Author: Nicole Osinga, RD, MAN, BASc

Each of these pasta recipes have 25 g of protein and at least 13 g of fibre (~50% of your fibre needs!)
Which one are you trying first?

My nutrient requirements have changed significantly in the last 1.5 years – from before pregnancy to pregnancy and after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Save this post as a guide for those key nutrients, along with supplementation recommendations. I’m working with Megafood to showcase how their supplements have supported this journey

Before Pregnancy:
Before I got pregnant, I had struggled with low iron so along with meal planning around iron-rich foods (pumpkin seeds, beans, lentils, edamame) I routinely took a supplement. Before getting pregnant I starting taking Megafood Baby & Me 2 as it provides 18 mg of iron for two tablets. It’s also important to take a prenatal prior to conception, to ensure adequacy of important nutrients such as choline, iron and folate. I also took 2000 IU of Vitamin D daily from Megafood, to ensure those needs were getting met.

During Pregnancy:
During pregnancy, not only did my iron needs increase but so did my calorie requirements, protein requirements, folate, omega 3 and choline. To meet my increased calorie requirements, I looked at more significant snack options as I could only eat so much at a time due to feeling full easily. I also made sure these snacks were protein-rich and fibre rich (edamame was my BFF). I also had chia seeds or breakfast each day for the omega 3 and fibre boost.
To meet my folate requirements, I upped my leafy green and bean intake but I also relied on the active form of folate in the Megafood Baby & Me 2. It’s important that folate is present in its active form for best absorption (aka not folic acid). Look for a prenatal that contains folate in a highly bioavailable form (5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) so your body has to do less work converting it into a usable form. In Megafood Baby & Me 2, folate is found in the 5-MTHF form.

After Pregnancy & Breastfeeding:
Your calorie and protein requirements actually are higher during breastfeeding compared to pregnancy – wild! It makes sense though, as you are quite literally making milk for your child from the nutrients in your own body. I switched to supplementing with Megafood Baby & Me 2 Postnatal Multi, as I didn’t need as much iron vs during pregnancy but needed more of some nutrients such as choline. I also appreciated that this supplement also contains moringa which can help milk production.

You don’t have to feed bland food to your baby and it’s outdated advice that every baby has to eat only single ingredient foods several times before trying a new food. If I waited three days between introducing every new food, it would limit the variety that Jack would be exposed to. The exception is common allergens. I’m only introducing single ingredient foods with common allergens and waiting 3 days between introducing these.

Jack started his solids journey with single ingredient pureed foods but now we have advanced to simple and tasty meals with a handful of ingredients. I can tell that Jack enjoys this more – let’s face it, meals are tastier than single ingredients! My little man has been a great little eater so far and I can attribute that to the variety of tasty food that he has been getting, being able to self feed and perhaps tasting a variety of foods through amniotic fluid while he was in utero!

I’m centring Jacks meals around iron-rich foods such as lentils, beans and tofu.  I also make sure that there is a source of fat and some fibre in there. I’m not adding salt to his food. I am offering a new food every day so he gets used different tastes and his palette is diversified. We will be starting to advance textures shortly but so far he has been rocking the purées. It’s such a joy to watch him eat and explore food.

November is Osteoporosis awareness month and what better way to celebrate than with these delicious ‘dessert for breakfast’ overnight oat recipes that also contain nutrients that play a role in bone health, with help from California Prunes! I’ve partnered with California Prunes to showcase how versatile and delicious prunes can be in these six recipes and to shed light on their nutritional impact on bone health. #AD

While California Prunes are widely known for supporting gut health due to their fibre content, Prunes are a source of vitamin K, potassium, manganese and copper, which all support bone health. Studies show that eating about 5 prunes daily may help improve bone mineral density and protect against bone breakdown. Check out www.californiaprunes.ca/ for more recipes and to learn more about California Prunes!

These recipes all contain minimal added sugar and lean on California Prunes for that sweetness, that makes us feel like we’re having dessert for breakfast!

Soup season is here! Dive into these easy veggie-packed soups that pack in a fibre and protein punch!

You can make these meals with around 5 ingredients (plus spices and oils) – perfect for an easy and low maintenance meal prep! Which one are you trying first?

These minimal ingredient recipes are perfect for those on a money and time budget. They also use overlapping ingredients that are shelf stable/frozen, minimizing food waste! I’ve used plant protein in these that also contain fibre (lentil pasta, protein flatbread, chickpeas and tofu) to give these meals a lot of staying power while supporting your gut and muscles