittatas and quiches are easy to make, making it great to meal prep. As a pregnancy lunch, they’re packed full of protein and the nutrients of whichever veggies you decide to throw in (we recommend iron-packed spinach!).
Here are 5 frittata and quiche recipes to make for an easy pregnancy meal:
- Easy Quiche Recipe
- Spinach Quiche
- Bacon and Swiss Quiche
- Easy Frittata Recipe
- Easy Frittata Recipe (Choose Your Add-Ins)
Grain Bowls
Grain bowls are a great idea to pack a lot of nutrients into one meal: grains, protein and veggies. Grain bowls are a great pregnancy lunch to meal prep. Simply make a batch of grains that you can use as your base throughout the week. You can rotate your toppings to keep each meal different.
Here are 6 grain bowl recipes that would make for a great pregnancy lunch:
- Grain Bowls – 3 Ways
- Roasted Veggie Grain Bowl
- Jerk Chicken Bowls With Mango Salsa And Coconut Rice
- Winter Grain Bowl with Balsamic Dressing
- Instant Pot Burrito Bowls With Chicken
- Harvest Bowl
Quinoa Salads or Bowls
Quinoa is another great source of protein that’s easy to meal prep and eat throughout the week. There are so many ways to dress up quinoa so you can pick a recipe according to your tastes! You can also add ingredients that are nutritious during pregnancy, like spinach or nuts and seeds.
Here are 7 quinoa salads and bowl recipes for a great pregnancy lunch:
- Favorite Quinoa Salad
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Actually Good Quinoa Salad
- Thai Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lime Vinaigrette
- Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl
- Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowl
- Chicken & Quinoa Bowl
Soups
Soup can be made in a big batch and eaten throughout the week. Soup is also a great way to keep your hydration levels in check. Make sure to choose a recipe with plenty of protein and nutrients.
You can meal prep soup for lunch by making it in a crockpot on a Sunday night so it’s ready for the week ahead.
Here are 7 soup recipes perfect for lunch during pregnancy:
- Savory Bean Spinach Soup
- Tortellini soup (slow cooker)
- Easy Black Bean and Spinach Soup in Crock Pot
- Crock Pot Tortellini Spinach Soup Recipe
- Crockpot Hamburger Soup
- Slow Cooker Healthy Chicken Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Summary: Pregnancy Recipes for Lunch
When it comes to what to eat for lunch during pregnancy, you might feel limited since you can’t eat cold cuts, making the traditional sandwich a no-go. However, there are still plenty of easy and healthy options that you can make ahead of time and eat the next day. The ideas above are great for meal prep and take into consideration the nutrients you need for a healthy baby.
P.S. Do You Have a Fetal Doppler Yet?
Fetal Dopplers are handheld devices that you use to listen to your baby’s heartbeat while they’re still inside the womb. Parents say it helps them bond with their baby before birth!