2nd Trimester - Basil
00Angela00
Posts: 1,077 Member
Basil is everybody's favorite herb. It's not just a delicious and indispensable ingredient in Italian dishes and homemade salad dressings. It's packed with nutrients for you and your growing baby.
AT A GLANCE:
Serving size: 1 ounce (28 g or about 10 Tbsp fresh basil)
Calories: 6
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Protein: 0 g
Fiber: 0 g
Calcium: 5%
Vitamin A: 30%
Vitamin C: 8%
Iron: 5%
* basil contains every major nutrient you need during your pregnancy. This anise-flavored herb is packed with iron, calcium, and folate, nutrients most women of child-bearing age don't consume enough of.
* Iron is vital for keeping your energy levels up, and anemia caused by low iron levels can appear in your second trimester (remember, your baby's makiing all that new blood).
* We all know how important it is to consume a calcium-rich diet for strang bones and teeth, but it's even more essential during pregnancy. Your baby has 300 bones to build and grow. That requires a LOT of calcium. Luckily, that fresh and flavorful basil pesto on your whole-wheat pasta contains 50 mg of calcium to help your baby's bones grow.
* Folate, a B vitamin best known for its ability to prevent neural-tube defects, is vital for many processes in your growing baby, including cell growth and division.
* Basil is also a great source of folate, offering aobut 20 mcg per ounce.
* Fresh basil is also a good source of protein, vitamin E, riboflavin, and niacin, and it's a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese.
* Whenever possible choose fresh basil, since it contains more of these nutrients than dried basil. Luckil, most markets now offer fresh basil year-round.
* Basil leaves contain flavonoics which are health-protective plant compounts. They act as antioxidants, helping keep your body free of damage cused by free radicals and freeing up your energy for baby-making tasks.
* A quick search on the Internet about the safety of basil during prgnancy will bring up a bnumber of conflicting web pages. It is important to note that in this book, we are talking about fresh basil used as a culinary ingredient. We are not talking about holy basil or using basil in medicinal amounts. In both cases, there is some concern as to its safety during pregnancy.
TASTY TIPS
Want to get more basil bang for your buck? Enjoy the fresh, spicy leaves in a caprese salad. It's best with flavorful, ripe tomatoes (I like heirloom tomatoes for a real blast of flavor), fresh mozzarella or bocconcini (the white kind osold in balls), and fruity extra-virgin olive oil. And it's not only yummy, it's super-easy to put together and rich enough to make a satisfying lunch all by itself. Here's what you do: Line your salad plate with buttery lettuce leaves (like boston or Bibb lettuce). Then create a circle of alternating half-slices of tomato, mozzarella, and basil leaves, fanning them on top of each other. (If you want, you can put a whole slice of tomato over the hole in the center of the circle, top it with a slice of mozzarella, and lay a big, beautifyl basil leaf on top.) Drizzle olive oil (and balsamiz vinegar if you like) over the salad, add a sprinkle of salt (you need that iodine), and enjoy!
AT A GLANCE:
Serving size: 1 ounce (28 g or about 10 Tbsp fresh basil)
Calories: 6
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Protein: 0 g
Fiber: 0 g
Calcium: 5%
Vitamin A: 30%
Vitamin C: 8%
Iron: 5%
* basil contains every major nutrient you need during your pregnancy. This anise-flavored herb is packed with iron, calcium, and folate, nutrients most women of child-bearing age don't consume enough of.
* Iron is vital for keeping your energy levels up, and anemia caused by low iron levels can appear in your second trimester (remember, your baby's makiing all that new blood).
* We all know how important it is to consume a calcium-rich diet for strang bones and teeth, but it's even more essential during pregnancy. Your baby has 300 bones to build and grow. That requires a LOT of calcium. Luckily, that fresh and flavorful basil pesto on your whole-wheat pasta contains 50 mg of calcium to help your baby's bones grow.
* Folate, a B vitamin best known for its ability to prevent neural-tube defects, is vital for many processes in your growing baby, including cell growth and division.
* Basil is also a great source of folate, offering aobut 20 mcg per ounce.
* Fresh basil is also a good source of protein, vitamin E, riboflavin, and niacin, and it's a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese.
* Whenever possible choose fresh basil, since it contains more of these nutrients than dried basil. Luckil, most markets now offer fresh basil year-round.
* Basil leaves contain flavonoics which are health-protective plant compounts. They act as antioxidants, helping keep your body free of damage cused by free radicals and freeing up your energy for baby-making tasks.
* A quick search on the Internet about the safety of basil during prgnancy will bring up a bnumber of conflicting web pages. It is important to note that in this book, we are talking about fresh basil used as a culinary ingredient. We are not talking about holy basil or using basil in medicinal amounts. In both cases, there is some concern as to its safety during pregnancy.
TASTY TIPS
Want to get more basil bang for your buck? Enjoy the fresh, spicy leaves in a caprese salad. It's best with flavorful, ripe tomatoes (I like heirloom tomatoes for a real blast of flavor), fresh mozzarella or bocconcini (the white kind osold in balls), and fruity extra-virgin olive oil. And it's not only yummy, it's super-easy to put together and rich enough to make a satisfying lunch all by itself. Here's what you do: Line your salad plate with buttery lettuce leaves (like boston or Bibb lettuce). Then create a circle of alternating half-slices of tomato, mozzarella, and basil leaves, fanning them on top of each other. (If you want, you can put a whole slice of tomato over the hole in the center of the circle, top it with a slice of mozzarella, and lay a big, beautifyl basil leaf on top.) Drizzle olive oil (and balsamiz vinegar if you like) over the salad, add a sprinkle of salt (you need that iodine), and enjoy!
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