What foods to eat during your third trimester of pregnancy? third trimester Indian pregnancy recipes. 

Third trimester Indian foods, recipes | third trimester Indian pregnancy recipes. The countdown has begun. These last 3 months are equally crucial for you and your baby. Major growth and maturation of all the organs of the fetus gets completed in this trimester.

Physically and mentally you need to relax, exercise well and eat well. This is the time for you to gain and continue stocking up on all important nutrients and prepare yourself for labour. 

Maharashtrian pitla | besan pitla | Maharashtrian pitla with chawal bhakri | Maharashtrian pitla provides 62% of the daily recommended intake of folic acid. 

pitla recipe | Maharashtrian pitla | besan pitla | Maharashtrian pitla with chawal bhakri | green galic pitla recipe |

Your priority during the third trimester of pregnancy should be to choose a variety of nutritious foods to gain a variety of nutrients

The key nutrients to be focused in the third trimester continue to be the same – energy, protein, iron, calcium, folic acid and fiber. Let’s look at each nutrient in detail. 

Iron rich spinach dosa. 2 spinach dosas provide 14% of your daily iron needs.

Spinach Dosa

1. Energy : During this trimester, your baby will have become larger, leaving a little room in your mid-section for food and you may again lose your appetite in similar way like first trimester. So eat foods that are light enough to keep you feel comfortable and yet are packed with nutrients. 

aliv paratha recipe | halim vegetable paratha | healthy garden cress paneer paratha |  2 aliv parathas have 24% iron, 18% calcium, vitamin B1 40% of RDA.

aliv paratha recipe | halim vegetable paratha | healthy garden cress paneer paratha

Try to concentrate on energy dense meals which makes you full and satiates you well. Part away with all the refined products like maida, bread, noodles as well sugar. All these provide less nutrition, whereas you are in a stage when your only focus is good nutrition. 

Opt for whole grains and combine them with veggies to make a meal in itself. Jowar Veggie Wrap and Barley and Moong Dal Khichdi are few healthy choices. Easy to make, they are tasty and bursting with good health. 

Jowar Veggie Wrap

Also Read : 17 Amazing Health Benefits of Jowar flour

Benefits of Green Moong Dal 

2. Protein : Protein yet plays an important role in the 3^rd trimester of gestation too. It’s the fundamental need of all the cells and thus required on continuous basis through the nine months for the growth of fetus. Baby’s nails, skin and hair accomplish growth is this trimester. So protein is a must in these last 3 months of pregnancy. Eggs, pulses, dals and sprouts are best to rely on. Eggs in the morning in the form of Egg Paratha would be just perfect for you. 

Pulses and dals are the sources of vegetarian protein for a mum-to-be. Explore that magical masala box in your kitchen when you think of cooking with pulses and dals and make delicacies like Protein Rich Kulith Salad, Lehsuni Matki Palak Tikkis and so on… 

Lehsuni Matki Palak Tikki

Cabbage and Moong Dal Salad is sure to tickle your taste buds and satisfy your hunger pangs without giving you any empty calories. Rich in protein, fibre, folic acid and iron, this simple salad is good for a mid-morning or a late afternoon snack too. One serving of cabbage moong dal salad gives 26% folic acid, 20% vitamin B1, 13% protein of your Recommended Dietary Allowance ( RDA).

Cabbage and Moong Dal Salad

Also read : Indian Veg Protein Rich Foods and Recipes

3. Iron : The mother yet needs 38 mg of iron to provide enough to the growing baby and build reserves for labour. Green vegetables are one of the best sources of iron. A deficiency of iron will make fatigue set in. The mother-to-be will start feeling tired soon. As it is the growing baby takes a toll on mother’s working power. Concentrate on including 2 to 3 greens daily. 

bajra roti recipe | bajre ki roti | healthy pearl millet roti | Rajasthani bajra roti | Sajje Roti | 2 bajra rotis provide 20% iron, 12% protein, 23% fiber and 20% Vitamin B1 of you daily RDA. 

Bajra Roti

Next, you can also discover some iron rich cereals. These include nachni, bajra, jowar and buckwheat. Try and make a habit of having one iron rich cereal as a part of any one main meal – lunch or dinner and one at snack time. This is the best way to ensure your daily dose of iron from cereal group. Buckwheat pancakes suits both the purpose – as a dinner option as well as a snack. Nachni and Onion Roti would be a wholesome choice for lunch then. 

buckwheat pancakes recipe | gluten free buckwheat pancake | kuttu pancake - diabetic snack

Also read : 35 Iron rich foods 

18 Amazing  Health Benefits of Bajra Flour

4. Folic Acid : Folic acid is a key nutrient since pre-conception. It is wise to start building its reserves before pregnancy. During the third trimester of pregnancy the fetus shows major development in the brain. The foetus now starts regulating its own body temperature. Thus the need for folic acid yet continues. A pregnant women needs 400 mcg of folate through the pregnancy. 

Sprouted Kabuli Chana and Palak, Healthy Indian Tomato Soup and Rajma and Urad Dal are some healthy folate rich accompaniments. Include them as a part of your main meals. 

Rajma and Urad Dal

Also read : Recipe Rich in Folate 

5. Calcium : Dairy products are one of the best sources of calcium. Milk, curd and paneer should be included daily in the diet. Curd is a probiotic which promotes gut health. Having a plain bowl of curd is quite soothing for the stomach. It can help relieve acidity also, if any. You can make raita like Spinach Raita and Lauki Phudina Raita. 

Spinach Raita, for Weight Loss and Athletes

Also read : Top 42 Calcium Rich Foods

6. Fiber : Fiber is necessary to keep the digestive tract clean and avoid stomach upset. It is a key nutrient needed to prevent constipation. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans all that we eat daily comprises of fiber. A balanced diet with enough of each of these food groups will instinctively make up for your fiber needs. 

Try having a variety of recipes like Palak Kale and Apple Juice, Jowar Bajra Besan Thalipeeth and Masoor Dal and Palak Khichdi.  

Masoor Dal and Palak Khichdi

Also read : 30 High Fiber Foods

Healthy Nuts to eat during your third trimester of pregnancy

Include a variety of healthy nuts like walnuts and almonds to stock up on omega-3 fats. Peanuts are also a good option for pregnant ladies because they are cheap in cost. A tbsp. of seeds like sunflower seeds, flax seeds and chia seeds can also contribute to good amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. 

Oats Flax Seeds Roti and Flax seeds Raita are quick and healthy choices. Sunflower seeds can be roasted and added to any salad or soup that you make of your choice. Learn how to roast sunflower seeds perfectly.

Snacks to eat during your third trimester of pregnancy

Have small and frequent meals if you are comfortable. Juice, soup or even a salad or a small snack is a good idea. Made using fibre-rich oats, Baked Oats Puri is flavoured with sesame seeds, garlic paste and kasuri methi too.

Baked Oats Puri

Foods to eat during your third trimester of pregnancy to prepare for lactation

This is also the time of gestation to add foods like garlic, methi, subza, milk etc. to your diet as they help in breast milk production after delivery. These foods are called galactogouges. To meet this requirement of a pregnant women, we have included recipes like Multigrain Garlic Roti, Strawberry Chickoo Shake etc.

Multigrain Garlic Roti, Lehsun Roti

Another recipe that can act as a galactogogue is Tomato Methi Rice in which iron-laden methi greens are combined with vitamin C rich tomatoes.

tomato methi rice recipe | healthy tomato methi pulao | Indian tomato methi brown rice | iron rich fenugreek brown rice

So go ahead and make your pick of the day and enjoy it while relaxing on your couch. Enjoy our range of recipes foods to eat during your third trimester,  | third trimester Indian pregnancy recipes and check out our other pregnancy recipe categories.

Pregnancy First Trimester Recipes

Pregnancy Second Trimester Recipes

Weight Loss after Pregnancy Recipes

Preconception Recipes