Healthy pregnancy cravings: avocado!

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This post is sponsored by Aguacates Frescos – Saborea Uno Hoy^®, however all opinions shared here are my own.

I recently came back from a conference and a lovely week in Miami, where I had the chance to meet up with some of my favorite blogger friends… and it was a delight to find that a lot of them were expecting! We chatted a lot about newborns, pregnancy and touched upon a subject I’d like to share with you too: nutrition and cravings during pregnancy.

Pregnancy cravings are a real thing. I think more than half of pregnant women have a crazy urge to eat specific foods at certain times during their pregnancy. The choices range from the usual guilty pleasures (fast food or comfort food) to the healthy, to even funky combinations -to the dismay of many, ‘ice cream with pickles’ is a thing! I’d like to tell you more about something I craved throughout my pregnancy that is also a very good craving to have: avocados.

Avocados aren’t just one of those foodie fashions, they walk the talk. They’re pretty, delicious AND they’re really good for you! Especially if you’re pregnant. The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics lists avocados as a healthful fat that can help women achieve a balanced diet and have a healthy pregnancy. If you’re expecting, talk to your doctor about making them a staple in your pregnancy diet. Here are just some of their benefits:

They contain naturally good fats which are known to be important for normal growth and development of the baby’s central nervous system and brain.
They’re a good source of fiber: 3g per 50g serving (about 1/3 of a medium avocado) which will help you feel full faster!
Fresh avocados provide a good source of folate per serving which is important for developing a baby’s brain function and reducing the risk of premature births and birth defects. That’s why many pregnancy multivitamins are high in folic acid!

Another reason why I LOVE avocados is that they’re really versatile! You can make hot savory dishes, refreshing salads, desserts (like chocolate avocado pudding or even brownies!), smoothies, ice cream… anything with them! I love eating avocado toast in the mornings and adding avocado to my quesadillas and fajitas but, from time to time, I also enjoy changing things up. I made a yummy and healthy salmon with citrus salsa from the Saborea Uno Hoy website over the weekend and we almost ended up licking the plate ‘cause it turned out so delectable! If you’re a salmon lover you should also try their Cuban-style Grilled Salmon with Avocado, Baby Tomato and Herb Salsa, it looks amazing. Whatever you make, you can be sure it can be more nutritious thanks to mighty avocados.

Speaking of nutrients: if you’re expecting, you gotta enter the ABCs of Prenatal Nutrition Instagram contest! One lucky winner will get the grand prize of a $500 BuyBuyBaby gift card and a Love One Today® diaper bag filled with baby gear. And if you’re among the 5 runner-ups, you could also receive the diaper bag filled with goodies for your baby. All you gotta do is post a photo of your avocado craving during the whole month of May and use the hashtag #LoveOneTodayMom and #contest. More on the rules here. You have all of May to submit, so go past the same ol’ guacamole and experiment with avocado in your recipes!

I’d love to know how you’ll be using avocado in your snacks and meals, so I’ll be checking your submissions. I hope this post served as inspiration and that you and your baby get to enjoy all the benefits of avocados. The bottom line is, pregnant or not, there’s plenty of reasons why you should be enjoying this powerful fruit!