How to Juice While You're Pregnant
Juicing is an effective way to consume more vitamins and minerals to fill in any nutritional gaps during pregnancy. Fresh juice provides concentrated nutrients for you and your unborn baby without adding the excess calories often found in store-bought juices.
Juicing is an effective way to consume more vitamins and minerals to fill in any nutritional gaps during pregnancy. Fresh juice provides concentrated nutrients for you and your unborn baby without adding the excess calories often found in store-bought juices. Juice should never replace a meal, however, as your body needs nutrients and calories that a beverage can't provide. Instead, drink juice along with your regular meals.
Step 1
Select organically grown fruits and vegetables to reduce your exposure to toxic substances. Pick any fruit or vegetable that you like. Nutritious choices include carrots and sweet potatoes, as these are high in beta carotene and they help support your unborn baby's immune system, vision and tissue development. Vitamin C-rich foods such as cantaloupe and apricots are also smart choices, because vitamin C is essential for your baby's teeth and bone growth. Potassium-rich foods like pears and papaya can help control blood pressure during pregnancy.
Step 2
Scrub your produce under running water, using a small vegetable brush to remove any surface dirt and fertilizer. Cut off any bruised or damaged areas on the fruit or vegetable, which can harbor dangerous bacteria.
Step 3
Slice, quarter or trim your fruit and vegetables. If your juicer is a heavy-duty juicer, it may be able to handle the fruit or vegetable whole. Read the manufacturer's directions first, however, before you feed uncut produce into your juicer.
Step 4
Run the vegetables and fruits through your juicer, one at a time.
Step 5
Place herbs such as ginger into your juicer, if you wish. Ginger can help improve pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, gas and vomiting.
Step 6
Add more than fruits and vegetables to your juicer. For example, pour in yogurt, which contains live active cultures that can help keep your digestive system running smoothly. You can also add lentils, with are high in protein, folate and fiber and can help prevent hemorrhoids and constipation, which are common side effects during pregnancy. Or, toss a few figs into your juicer to add an extra punch of iron, fiber, potassium and calcium.
Step 7
Drink your juice immediately or store it in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Tip
For optimal results, be adventurous with your fruits and vegetables. For example, add root vegetables like sweet potatoes to your juice, which add body, flavor and texture to your drink.
warning
Never go on a juice fast while you are pregnant. Juice fasts typically restrict calories, which is dangerous to your unborn baby. Your baby needs calories to grow and thrive properly.