Juices in pregnancy- part 1

2 mins to read

We caught up with author of Plenish: Juices to Boost, Cleanse and Heal Kara Rosen, who, after having her baby, turned to making cold-pressed juices and nut milks to restore her health and energy.

Pregnancy and preconception

Kara Rosen Here, Kara shares with us her tips on nutritious juicing for before and after baby.

Kara, you found that juices were able to restore your health – why and how was this so?

I was living and working in New York (my home town) and got caught up in the career rat race. I was always travelling, on the go and although I thought I was being healthy, I wasn’t getting enough fresh veg and produce into my diet.

I ended up getting a case of strep throat, and started a round of antibiotics that transpired into me being unwell, and medicated by my doctors for nearly two years.

[…]I engaged a nutritional therapist to help me get to the root of the problem. Her first order of business was to put me on a mostly green juice cleanse to detoxify […], and essentially wipe the slate clean.

In addition to [this and] probiotics, we started to make simple but effective changes to my diet – which mostly included adding a lot more raw veg. Given my lifestyle (busy busy!) didn’t change, juicing became a convenient way for me to cram in heaps of veg goodness on the go.

What’s one surprising thing you’ve learnt about the power of juices?

Given that you can press nearly 2kg of vegetables into one glass of juice, the sheer volume of nutrients you can consume in one sitting is pretty impressive.

When women are pregnant, how can juices be of the greatest assistance?

During pregnancy, you may find your digestion is a bit sluggish, and you are a bit more tired than normal. Although you should be getting lots of fibre through our regular diet, juicing can be a real secret weapon in terms of energy and nutrient delivery.

Kara’s considerations for each trimester

First trimester, turn up the volume on your green intake (like spinach, kale and other leafy greens). These are rich in folate (vitamin B) and a good source of calcium
Second trimester, you can start adding vegetables to your juices that are rich in Beta-carotene like sweet potatoes, carrots, red and orange capsicums
Third trimester, as baby is getting bigger, I found juicing a great relief as I was having a hard time eating a lot of solid food without getting uncomfortably full. Given your energy levels are taxed as you’re carrying around a larger baby, make sure to include leafy greens and herbs rich in vitamin K like parsley

Once women have had their babies, is there a simple juice that you’d recommend for wellbeing? One, say, that only has a few ingredients?

If you keep cucumber, any bag of pre-washed leafy greens (spinach, kale, romaine lettuce) around – pears and apples you can whip up a super hydrating juice in minutes.

If you use one whole cucumber, a pear or apple and a handful or two of leafy greens – you will yield two juices to pop in the fridge and sip on through the day. If you are breastfeeding, juicing can be even more helpful as you can stay hydrated while packing in heaps of nutrients to make sure you are feeding your cells with alkaline nutrition.